Social Sciences

The social sciences examine the structures, processes and dynamics of human social life, asking how societies are organised, how power operates, how inequality is produced and sustained, and how collective action and social change occur. The discipline is urgent and contested, engaging with questions that are live and unresolved: the many dimensions of inequality, the politics of truth and knowledge, the climate crisis, displacement, racism, nationalism, queer and feminist activism and the dynamics of the global economy. Social science offers tools for understanding these phenomena rigorously rather than taking them for granted.

At King's College London this three-year full-time programme approaches the social sciences as a genuinely interdisciplinary field, drawing on sociology, political science, economics, cultural studies and social theory to engage with the complex social realities of the contemporary world. You will develop strong analytical and critical thinking skills, learning to identify the structural forces that shape individual and collective experience, to evaluate evidence and argument from multiple perspectives, and to engage with research at the frontier of the discipline. The programme is animated by the conviction that understanding society is both intellectually demanding and practically important, connecting academic inquiry to questions of justice, welfare and social change.

Graduates from social sciences programmes move into careers in policy, research, journalism, advocacy, the civil service, NGOs, international organisations, education, public health, community development and business. Many pursue postgraduate study in sociology, politics, social policy, international relations, gender studies or related fields. The analytical and communicative skills developed are valued across virtually every sector that involves understanding and responding to social complexity.