Department of Politics and International Studies

Certificate in Politics and International Studies

Key information

Duration
One year
Start of programme
September
Attendance mode
Full-time
Location
Russell Square, College Buildings
Fees

Home student fees: £9,250
Overseas student fees: £20,350

Please note that fees go up each year.
See tuition fees for further details.

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirement is the ability to demonstrate the potential to study at undergraduate level. However, programmes may have their own specific requirements, such as, in the case of language-based studies, a proven ability to learn a language.

See English language requirements

Course overview

This one-year course provides a substantive and comprehensive introduction to the politics of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It is designed for two types of students:

  • Those keen to pursue a Masters degree but who do not have a background in the relevant subject area, and who seek academic foundations for more advanced studies.
     
  • Professionals or mature students with an interest in furthering their knowledge of (international) politics, but who do not wish to embark on a full three-year undergraduate degree, or a Masters degree.

Students enrolled in the Certificate programme will study concepts and approaches that are foundational for analysing politics and international relations, and they are able to choose from a range of disciplinary and regional modules that enables them to design a programme tailored to their specific interests. This programme does not involve writing a dissertation.

Structure

Students have to take 120 undergraduate credits from those that are available to full-time undergraduate students, with whom they also attend lectures and tutorials. Course expectations are the same as for full time students (attendance, coursework, essays, annual examinations, etc). Passing the certificate at an upper second class standard is normally deemed to make a student eligible for the taught Master's degrees offered by the Department of Politics and International Studies at SOAS.

Students normally choose 60 introductory credits and 30 EACH from the Disciplinary and Regional units. The following is a list of available modules - please note that not every module may be available every year.

Important notice

The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes. However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. 

Teaching and learning

Most of our modules are taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials. Lectures (50 minutes) provide broad overviews of the topic. They are accompanied by tutorials (50 minutes) that give students the opportunity to discuss readings and key issues in small groups. Some modules may also take the form of two-hour seminars allowing for deeper engagement with more specialised topics.

By the end of the programme students will have acquired a range of transferable skills.This includes the ability to collect and synthesise information, read and evaluate complex materials, assess the evidence for a range of different positions, construct arguments, exercise independence of judgement and communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

Learning resources

Students also benefit from the vibrant learning environment SOAS provides more broadly. The SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. Moreover, every year there is a lively events programme that attracts renowned speakers from around the world, allowing students to engage with cutting edge debates on contemporary politics.

Fees and funding

Fees for 2023/24 entrants

Full-time
Home students Overseas students
£9,250 £21,160

Please note that fees go up each year.

See tuition fees for further details.