Global Health and Social Science with a Year Abroad

The Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Global Health and Social Science is an interdisciplinary programme of study that welcomes students interested in understanding and addressing urgent questions about disparities in health and well-being around the world. You will study global health through an interdisciplinary curriculum that covers complex social, cultural, political, economic and ethical aspects, encouraging you to explore the field from a variety of perspectives, including sociology, anthropology, politics, history, policy, science and technology studies, and bioethics. The programme integrates theoretical approaches with real-life case studies to explore the conditions and the consequences of global health inequities and disparities. Topics include the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, mental health and psychiatric disorders, access to vaccines, trauma and war, the opioid crisis, HIV/AIDS, cancer, technological advances in medicine, and the intersections of race, colonialism, and health. 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. By bringing together theory and practice, students will be empowered to form their own ideas on how to make a difference in the world.

This undergraduate Global Health and Social Science degree will demonstrate how to think critically about the power of scientific and medical knowledge, and how healthcare practices and technologies are shaped. Students will be taught by internationally renowned social scientists with expertise in global public health and beyond.

Year 1 provides a foundation in key concepts and core debates in the field. In years 2 and 3, students build on this foundation by combining core and optional interdisciplinary modules to explore the social and political forces that shape global health outcomes. Topics may include the relationship between racism and mental distress, the global ethics and politics of access to medicines globally, the rise in addiction-related deaths in the UK and how gender-based violence limits access to healthcare worldwide.

Students on the Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Global Health and Social Science with a Year Abroad programme spend their third year studying abroad before returning to complete a final year at King’s. Studying abroad is dependent on levels of achievement in Year 2 modules and students must pass the equivalent of 120 KCL credits at the partner institution to be awarded the “Global Health and Social Science with a Year Abroad” degree. Otherwise, they are awarded the “Global Health and Social Science" title.

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, consultancy, private sector research organisations, etc.).

• Provides students with a breadth of social science theories and methods to address urgent contemporary problems of health, disease and medicine.

• Enable students to understand how healthcare systems around the world operate, and how policymaking in global, international, and national contexts works in practice, not just in theory.

• Enables students to 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.

• Gives students the opportunity to study abroad for a year and deepen their expertise in global health and related fields.