BA Global Liberal Arts
SOAS University of London
Key Information
Campus location
London, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 9,250 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* full-time fees per academic year: UK £9,250; Overseas £20,350
Introduction
Mode of Attendance: Full-time
The BA in Global Liberal Arts at SOAS is broad but rigorous, for highly-motivated students who wish to explore a range of subjects from arts and humanities to languages and social sciences. It provides a sophisticated understanding of the world as a whole, expert knowledge of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and the skills you need to succeed on and after your degree.
Each year you will take a module from four different tracks. Skills and methods modules teach critical thinking, project design, and research methods. The global track considers the world as a whole while providing disciplinary training. The regional track focuses on particular parts of the world, which the fourth track complements, with the study of a language from one of these regions.
The degree is designed to give you the perspective, specialist knowledge, and skills you need to succeed in a broad range of professions. It will provide the adaptability and flexibility you need in our rapidly changing world.
Gallery
Admissions
Curriculum
Structure
General Structure
The programme is designed to ensure breadth and depth, allowing you to acquire expertise in a particular discipline and region while encouraging you to place this in wider interdisciplinary and global contexts. It is also possible to explore a variety of disciplinary approaches and/or regional settings. All students will acquire the training in skills and methods they need to succeed in their chosen intellectual path.
Each year you will take a module in four different tracks:
- the Skills and Methods track focuses on acquiring the core skills you need to succeed at university and beyond, progressing from modules on verbal and quantitative literacy in the first year, through project design and research methods in the second, to an independent research project in your final year.
- the Global track comprises a series of modules that ask you to understand the world as a whole, providing you with a broad framework within which to place your own regions of interest. It is also possible from the second year to develop a particular disciplinary specialisation.
- the Regional track comprises modules that focus on one of the five regions we study at SOAS - Africa, the Near and Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia - as well as modules focusing on particular countries. It is possible to focus on one region throughout your degree or to study different regions in different years.
- the Language track allows you to pursue the study of one of the many Asian or African languages we teach at SOAS to the intermediate level. It is possible after the first year to study linguistics or literature in translation instead of languages if preferred.
Within each track, modules are progressive and learning outcomes are cumulative, to ensure that you have the skills and knowledge you need before undertaking each module. In outline, therefore, each year will look as follows. (See the following section for further detail.)
- Year 1: two modules on verbal and quantitative literacy; an introduction to global studies; an introductory regional module; and a language module.
- Year 2: the project design & research methods module; an intermediate global module; an intermediate regional module; and a module of language, or of linguistics/literature in translation.
- Year 3: the core dissertation module; an advanced global module; an advanced regional module; and a module of language, or of linguistics literature in translation.
Module Groupings
The degree draws on modules from throughout the School. The options can be found on the list of modules for the global, regional, and language tracks, which will be produced annually and is sub-divided into the lists specified above.
The programme draws on modules from throughout the School, but students should note that the availability of modules may change and that the choice of modules is subject to some restrictions. Please note the following in particular:
- The lists of available modules are subject to change on an annual basis, due to ongoing curriculum revision by the departments concerned. Students will be advised which modules are available each year prior to registration.
- Some modules are subject to pre-requisites and other restrictions (eg approval by the module convenor). Students are advised to check individual module pages carefully so that they can plan ahead.
- The wide range of available modules means that there will be some timetable clashes between modules. Students are therefore advised to consider various module options at each stage of their degree.
The programme convenor and tutors will work carefully with each student to design their programme of study. At the beginning of the programme we will establish your intellectual goals and chart potential pathways. We will then consider your academic progress and future plans before making your module choices each spring.
Programme structure
Each year you must take 30 credits from each of four different tracks:
- Skills and methods
- Global
- Regional
- Language
Compulsory and optional modules are as follows.
Year 1
Core Modules: Skills and Methods
All students take the following two core modules:
- Writing Well
- Using Numbers
Compulsory Modules: Global
All students take the following compulsory module:
- Regional
Students will take 30 credits from the regional modules. - Language
Students will take 30 credits from the language modules.
Year 2
Core Module: Skills and methods
All students take the following core module.
Compulsory Modules: Global
Students take 30 credits from the modules in List B
- Regional
Students will take 30 credits from the modules in List C OR List D3. - Language
30 credits from the modules in List D1 OR the literature or linguistics modules in Lists D2 and D3 below (if from List D3 you must choose from List C for the preceding regional track module)
Year 3
Core Module: Skills and methods
All students take the following core module:
- Dissertation in Global Liberal Arts
Compulsory Modules: Global
Students take 30 credits from the modules in List B.
- Regional
Students will take 30 credits from the modules in List C OR List D3 below - Language
30 credits from the modules in List D1 OR the literature or linguistics modules in Lists D2 and D3 below (if from List D3 you must choose from List C for the preceding regional track module)
General notes
- The lists of optional modules are compilations of all open options available at SOAS, as of April 2018, indicating how they fit into the programme structure of the BA Global Liberal Arts so that students can see the full range of modules available prior to module sign-up. The list is subject to change on an annual basis, due to ongoing curriculum development by the departments concerned.
- Students must double-check the list of open option modules (language list | non-language list) as well as individual module pages for any pre-requisites and other restrictions on modules. Students are also strongly encouraged to contact the module convenor before signing up for an optional module to ensure that they are adequately prepared for the module and that it will meet their academic objectives.
- Students should make sure that they are taking a full load each year (120 credits), and try to ensure that any one-term, 15-credit modules are evenly distributed between the two terms.
Important notice
The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session.
Career Opportunities
Employment
The programme is designed to give you the knowledge and skills you need to succeed in a broad range of professions, across the public and private sectors. Employers are increasingly asking for evidence of the adaptability and flexibility needed in the rapidly changing world of work, which the interdisciplinary nature of this programme will provide. Graduates will find a wide range of professions and opportunities open to them, including business, charities, the civil service, consultancy, the creative industries, education, finance, government, the heritage sector, journalism, law, PR and marketing, and publishing. The degree will also provide a strong foundation for those wishing to pursue further study at postgraduate level.
Graduates from the SOAS History Department have gone on to work for a wide range of organisations, including the following. Given that the BA Global Liberal Arts allows you to take modules from throughout the School, you may want to look at other department and programme pages to see the full range of opportunities available to SOAS graduates
Graduates from the SOAS History Department have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:
- Embassy of Qatar, Cultural Attache's Office
- United Nations Development Programme
- Social Action for Health
- Abner Stein Literary Agency
- Salusbury World Refugee Centre
- Standard Chartered Bank
- Bunkyo Gakuin University
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Cyprus
- HSBC
- Teenage Cancer Trust
- UK Government Stabilisation Unit
- Oriental and African Strategic Investment Services Limited
- KPMG
- Prisoners of Conscience
- British Library
- Amnesty International
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- University of Oxford
- Freshfields
- Natural History Museum
- Thai Government
- Public Policy Exchange
- Global Philanthropic
- UNESCO
- British Broadcasting Corporation
Graduates have assumed various roles, including:
- Analyst
- Barrister
- Chief Risk Officer
- Civil Servant
- Consultant, IT Practice
- Deployments Officer
- Entrepreneur
- Head of Operations
- Lecturer
- Playwright
- Professional Researcher
- Programme Developer for Community Learning
- Project Manager
- Regional Social Action Coordinator
- Research And Development Executive
- Risk Research Analyst
- Senior Consultant
- Teacher
- UNESCO Intern
English Language Requirements
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