Combined Honours in Social Sciences

Teaching topics beyond borders

A multidisciplinary approach

Durham students have the option of an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree programme in Combined Social Sciences. Unlike many degrees at UK universities which require students to specialise in a single subject, this programme allows students to combine modules from two to four subjects to build a degree that suits their interests.

Students often apply for Combined Social Sciences when they have several different academic strengths and don’t want to limit themselves to a single subject. In this flexible programme, they can combine existing interests with exciting new options to create a bespoke degree. Many students use this flexibility to explore issues close to their heart, such as sustainability or social inequality.

Students on our Staff Student Consultative Committee have opted to act as an international community instead of having one representative.

We’ve brought this topic-based approach to our curriculum, with undergraduates having the option to write an interdisciplinary dissertation to bring together the theories and concepts they’ve studied within the programme. We also have a new multidisciplinary module open to first year students, ‘Decolonising Knowledge and Power’, starting in 2023/24.

Students have the opportunity to apply to study a year abroad or undertake a paid work placement (either in the UK or internationally). Due to the flexibility of the degree, Combined Social Sciences students are in a strong position to work for a range of organisations, from multinational corporations and government agencies to small businesses.

Durham’s Combined Social Sciences department offers incredible flexibility and inclusiveness. Being elected as a departmental representative, I am able to raise any issue related to academics or EDI… From the perspective of an international student, my voice is always heard and respected, and I have been fully supported and encouraged to do my best.

Zhanyan Dong, final year student

Strong international community

We put a great deal of emphasis on building a welcoming student community, who don’t necessarily meet each other regularly in the modules they study. We have a well-established peer mentor scheme where every first year student is matched with a mentor in their second or final year. Mentors and mentees meet regularly to help the first years settle into university life. Senior mentors help to run the scheme, ensuring that it’s peer-led and delivers what students continue to need.

As well as peer mentor groups forming supportive micro-communities within the programme, our Combined Honours Social Society also work hard to deliver a series of social events for our international community of students throughout the year. They have organised quiz evenings, waffle parlour visits, hummus tasting nights, and even a winter ball!

We elect a set of student representatives each year to sit on our Staff Student Consultative Committee which makes more formal decisions about how the degree programme should adapt and improve. A number of international students are on this committee, who have opted to not have a singular official representative, but to instead act as an international community with internationalisation thought of more broadly within the department.

Everybody has been friendly and inviting in the university, whether it is staff or student. After a few weeks in I feel as if I’ve already been integrated into the community. Especially with such a modular course, I’ve been exposed to all sorts of motivated students and staff.

Ammar Alhady, first year student