Overview and entry requirements
The BA International Relations Combined Honours Degree three-year programme is designed to be an immersive experience that draws on the significant expertise of our diverse academic specialists in the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Are you passionate about developing critical global perspectives and actionable insights on subjects ranging from Republicanism, empire and revolution to War and the International?
See Department of Politics and International Studies
Combine International Relations with other subjects
Other disciplines – Development Studies, East Asian Studies, Economics, History, Languages and Cultures, Law, Politics, Social Anthropology
Languages – Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean
Why study International Relations Combined Honours at SOAS
- ranked 5th in the UK for Politics (QS World University Rankings 2022)
- as well as 3rd globally for academic reputation (QS World University Rankings 2022)
- our International Relations academics are hands on research-driven and provide intellectually stimulating supportive teaching environments for students
- employability — our strong focus on enhancing your career prospects and practical skills are integrated across the programme
- our innovative range of modules on offer are revised to reflect latest developments and direct insight of real-world processes across countries of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as in the global economy and interdependencies
- choosing to study a Combined Honours programme will enable you to take advantage of the expertise of another department and create a niche for yourself
- we are specialists in the delivery of languages — your command of a language from SOAS will set you apart from graduates of other universities
Explore
Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings
Start of programme: September
Mode of Attendance: Full-time
Entry requirements
- duration:
- 3 or 4 years
Fees 2022/23
Fees for 2022/23 entrants per academic year
- UK fees:
- £9,250
- Overseas fees:
- £20,350
Please note that fees go up each year. Further details see 'Fees and funding' (tab on this page) or the Registry's undergraduate tuition fees page.
Please see the Unistats data for the various combinations of this programme under the Combinations tab.
May be combined with:
The study of International Relations can be combined with a wide range of social science and humanities subjects, or with the study of languages and regions of Asia, Africa and the Middle East only available at SOAS.
* Students taking BA International Relations with another subject must satisfy the requirements of both Departments.
+ 4 year degree with (compulsory) 1 year abroad
++ 3 or 4 year degree with option of 1 year abroad
Key Information Set data
Click on a combined programme to load KIS data
Structure
The BA International Relations and… is a two-subject three-year degree programme.
The information below describes the International Relations component of the degree.
Over the course of a three-year degree, students must complete 360 credits. These can be split evenly between both subjects (180/180), or be varied between the two subjects if the programme structure gives scope for this. Students must have at least 150 credits in one subject (with a maximum of 240 credits being possible) and 120 credits in the other subject (with a maximum of 210 credits being possible) in order to be awarded a two-subject degree. The subject in which the higher amount of credits has been passed will be named first on the final degree awarded.
Please note: Students taking BA International Relations with another subject must satisfy the requirements of both Departments.
Year 1
Compulsory Module
Students will take the following compulsory module:
First Year options list
And 30 credits from the First Year options list below;
Second Subject
Students will take modules to the value of 60 credits from the second subject
Year 2
Credits must be taken in the following combination;
- 30 credits from Disciplinary options
- 30 credits from Regional options
- 60 credits from second subject
Disciplinary Options
Regional Options
Second Subject
Students will take modules to the value of 60 credits from the second subject.
Year 3
Credits must be taken in the following combination;
- A minimum of 30 credits from List A
- A maximum of 30 credits from List A or B
- 60 credits from the second subject
List A
List B
Second Subject
Students will take modules to the value of 60 credits from the second subject.
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
The programme provides methodological and skills training throughout and allows final year students to undertake an independent research project, such as a dissertation, supervised by an academic member of staff.
Contact hours
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. In the final year, 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.
Tuition fees
Fees for 2022/23 entrants per academic year
| Programme |
Full-Time |
UK
Students |
Overseas
Students |
|
BA, BSc, LLB
|
£9,250
|
£20,350 |
| BA/BSc Language year abroad |
£1,385 |
£10,175 |
Please note that fees go up each year.
For full details of undergraduate tuition fees, see our Registry's undergraduate tuition fees page.
Scholarships
Application Deadline: 2020-04-30 15:00
For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section
Employment
SOAS Politics and International Relations students leave SOAS not only with a knowledge and understanding of the complex political and cultural issues of our time, but also with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers.
Recent graduates from the Department of Politics and International Studies have been hired by:
- BBC World Service
- Bloomberg
- British Red Cross
- British Council
- Center for International Peace Operations
- Channel 4
- Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA)
- Department for International Development (DfID)
- Eversheds LLP
- Financial Times
- Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO)
- Global Policy Institute
- Go East Consulting
- Grassroot Diplomat
- Palestine Red Crescent Association
- Save the Children
- UNICEF Ethiopia
- United Nations
Find out about our Careers Service.
A Student's Perspective
You might not be able to find a department dedicated to your major... However, because SOAS has many courses that are interdisciplinary, you also might be able to find courses of your interests. For example, for SOAS does not have a dedicated philosophy department, I, a philosophy major, looked for courses in other departments that cover philosophical discourses. My experience here of studying Buddhism and Taoism was highly inspiring.
Dong-Kyung Lee, Korea University
