The BA History Combined Honours Degree combines History with another discipline or language and takes 3 or 4 years depending on the subject involved. From the Crusades to the contemporary Middle East; the Mughal Empire to Gandhi; slavery to Muslim societies in West Africa, History at SOAS offers its students a unique window on the world in order to develop your understanding of the fascinating histories relating to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Students will also engage in subject matters ranging from economics, religion and culture to frontiers, cities, and gender. The two-subject degree additionally allows you to create a specialist niche for yourself within a specific regional, cultural or disciplinary context.
Why study History Combined Honours at SOAS?
- allows you to develop a specialist niche alongside your History degree by utilising the global expertise of one of our other departments
- our unrivalled focus in the study of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East will help you shape a more critical understanding of history
- develop an in-depth understanding and appreciation of the history of Africa and Asia
- our academic staff are African and Asian history specialists
- we are specialists in the delivery of languages. Your command of a language from SOAS will set you apart from graduates of other universities
Apply now via UCAS or visit our upcoming Open Day.
Find out more about how to apply.
Visit our History department page to find out more.
Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings
Start of programme: September
Mode of Attendance: Full-time
Entry requirements
- A Levels:
- AAB-ABB
- IB:
- 35 (665 at HL)
View alternative entry requirements
BTEC: DDM
Access to HE: Minimum of 30 Level 3 Credits at Distinction
Scottish Highers: AAABB
Scottish Advanced Highers: AAB
Irish LC: 340 points from 5 Higher level subjects at grade C1 or above
Advanced Placement: 4 4 5 (Two semesters - UCAS Group A) plus US HSGD with GPA 3.0
Euro Bacc: 80%
French Bacc: 14/20
German Abitur: 2.0
Italy DES: 80/100
Austria Mat: 2.0
Polish Mat: Overall 75% including 3 extended level subjects
- duration:
- 3 or 4 years
Fees 2021/22
- UK fees:
- £9,250
- Overseas fees:
- £19,560
Fees for 2021/22 entrants. The fees are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year. Further details can be found in the Fees and Funding tab on this page or in the Registry Undergraduate Tuition Fees page
Please see the Unistats data for the various combinations of this programme under the Combinations tab.
Students take 120 credits per year composed of Core and Optional modules.
This Joint Honours programme enables students to design their own intellectual journey, whilst maintaining a strong grasp of the fundamentals of History.
When selecting modules, some students choose to focus mainly on one region (Africa, Near and Middle East, South, Southeast or East Asia) or topic (e.g. Islam, violence and warfare, gender, modernity). Others choose to range more broadly, exploring various topics and regions. Depending on the choice of the second subject, students will have the opportunity to develop an in-depth knowledge of one particular region or to put more emphasis on the exploration of particular themes and problems, exploring them in a comparative context.
Year 1
Core Module
PLUS
Guided Option
Choose from List H1 Regional Introduction module below to the value of 30 credits
AND
Second Subject
Choose modules from the second subject to the value of 60 credits
OR
Choose modules from the second subject to the value of 30 credits
AND
Choose related Language or Non-Language open option modules to the value of 30 credits
Compulsory Module
Year 2
Core Module
PLUS
Guided Option
Choose from List H2 Thematic Modules below to the value of 15 credits
AND
Choose from List H2 Regional Module below to the value of 30 credits
AND
Second Subject
Choose modules from the second subject to the value of 60 credits
OR
Choose modules from the second subject to the value of 30 credits
AND
Choose related Language or Non-Language open option modules to the value of 30 credits
Year 3
Core Module
Choose modules from the H3 special subject module list below to the value of 30 credits.
PLUS
Please select 30 credits from the following:
OR
Choose from List H2 History Module below to the value of 30 credits
PLUS
Second Subject
Choose a module(s) from the second subject to the value of 30 credits
AND
Choose a module(s) from the second subject to the value of 30 credits
OR
Choose from List H2 History Module below to the value of 30 credits
OR
Choose related Language or Non-Language open option modules to the value of 30 credits
List of Modules (subject to availability)
H1 Regional Introductions Modules
H2 Thematic Modules
H2 Regional Modules
H3
Programme Specification
Important notice
The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. If you are a current student you can find structure information on the previous year link at the top of the page or through your Department. Please read the important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.
Teaching & Learning
Recommended Pre Entry Reading
- JR McNeill and WH McNeill, The Human Web: A Bird’s Eye View of World History (2003)
- John Darwin, After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires (2007)
- CA Bayly, The Birth of the Modern World, 1780-1914 (2004)
- Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities (1991)
- John Iliffe, Africans: The History of a Continent (2007)
- Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples (1991)
- Barbara D and Thomas R Metcalf, A Concise History of India (2002)
- MC Ricklefs et al., A New History of Southeast Asia (2010)
- Charles Holcombe, A History of East Asia (2017)
- J Black and DM MacRaild, Studying History (2007)
Modules
Modules are taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials, usually one hour a week of each. Sometimes, one follows the other in a two-hour bloc. Sometimes, the tutorial is at a different time or on a different day than the lecture.
Tutorials are sessions in which students are expected to present reports and take a lead in discussions.
Depending on the size of the class, some intermediate and advanced level modules are less strictly divided between a formal lecture and a tutorial discussion, and instead, the topic is briefly introduced by the lecturer, followed by a seminar discussion. Advanced level modules, which are usually taught in one two-hour bloc, often take this format.
Introductory modules
These are assessed through a combination of essays, oral presentations on selected readings or topics and a three-hour examination, taken in Term 3. Introductory modules are not open to second- and third-year history students.
Intermediate level modules
These provide specialised study in the history of particular regions, building on the introductory courses. With the exception of the Group Study Project (see below), they are assessed by: (a) two or three essays, and (b) a three-hour examination, taken in Term 3.
For intermediate modules the weighting of assessment between essays and examination varies, with coursework essays counting for between 25 per cent and 60 per cent of the total mark. For the specifics of each module see the individual module unit listings. Group Study Projects are assessed on the basis of three written reports (see below).
Advanced level modules
These aim to introduce students to the reading and use of original historical documents, so-called ‘primary sources’. The 300 level modules are taught modules, assessed in the same way as intermediate level modules, i.e., a varying combination of essays and a final examination. For each 300 level module there is an attached 400 level module, for which there are no additional classes and which involves the writing of a 10,000-word dissertation on a topic arising from the content of the 300 level module. There is no final examination for 400 level modules; assessment is on the basis of the dissertation alone.
The Independent Study Project (ISP)
These can be taken by final-year students only. Like the Special Subject dissertation, its aim is to provide an opportunity for students to conduct original historical research on their own initiative, to engage in in-depth analysis of particular subjects and to use a range of primary historical sources. It too involves no formal classes and is assessed by a single 10,000-word dissertation (including notes but excluding bibliography).
Learning Resources
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. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.
Tuition Fees
Full details of undergraduate tuition fees can be found on the Registry's Undergraduate Tuition Fees page.
Fees for 2021/22 entrants. The fees below are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year.
Programme |
Full-Time |
UK Students |
Overseas Students |
BA, BSc, LLB |
£9,250 |
£19,560 |
BA/BSc Language Year Abroad |
£1,385 |
£9,780 |
Scholarships
Application Deadline: 2020-04-30 15:00
For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section
An undergraduate degree in History from SOAS will give you specialist knowledge of the history and broad cultural sensibilities of a region.
Skills gained include:
- expertise in historical subject matter, interpretation and methodology from different topical perspectives
- an in-depth understanding and appreciation of the history of Africa, Asia and the Near and Middle East
- competence to manage large quantities of information and the ability to select and organise information
- research methodologies
- choosing to study a joint degree programme will increase the breadth of your knowledge allowing you to develop a specialist niche for yourself
Find out more about History Graduate Destinations
Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:
- Blackstock PR
- Bonhams
- British Council
- Ernst and Young
- HSBC
- International Society for Water Solutions (ISWS)
- Middle East Consultancy Services
- Oxford Policy Management
- Shed Productions Ltd (Independent UK television production company)
Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:
- Account Executive
- Business Development Manager
- Conference Producer
- Copywriter
- Finance Researcher
- Freelance TV Researcher
- Public Relations and Policy Manager
- Production Editor
- Trainee Accountant
A Student's Perspective
It’s a global experience and, thankfully, everyone is included, no matter what their colour, religion, or ‘class’.
Mysa Kafil-Hussain