BA History and ...

Program Overview

Key Information

Duration

3 or 4 years

Start of Programme

September 2025

Attendance Mode

Full-time

Location

Campus

Fees

• Home: £9,535
• International: £22,870

Entry Requirements

• AAA-ABB
• For joint degrees, the offer is based on the subject with the higher entry requirements.
• Contextual: AAB-BBB

International Entry Requirements

• Austria: Reifeprufungszeugnis / Maturazeugnis: four subjects at 1, 2, 2, 2
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Belgium: Diploma van Secundair Onderwijs: 75% (7.5/10, 15/20) overall
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Bulgaria: Diploma za Zavarsheno Sredno Obrazovanie: 5.3 and 5.0 in two State Maturity Exams
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Canada: High School Diploma: 80% with 5 acceptable Grade 12 subjects (most territories). British Columbia: AABBB in Grade 12 courses.
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• China: Senior Secondary Graduation Certificate + Gaokao: 78% overall in Gaokao PLUS 85% overall in Senior Secondary School Graduation Certificate (year 11 and 12)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Croatia: Matura Certificate: 4.5 overall with 5 in 1 Higher level subject
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Cyprus: Apolytirion with 2 A-Levels: Apolytirion 18/20 + A-level grades BB
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Czech Republic: Matura Certificate: 1, 2, 2, 2
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Denmark: Studentereksamen; Hojere Forberedelseseksamen; Hojere Handelseksamen; Hojere Teknisk Eksamen: 7 plus 10, 7, 7 in three Level A subjects
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Estonia: Gümnaasiumi lõputunnistus with the Riigieksamitunnistus: 4.0 with 85%, 80%, and 80% in 3 state exams
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Finland: Ylioppilastukint / Studentexamen: four subjects at 6, 5, 5, 5
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• France: French Baccalaureat or Option Internationale du Baccalauréat (OIB): 13/20
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Germany: Abitur: 1.8
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Greece: Apolytirion of Geniko Lykeio with Pan Hellenic exams: 18/20
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Hong Kong: Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education: 544 in two electives and one core (all other subjects grade 3)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Hungary: Matura (Erettségi): 4.5 overall
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Iceland: Stúdentspróf: 7.5
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• India: Standard XII: 75% (CBSE, CISCE, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra & West Bengal boards), 80% (all other state boards)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Ireland: Irish Leaving Certificate: H1, H2, H2, H3, H3
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Israel: Bagrut: Overall grade of 7, 80% with 3 subjects at 5-unit level
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Italy: Diploma Consequito con L’Esame di Stato: 80% overall
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Latvia: Certificate of General Secondary Education: 88% in four State subject exams
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Lithuania: Brandos Atestatas: 8.5/10 and 90%, 85%, 85% in three State Exam
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Malta: Advanced Matriculation Certificate: AB (Advanced) + BBB (Intermediate)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Netherlands: Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs: 7.5 overall with 8, 8, 7, 7 in four subjects
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Norway: Vitnemål vidergaende opplaering: 4.3 overall
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Poland: New Polish Matura: 75% in three Advanced Level subjects
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Portugal: Diploma de Ensino Secundario: overall 17.5/20
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Romania: Diploma de Bacalaureat: 8.5 overall
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Singapore: Polytechnic Diploma (Nanyang, Ngee Ann, Singapore, Temasek and Republic Polytechnic): GPA 3.3
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Slovakia: Maturitná skúška / Maturita / Vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške: four subjects at 1, 2, 2, 2
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• South Africa: National Senior Certificate: 77666
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Spain: Curso de Orientación Universitaria / Título de Bachillerato: 7.5
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Sweden: Slutbetyg / Examensbevis från Gymnasieskolan: A in 1200 credits and no grades below D / 18 / mainly B overall (MVG/VG)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Switzerland: Federal Maturity Certificate: 4.5
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Tanzania: Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education: ACSE with BBB in 3 principle subjects
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Trinidad and Tobago: CAPE: Six CAPE units with grade 2 (+two double-unit courses)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Turkey: Lise Diplomasi: 78-83% (depending on high school)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• USA: High School Diploma plus ACT, SAT, or AP exams:
  • High School Diploma GPA 3.0 plus SAT 1280 or ACT 27 and 2 AP's at 4,4 or
  • High School Diploma GPA of 3.2 plus 2 AP's at 4,4 or
  • High School Diploma GPA 3.4 plus SAT 1300 or ACT 29 or
  • 2-year Associate degree GPA 3.1
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB

Course Overview

Why Study History Combined Honours at SOAS?

• SOAS is ranked 13th in the UK for History (QS World University Rankings 2025)
• BA History scored above sector in learning opportunities (NSS 2023)
• Our average 20/21 Graduate Outcome Departmental score is 82.85% (HESA)
• We eliminated racialised awarding gaps at undergraduate level

BA East Asian Studies and History

• Open

BA History and Africa and Black Diaspora

• Open

BA History and Africa and Black Diaspora including year abroad

• Open

BA History and Arabic (Year Abroad)

• Open

BA History and Chinese (Year Abroad)

• Open

BA History and Economics

• Open

BA History and Global Development

• Open

BA History and History of Art

• Open

BA History and World Philosophies

• Open

BA International Relations and History

• Open

BA Japanese and History (Year Abroad)

• Open

BA Korean and History (Year Abroad)

• Open

BA Languages and Cultures and History including year abroad

• Open

BA Law and History

• Open

BA Music and History

• Open

BA Politics and History

• Open

BA Social Anthropology and History

• Open

Teaching and 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, (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)

Contact Hours

• 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.

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.

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).

Fees and Funding

Fees for 2025/26 Entrants per Academic Year

• Programme: Full-time
• Home students: £9,535
• Overseas students: £22,870
• BA/BSc Language year abroad: £1,385 (Home), £11,430 (Overseas)

Employment

With Specialised Historical Knowledge, an Understanding of Cultural Sensitivities and Skills in Research and Analysis, Graduates from the Department of History are Well Respected by Employers Across Private and Public Sectors.

• Al Jazeera
• Amnesty International
• Bank of England
• BBC
• Blackstock PR
• Bonhams
• British Council
• British Library
• Dataminr
• Ernst and Young
• Goldman Sachs
• Google
• HSBC
• International Committee of the Red Cross
• KPMG
• Middle East Consultancy Services
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Cyprus
• Natural History Museum
• Publicis Media
• UNESCO
• United Nations Development Programme

Key Staff

• Dr Roy Fischel: Senior Lecturer in the History of South Asia
• Dr Ceyda Karamursel: Lecturer in Middle East History

Research Areas

• Material Culture of the Jaina Mendicant Traditions
• Chinese Perspectives on AI in Global Context: Towards a New Ethical Eco-System
• An Inclusive Bodhisattva Path: The Taiwanese Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation and their Global Trans-Faith Humanitarianism
• Mapping religious diversity in modern Sichuan: A spatial and social study of communities and networks
• The multimedia Yasna
• Seals and sealing practices in Sasanian Iran: New evidence from Taxt-e Solaymān
• The multimedia Yasna International image interoperability framework
• From TEI to JSON within IIIF
• Beyond Discovery: Religion, economics and administration in Sasanian Iran through new clay bullae from Taxt-e Solayman
• The non-textuality of knowledge: Orality and symbolism in African philosophy
• Alternative explanations for disability: Inspiring patient-centered care among healthcare practitioners through the arts
• Avestan Ritual in India
• Creating sustainable data resources - escaping the technology obsolescence vortex

School of History, Religions and Philosophies

• The School specialises in teaching and researching the history, religion, and philosophy of the Global South in a critical, decolonial, and interdisciplinary manner.

Program Outline

Students take

120 credits

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.

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.

Year 1

Students will take the following

two compulsory modules below

module of 30 credits

regional introductions

TWO second subject modules of 30 credits

a language module of 30 credits

Year 2

Core module

Students will take the below core module, plus a

thematic module of 30 credits

H2 intermediate module of 30 credits

2 second subject modules of 30 credits

approved open option of 30 credits

Year 3

Compulsory Module

Students will take one

H3 special subject module of 30 credits

H500 Dissertation in History

H2 Intermediate module of 30 credits

TWO second subject module of 30 credits

approved open option of 30 credits

Regional introductions

Thematic modules

H2 Intermediate

H3 Special subject

Year 2 and Year 3

Recommended pre-entry reading

Contact hours

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).

SOAS Library

SOAS Library

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