Overview
BA History and International Relations is an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary programme designed to develop your critical thinking and independence of thought about the past, and about the value of history for thinking about the key political and governmental challenges facing today’s world.
The strength of the two world-leading King’s departments offering this course – History and War Studies – ensures that you have access to a wide range of modules.
Key benefits
- The degree is jointly offered by the History Department, ranked 8th in Europe in the QS World University Rankings by Subject (2025), and by the unique Department of War Studies, a world-leading centre for the study of international relations, conflicts and conflict resolution.
- This is a cutting-edge programme, drawing on the best of both departments, and also on specialist expertise in the Departments of European and International Studies.
- Outstanding flexibility, enabling students to develop their specialist interests in a very wide range of areas, with support from experts on virtually all parts of the world.
- Our location in the heart of London offers unrivalled access to the museums, libraries, historical sites, archives and cultural resources of the capital.
- Excellent employment prospects. King’s is ranked 6th in the UK for graduate employability (Times Higher Education Global University Employability Ranking 2025).
- The combination of historical breadth with close engagement with contemporary world issues makes this degree an ideal preparation for careers in government, journalism, policy development, the NGO sector, and much more.
- Students have the option to study abroad at one of our partner institutions for the second semester of the second year. Current options include University of Sydney, Hong Kong University, University of Auckland, Peking University and the University of Oslo.
I really appreciated King’s international focus which allowed me to study history from around the world and learn with students with different cultural backgrounds too. It meant that our discussions in class were always really interesting and I learnt to think about alternative perspectives. I also got to do a semester in Sydney during my second year, which taught me a lot about the world and myself.
Course essentials
Our History & International Relations degree combines teaching from our History and International Relations courses to create an integrated multidisciplinary programme. The research and communication skills of historical study combined with the intellectual and analytical demands of International Relations, create a challenging education pathway to provide an ideal foundation for a wide range of careers.
The first year provides a grounding in historical methods and in the theoretical and historical foundations of international studies, offering a truly global introduction to the subject. The second year focusses on the use of history for international analysis, with a wide range of specialist options. In the final year, students select one of the many special subjects and write an associated dissertation in the Department of History, working extensively with primary source materials. They also select from a wide range of option modules in International Relations.
You will have the opportunity to study abroad as part of your degree at King’s.
Because King’s is part of the University of London, second and final-year students also have the option of taking intercollegiate history modules at other institutions such as UCL and Royal Holloway.
Special features
Optional study abroad
Key Information
Course type:
Joint honours
Delivery mode:
In person
Study mode:
Full time
Required A-Levels:
AAA
Duration:
Three years
Application status:
Open
Start date:
September 2026
Application deadline:
09 September 2025
Administrative bodies
Regulating body
Base campus
Strand Campus
Strand Campus feels like the heart of London—historic yet buzzing with energy. Nestled by the Thames, it offers world-class academics, vibrant student life, and endless inspiration from the city’s culture and diversity.