Combined Social Sciences

Combined social sciences is a degree that allows you to engage with the major social science disciplines, including sociology, economics, politics, psychology, and social policy, in a genuinely integrated way rather than through a single subject lens. Social phenomena are rarely explicable through one discipline alone: poverty, for example, requires economic analysis, political understanding, sociological insight, and attention to individual psychology to be properly understood. A combined social sciences degree develops the intellectual flexibility to bring multiple analytical frameworks to bear on complex social questions.

This programme at Durham University includes a foundation year, a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement, making it one of the most structurally rich social science programmes available. The foundation year provides additional preparatory support before the main degree begins, while the combination of sandwich year, year abroad, and placement gives you extensive professional and international experience embedded within the degree. With a typical tariff of 168 points, the main degree is selective, and the foundation year pathway provides access for students who may not meet standard entry requirements but who demonstrate the potential and motivation to succeed in social science at Durham's level.

You will develop the core analytical methods of the social sciences, including quantitative and qualitative research, alongside engagement with the theoretical frameworks that shape how social scientists understand the world. The breadth of the combined approach develops adaptability and the ability to think across disciplines that is increasingly valued by employers in complex roles.

Graduates from combined social sciences programmes at Durham move into careers in the civil service, policy analysis, research, finance, consultancy, journalism, international organisations, and a range of roles where social scientific thinking and analytical skills are valued. The placement and sandwich year experiences often provide direct routes into employment, and Durham's strong graduate outcomes reflect both the quality of the teaching and the practical experience the programme provides.