Global Health and Social Medicine with a Year Abroad

The Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Global Health and Social Medicine is an interdisciplinary course that welcomes students to discuss urgent questions about how we address health and well-being disparities around the world. It is the ideal degree for students seeking to make a difference to improving health and wellbeing, locally and globally, by shaping effective health policies and health care delivery systems.

The course is designed for students who want to take a predominantly social science related degree in global health, but also want to continue their studies in biomedicine. Students spend roughly one third of their contact hours (equivalent to 25% credits) in the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine. Here they learn about biomedical and public health approaches to disease and wellbeing within either a neuroscience, pharmacology or ageing pathway. The other part of their degree is spent in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, learning about the sociology, ethics, politics and economics of global health and medicine. This is through a variety of perspectives, including anthropology, sociology, epidemiology, economics, history, and bioethics. In teaching, real-life examples are used as a basis for learning, including, Covid-19, climate change, HIV/AIDS, the opioid crisis, trauma and war, mental health and psychiatric disorders, access to vaccines and medicines, and many more. Students will gain an understanding of how core debates within global health and the social sciences can shape our responses to pressing social and political questions associated with these real-life examples. By bringing theory and practice together, students will be empowered to form their own ideas on ways to make a difference in the world.

Students on the Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Global Health and Social Medicine with a Year Abroad will spend their third year studying abroad before returning to complete a final year with King’s. Students on the three-year course may transfer to the four-year Global Health & Social Medicine with a Year Abroad BSc. Studying abroad will be dependent on levels of achievement in second year modules. Students must pass the equivalent of 120 KCL credits at the partner institution to be awarded the “Global Health and Social Medicine with a Year Abroad” degree, otherwise they will be awarded the “Global Health and Social Medicine” title.

Overall, this degree provides a rigorous intellectual and empirical grounding for careers in local and national government, policy think tanks, charities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academia and the pharmaceutical industry, working at the intersection between health, politics and society.

Key benefits

• 1st in the UK for Sociology and Social Policy (The Guardian University Guide 2025).

• Prepares students for careers in a wide range of fields, including policy, national and international NGOs, local and national government, academia, and the private sector (e.g. start-ups, publishing, consultancy, private sector research organisations, etc.)

• Gives students the chance to combine high-level social science with an introduction to the main areas of biomedical knowledge and the implications for clinical practice.

• Students gain the ability to communicate between biomedicine and social science, giving a competitive advantage when applying for health-related careers.

• Students can gain transferable skills and expertise through a limited, non-credit-bearing internship with partner organisations such as local councils, which may be available, and can be accessed via a separate application process. Note: places are limited, and this scheme is highly competitive.

• Students are taught by internationally renowned academics and clinicians with a strong focus on transdisciplinary education in key areas of health, disease, and medicine.