The BA in International Relations provides students with wide-ranging knowledge of world politics and a particular focus on Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Over the course of the programme, students will learn about mainstream approaches to the study of world politics, as well as critiques of such approaches. They will develop a historicised appreciation for how, where and why Western-centric lenses of international relations were formed, how relevant they are to the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and what alternative approaches have emerged from these regions. The programme is genuinely interdisciplinary in nature. It draws on approaches from political science, global history, political economy and sociology to give students an in-depth understanding of international relations and foreign policy across a variety of thematic areas, and to develop expertise in regional politics.

Our graduates work in a wide variety of fields, including politics, the civil service, the charity sector, media, business, consulting, law and activism. Many also go on to successfully pursue a postgraduate degree at prestigious universities in the UK and around the world.

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

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.

PLEASE NOTE: Students taking BA International Relations with another subject must satisfy the requirements of both Departments.

• Arabic+, LT2P BA/IRA
• Chinese+, LB23 BA/IRC
• Development Studies, LL28 BA/IRDS
• East Asian Studies
• Economics, LL21 BA/IRE
• History, LV22 BA/IRH
• Japanese+, LTF2 BA/IRJ
• Korean+, LT24 BA/IRK
• Languages and Cultures
• Law, LMF1 BA/IRL
• Linguistics
• Politics
• Social Anthropology, LL26S09 BA/IRSA

+ 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

This information describes the International Relations component of a two-subject 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

Core Modules

Students will take the following core modules:

Second Subject

Students will take modules to the value of 60 credits from the second subject

Year 2

Students will select 30 credits each from the Disciplinary Options list AND Regional Options list below.

Regional Options

Second Subject

Students will take modules to the value of 60 credits from the second subject.

Year 3

Students will select a minimum of 30 credits from List A below

AND

Students may take a further 60 credits from List A, B or Open Options. Only 30 credits can be taken from Open Options (Languages | Non-languages).

List A

List B

Second Subject

Students will take a minimum of 30 credits from the second subject.

Programme Specification

• BA International Relations and... Programme Specification 2020/21 (pdf; 784kb)

Important notice

Teaching & 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. In the final year, modules may also take the form of two-hour seminars allowing for deeper engagement with more specialised topics. 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.

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.

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

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. 

Scholarships

For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section

• How to Apply
• UCAS website
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• Funding options
• English language requirements
• Tuition Fees
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