BA
Combined Honours in Social Sciences BA (Hons)
Choose from more than 20 subject areas, build a bespoke degree that will broaden your interests and develop your strengths across multiple areas.
How to apply Apply via UCASCourse details
Start date
Degree Type
BA
UCAS Code
LMV0
Course length
3 or 4 years full-time
Typical offer
A*AA
Tuition Fees
- Home (Full-time): £ per year
- Overseas (Full-time): £ per year
Overview
If you are curious about the big issues that shape our society, this course may be for you. Taking a research-led approach, Combined Honours in Social Sciences explores systems, institutions, cultures and behaviours that shape the lives of people across the world. A multidisciplinary qualification that sits outside of traditional boundaries, this bespoke, academically ambitious course offers exceptional flexibility. You can choose to focus on two subjects or spread your learning across three or four to suit your individual interests, strengths and career plans. You can also apply to add a placement year or year abroad to your degree, increasing the course from three years to four. Learning from academics working at the forefront of their specialisms, our students graduate feeling confident, intellectually engaged and well prepared for employment or further study. As a graduate you will be well placed to take up a career in fields as diverse as teaching, journalism, social work, in financial services or the charity sector. In the Social Sciences you can choose from: AnthropologyArchaeologyEconomicsEducationGeographyManagementPolitics and International RelationsSociology and CriminologySport Up to half of your modules can be chosen from subjects in the Arts and Humanities (subject to timetable compatibility and entry requirements): Classics and Ancient HistoryEnglish Literature HistoryMusic Philosophy Theology and Religious StudiesVisual ArtsLanguages, currently Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish The degree culminates in a dissertation on a relevant topic which draws together the skills developed throughout the course.
Course details
Start date
Degree Type
BA
UCAS Code
LMV0
Course length
3 or 4 years full-time
Typical offer
A*AA
Tuition Fees
- Home (Full-time): £ per year
- Overseas (Full-time): £ per year
What you'll study
Years 1 and 2 The first two years follow a similar structure. In each year you will study 120 credits, chosen from a minimum of two and a maximum of four subjects. The subjects currently on offer are listed below. Year 3 (Year 4 if undertaking a placement or year abroad) In your final year, you will complete a dissertation in one of your subjects, alongside your remaining credits from a total of two or three subjects. Modules can be chosen from a list of subjects which currently includes: Social Sciences subjects Anthropology includes cultural anthropology and physical anthropology, and a range of modules concerned with material culture, the physical and social evolution of humans, and topics such as medical anthropology and development anthropology. Archaeology focuses on particular periods and places, including prehistoric archaeology, Roman archaeology, mediaeval and post-mediaeval archaeology, and the archaeology of Britain, Europe, Egypt, India and the Near East, as well as study of the employment of scientific methods in archaeology. Management includes modules in entrepreneurship, management and governance, and some students choose to study additional modules in business management and marketing. Economics includesmicroeconomics, macroeconomics and topics such as the history of economic thought, environmental economics, development economics, monetary economics and the economics of social policy. Education includes central issues in school and higher education involving the study of the historical, philosophical, psychological, sociological and political dimensions of educational theory and practice, and the development of the social sciences in the modern and postmodern periods. Geography includes human geography and a range of modules concerned with geographical theory and methods as well as special topics in urban transformation, environmental change, development, and hazard and risk. Politics and International Relations includes politics in Europe, the USA, the Middle East and the Far East, as well as the history of political thought and/or international relations. Sociology includes theories and methods, social structures, social policy, social exclusion, and the sociology of health, the city, and popular music. Criminology includes theories and methods, crime and deviance, policing, sociology of punishment and the criminal justice system. Sport includes modules on the sociology of sport and on sport and social policy. Arts and Humanities subjects Classics and Ancient History includes translation, the history, philosophy, literature and culture of the ancient world, and the study of Greek and Latin at several different levels, opening up the literatures of the Greek and Roman worlds in their original languages. English Literature includes specific literary genres, such as poetry, drama and the novel. Also, the literatures of specific periods, including Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic, Victorian and Modern Literature, as well as studies in the theory and practice of literary criticism. History includes medieval, early modern and late modern history through a range of modules in economic, social, religious, cultural, political and diplomatic history, focusing on Britain, continental Europe, Africa, China and the USA. Modern Languages and Cultures includes the principal languages of Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Each offers core language modules and ‘culture’ modules which cover a broad range of themes in history, politics, literature, film, the media, linguistics, translation and interpreting. If you are not taking a modern language as one of your main subjects, you can study one of a number of languages, currently including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish, at various levels, from beginner to advanced level, in the School’s Centre for Foreign Language Study (CFLS). Music includes musicology, including the history of music, music theory and analysis, and ethnomusicology, and, where these are studied alongside musicology, performance, composition and other practice-based disciplines. Philosophy includes many of the principal philosophical disciplines, including metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and aesthetics, and also the history and philosophy of science and medicine. Theology and Religion includes biblical studies, Christian theology, including the history of theology, contemporary theology, the philosophy of religion, and ethics and religious studies, including the sociology and anthropology of religion. Visual Arts combines high-level critical and historical study of visual arts and film with a range of practical skills. Certain elements of the course are defined by the choice of subject, for example: If your principal subjects include a modern language, then your studies will be extended from three years to four. The third year is spent abroad studying at university, teaching English or undertaking internships.If your primary interest lies in the Arts and Humanities, you should apply for the Liberal Arts degree instead.If you are only interested in modern languages subjects, you should apply for the Modern Languages and Cultures degree instead.It is not possible to study Management and Economics alone. For this combination you would need to look at courses offered by the Business School.Your choice of modules is subject to availability, timetable compatibility and the approval of the Director of Combined Honours in Social Sciences. You may also be required to meet specific A level or equivalent requirements.
Core modules
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Dissertation Prerequisites
Each department has required preparatory modules for the completion of a compulsory dissertation in the final year.
Optional modules
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Decolonising Knowledge and Power
We examine the meaning of decolonisation which means different things in different places. Historically, decolonisation referred to the dismantling of various European colonial empires – notably the British, French and Belgian empires – and anticolonial struggles in what was once referred to as the ‘Third World’ in the postwar period.
Core modules
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Dissertation Prerequisites
Each department has required preparatory modules for the completion of a compulsory dissertation in the final year.
Learning
Methods of learning will vary according to subject choice but are likely to include a blend of lectures and small-group seminars alongside tutorials, workshops, fieldwork and practical classes. Seminars, workshops and practical classes take place in much smaller groups than lectures. In some subjects, practicals provide hands-on experience of the type of work performed by professionals in the various disciplines. Small-group format and support from your academic advisor are embedded into the learning experience to help you get more out of your studies. In the final year there's an increased focus on self-directed learning and independent research, including a dissertation, as you prepare for professional or postgraduate life.Assessment
Your choice of subjects/modules will determine the assessment types you encounter, but these are likely to include essays, examinations, presentations, case studies and reflections. Assessment is designed to evaluate your knowledge and understanding, test your critical thinking and your ability to apply your learning to real-world issues. In your final year, you will complete a dissertation supported by one-on-one supervision. You will be expected to think independently and take greater control of the direction of study.Entry requirements
Fees & Funding
Choose which fees you want to see:
Home / Island students
£ per year
International / EU Students
£ per year
Home / Island students
Part Time - £ per year
International / EU Students
Part Time - £ per year
The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).
Find out moreDepartment Information
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There are around 400 students in total taking the Combined Social Sciences degree programme, with most taking a unique combination of modules. The programme is run by a Director and Deputy Director, working closely with nominated colleagues in the departments which contribute modules to our degree. We foster an interdisciplinary approach to the content that our students study by running an interdisciplinary dissertation module which students can apply to take in their final year. This allows students to complete a capstone project in the theme which underlies their subject choices, such as social inequality, feminism, justice, sustainability, development or migration to name but a few. We are committed to building a sense of belonging in the department, despite the wide-ranging module choices of our students. All first year students are matched with a peer mentor from second or final year, creating small micro communities within the cohort of students studying similar combinations of subjects. We also have a dynamic student society who run events throughout the year, as well as academic opportunities such as internships or conference presentations which we support our students to participate in.
Read moreFacilities
You will have access to a wide range of facilities such as laboratories or specialist software across all the departments from which you take modules.
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Learning resources
You will also benefit from excellent IT facilities including Learn Ultra, Durham’s virtual learning environment. You will have access to up to 1.6 million printed books, 25,000 eJournals and over 850,000 eBooks through Durham Library Services. You will also have access to a number of specialist collections and archives in Palace Green, in the heart of Durham City.
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Events
You will also be eligible to attend research-related activities within the departments from which you take modules, including public lectures or workshops by visiting academics.
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Career Opportunities
Of those UK/EU students who graduated in 2022/23:
91%
£32,000
97%
HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. More at www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk
Employability
More Information
Combined Honours degrees provides flexibility and choice across Durham’s breadth of world-renowned research-led education, allowing you to create a bespoke, academically ambitious degree programme suited to your individual interests, strengths and career plans.