History

The SOAS History Department is one of the world’s major centres offering supervision for research degrees in African and Asian history. It attracts students and scholarly visitors from all parts of the world.

The top ratings given to the Department in the official national research assessments of 1996, 2001 and 2008 took into account the excellence of its research training, as well as the staff publication record.

The Department provides opportunities for well-qualified applicants to join large groups of students and staff working in or around their specialist fields of history. The unique combination of individual supervision, taught courses and seminars ensures that the large majority of students complete their degrees within four years.

Why study Research Degrees History at SOAS?

In History we are 11th in the UK (QS World University Rankings 2021) 45th in the World (QS World University Rankings 2021).

SOAS students have unrestricted and usually free access to a huge range of seminars, conferences and workshops being held in SOAS or within easy reach. Most importantly, they attend a weekly regional history seminar – on Africa, South Asia, the Near and Middle East, East Asia, or South East Asia – and often special workshops on themes related to their research.

Close links are maintained with the nearby Institute of Historical Research and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, which run their own research seminars. These give research students many opportunities to meet scholars who are visiting SOAS, and those based elsewhere in the University of London or in Britain. Attendance at classes forming part of taught courses in SOAS or elsewhere may also be possible by arrangement.

Library holdings in London are superb for many of the subjects studied in the Department. SOAS history students have free access to the nearby British Library (including the India Office and Oriental Collections), to the British Library Newspaper Library at Colindale, to the National Archives, and to a vast array of other collections, including the libraries of most other London colleges and universities.

How to apply

Minimum Entry Requirements: a BA and/or MA degree in History, with a merit or equivalent in the Masters Degree and a MA dissertation grade of 65% or higher. Applicants must provide a clear and coherent research proposal of 2000 words.

Inquiries relating to possible research topics should be directed in the first instance to the member of staff whose interests conform most nearly to those of the prospective student. For information on general or technical matters, please see below and the tab ‘structure’.

Inquiries on such matters should be sent either to Research Admission, dsadmissions@soas.ac.uk or the History Research Tutor. Offers of admission will be made on the basis of an applicant’s academic record, references and proposed topic.

Those wishing to be considered for scholarships from or through SOAS are advised to make their applications as early as possible (for example, before January in the year of entry), as in most cases only those who are already holding the offer of a place will be considered for an award.

Although some theses rely mainly on materials in English and other European languages, a major advantage of taking a research degree in history at SOAS is that the School can provide instruction in many African and Asian languages.

Students requiring such instruction are advised to mention it at the time of application, and to discuss arrangements with prospective supervisors as early as possible after receiving an offer.

Before applying for a research degree, please read: how to write your research proposal.