Program Overview

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Key Information

Start Date

September

Duration

4 years

Attendance Mode

Full-time

Location

On Campus

Fees

• Home: £5,760
• International: £22,870

Course Code

Y004

Entry Requirements

• A Levels: CCC
• BTEC: MMM

Course Overview

This Foundation Year prepares students for entry onto an undergraduate programme at SOAS.

During the Foundation Year, students are equipped with the skills and knowledge required for undergraduate study. In addition to modules on academic practice, digital skills and technology, topical global issues and cultural fluency, and working with numbers, you will receive an introduction to different academic disciplines taught at SOAS in the departments of Finance and Management, Economics and Law.

The Foundation Year is excellent preparation for students who may benefit from an additional year of study before beginning an undergraduate degree, including students who do not have the required grades for direct entry onto an undergraduate programme or who have not previously studied the relevant subjects.

Degree Combinations

Progression is possible onto all other undergraduate programmes in the School, subject to availability, including the LLB (but excluding the Senior Status LLB) and all BA Joint Law and another subject programmes (but excluding BA History of Art (Asia, Africa and Europe)).

Students passing the Foundation Year progress onto another undergraduate degree in the School. Students are supported to make a guided decision about the programme that they wish to go on to study. On successful completion of their degree, students will graduate with the degree title and subject progressed onto after the Foundation Year.

International students requesting an integrated CAS for the 4-year integrated degree (Foundation Year + BA/BSc degree programme) will be required to state on the CAS request form which BA/BSc degree programme they will be progressing to at the end of successful completion of the Foundation Year. Students who later change their mind about the preferred degree programme will need to return to their home country to submit a new Student Visa application.

Alternatively, you may want to consider doing the International Foundation Programme (ICC). This qualification allows students to apply for a single CAS covering the one-year programme, then apply for their preferred degree programme from within the UK.

Structure

Modules

You will take six modules during the Foundation Year, as detailed.

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.

Foundation Year - Core

30 credits core

Academic Practice 1 - 15 credits

Academic Practice 2 - 15 credits

Foundation Year - Compulsory

90 credits compulsory

Data and Critical Thinking - 15 credits

The contemporary world is awash in numbers, but many of us remain cautious in using them, if not actively scared. What does it mean to be literate in such a world? How can we learn to think with and about numbers in making decisions? How can we marshal the power of numbers in argument? This course aims to help you do this, strengthening your ability to reason with numbers. It is not a mathematics course and we will not spend our time in mathematical calculation. We will encounter some very basic statistical concepts, but most of our discussion will focus on how numbers are used in everyday life. By the end, you will be able to think more clearly, reason more sharply, and argue more effectively about the numbers that surround us—and even to enjoy yourself as you do so.

Digital Skills and Technology - 15 credits

In this module, students develop core skills and competencies relating to digital technology and media, including basic coding, website design, video production and editing, and sound recording and production. An introduction is provided to key contemporary concepts related to our digital age and the impact of digital technology on societies. Students apply the skills and competencies that they have developed in the creation of a digital portfolio. They are encouraged to think about their online self-presentation through social media and other networking tools. The skills and competencies developed during the module are used by students in other Foundation Year modules and during subsequent years of undergraduate study.

The World from SOAS - 15 credits

This thematic module introduces students to key issues and debates in the contemporary world, such as inequality, diversity and pluralism, migration, human rights, global justice, environmental change and democracy. The module develops critical thinking by challenging students to re-assess their pre-existing views and encouraging them to think critically about areas of the world in which SOAS specialises.

Culture, Identity and Power - 15 credits

This module takes an interdisciplinary approach to the concept of cultural fluency, raising questions such as: What is culture? What does it mean to study other cultures? How do different cultures relate to each other? The importance of language learning and other aspects of communication in cultural understanding is stressed. Students consider the relationship between culture and globalisation: Is there such a thing as global culture? What does it mean to be a global citizen? They are encouraged to think critically about their own cultures and citizenships. Students develop the digital portfolio that they began in the Digital Skills and Technology module in term 1, incorporating content demonstrating their growing cultural fluency.

Introduction to Business, Management, Economics and Law 1 - 15 credits

This interdisciplinary module aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in subjects taught in SOAS, while providing helpful context for approaching global problems and academic debates. This module introduces students to the ideologies, theories, methods and schools of thought that inform the disciplines of Business, Management, Economics and Law, while also cultivating the academic skills required for studying these subjects.

Introduction to Business, Management, Economics and Law 2 - 15 credits

This multi-disciplinary module aims to prepare students for study on SOAS degrees in Business, Management, Economics or Law. Students will receive lectures from SOAS departments introducing their areas of expertise and giving students an overview of how their discipline approaches its subject matter. This will aid the development of subject-specific knowledge and enable students to make an informed choice of degree pathway.

Teaching and Learning

The Foundation Year is designed to ensure that students are capable of succeeding at undergraduate level, with an emphasis on the development of skills and knowledge that will be important throughout their undergraduate studies.

In the Academic Practice module, for example, students develop a range of academic skills and techniques, including critical thinking and academic writing, culminating in a supported project. Students are closely supported by their Foundation Year teachers and academic advisors.

Fees and Funding

Fees for 2025/26 entrants, per academic year

See undergraduate fees for further details.

UK Tuition Fee Loans

Undergraduate students with UK residency taking a degree or some full-time certificate programmes are eligible for a non-means-tested tuition fee loan from Student Finance or SAAS to cover the cost of their tuition fees. You repay this loan once you have left university and are earning over £25,000 per year.

Online Applications

Degree programmes are listed in generic groups, instead of by subject on the Student Finance system. When completing your loan application, please enter ‘degree’ in the course detail box and click the search icon. You can then select the relevant length generic degree title. You will see 7 options, and you should select Humanities and Social Science Degree with Foundation Year.

Paper Application

If you are an EU resident and applying using a paper form do not enter the UCAS code on the course details page. Instead, enter the generic degree title in the course name box.

BA/BSc with Foundation Year| Humanities and Social Science Degree with Foundation Year.

Employment

On successful completion of their degree, students will graduate with the degree title and subject progressed onto after the Foundation Year. Advice on future careers will help students to make a guided decision about the undergraduate degree programme that they progress onto.