T his foundation pathway in politics, culture and social sciences is designed to prepare you to study a related subject at undergraduate level.

You’ll take a core English module to develop essential skills, such as identifying the key points in academic articles, taking effective notes, structuring essays and other writing assignments, taking part in discussions and delivering academic presentations. It’s taught by experts from King’s Foundations, who will help you improve your linguistic skills in an academic context.

You will also take a compulsory Culture and Society module, which will introduce you to the key contemporary issues within the humanities and social sciences. You’ll consider the expectations of undergraduate study in the UK and how this differs from around the world to prepare you for further study.

Half of your Politics, Culture and Social Sciences foundation pathway will be shaped by you, depending on the combination of optional modules you decide to take. For example, you might choose to combine your study of liberal arts with economics or global politics, or decide to focus your learning on the social sciences and global politics or economics. There are six different module combinations that you can choose from on this pathway. 

Please note, students aiming to progress to Law will need to take the LNAT and complete an application via UCAS for university. 

As a full-time, 120-credit programme all students undertake a minimum of 15 hours of live, face-to-face study per week, in addition to an average of 20 hours of self-study, which includes preparation for live sessions, revision, homework, completion of assignments and any other work set by your teachers. Please note that while there are normally no live classes during Reading Weeks and holidays, you are expected to use these periods to work on your assignments and complete other self-study to address any areas for development.

This programme is typically taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, classes, and practicals. We will use a delivery method that will ensure students have a rich, exciting experience from the start. Face to face teaching will be complemented and supported with innovative technology so that students also experience elements of digital learning and assessment. 

All students on the King's International Foundation programme are allocated a personal tutor who will play a key role in helping you to get the most out of your studies, providing support and encouragement for your time at university.

Personal tutors provide you with the opportunity to periodically take stock of your learning, academic progress and general wellbeing as you progress through your studies, offering guidance on how to seek further support, if needed, and how to access the range of opportunities available to you as a King's student.You will receive dedicated support when making your university application with enhanced support to progressing to a UG programme at King’s.

The nature of assessment varies by module. Most modules are assessed through coursework and finalexaminations. In addition, some modules are assessed through presentations and practical laboratory examinations.

The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they may change if the course modules change.

The King’s International Foundation Programme (Politics, Culture & Social Sciences) consists of two core modules:

• English for Academic Purposes or Academic Communication Skills for Humanities, Social Sciences and Business*

One compulsory module:

• Culture & Society

And two of the following optional modules**:

• Liberal Arts and Media

• Social Sciences

• Global Politics

• Economics

*You will either study English for Academic Purposes or Academic Communication Skills for Humanities, Social Sciences and Business, depending on your level of English when you start the course.

**Selected upon application

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

English for Academic Purposes 

This module provides you with the skills you need to express yourself through speaking and writing within a variety of academic contexts in the arts, humanities and social sciences. It also aims to develop reading and listening skills within those same contexts. The module focuses on understanding your strengths and weaknesses, reflecting on and redrafting work using feedback, and working effectively under pressure. The module helps you develop an ability to understand and make effective use of academic articles, books and lectures while avoiding plagiarism. It also teaches you to structure and write critical assignments, and to give academic presentations.

Academic Communication Skills for Humanities, Social Sciences and Business

This module is designed to develop your ability to express your ideas clearly, coherently and appropriately in specific academic contexts, both orally and in writing, with a focus on Humanities and select Social Sciences disciplines. It will also give you an understanding of different academic genres and of the discoursal features of academic texts in a range of disciplines and develop your critical thinking skills so that you are able to put forward logical, evidence-based arguments and evaluate those of others.

Culture & Society

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the key debates and perspectives on the contemporary issues that you will be expected to be familiar with when you start your undergraduate degree in a Humanities or Social Science subject. It will also aim to sharpen your critical and analytical thinking skills, particularly through the use of theory, in order to prepare you for the evaluative expectations of a UK university environment. Finally, it will prepare you for academic study at King's by introducing you to the expectations of such study in terms of autonomous study, group work, the use of technology and expected behaviours.

Liberal Arts and Media

The aim of this module is to provide you with an understanding of four areas of study within the Humanities (Visual Culture; Film Studies; Literary Studies; and History of Ideas) and an outline of the way that they are studied at university. Many of the lectures are in the form of an overview of the subject or cover topics (such as Modernism) which are of relevance to more than one subject. While you must attend and participate in 4all classes, you need only write assignments on two of the four subjects meaning that you can effectively specialise if you wish. The module serves as an introduction either to one of the four subjects, to an overall Liberal Arts course or Liberal Arts-related courses (such as the KCL Liberal Arts BA, Culture, Media and Creative Industries BA, Digital Culture BA...)

Social Sciences

Social science is the study or the science of societies. The Social Sciences examine what it means to be a social being, ranging from the minutiae of human behaviour and social identities, to large scale social movements, demographics, economics and politics.

In this module, we will study how human behaviour can be understood and what it is exactly that makes people behave the way they do and interact with one another in society in different settings and in different social contexts; such as in public and in private, among family and friends, the media, and paid and unpaid work. In a nutshell, the module will increase your understanding of societies. While we focus on the global context, you will also become more familiar with British society and British culture and this increased understanding will make it easier for you to get on in your undergraduate degree.

Global Politics

We live in a complex and interconnected world. States alone are no longer in the position to solve the key challenges of the 21st century: inequality, climate change, migration, terrorism, religious conflict, government accountability and transparency, revolts and revolutions, the transformation of war, and so on and so forth. Against this background, the module introduces students to the study of global politics.

Adopting a scholarly and analytical perspective, we will explore the global opportunities and risks that are often in the headlines and examine how national and international issues affect one another. Particular attention will be paid to the development of the global system and to the study of its evolution in light of processes of globalisation and of the emergence of new international and transnational players. By so doing, the module will lay the foundations for subsequent study of a range of Undergraduate disciplines such as Politics, International Relations and Law.

Economics

Societies today face a variety of complex and sometimes unprecedented challenges. More than ever before, economic prosperity and stability at the national and regional level is shaped by global events, processes, and crises. At the same time, advancements in AI and other technologies are fundamentally altering the complexion of economic life in many places. For citizens and policymakers alike, then, economic understanding has never been more important. In order to meet the challenges of the present age, high levels of economic literacy and imagination will be vital.

This module offers a foundation in economics that supports progression onto a range of KCL degrees, whether in economics, political economy, PPE, international development or other cognate disciplines. Covering the basics of microeconomics and macroeconomics, the module adopts a critical and pluralistic approach. This means that it aims to equip students with a solid understanding of basic economic theory whilst also engaging key criticisms and debates surrounding it, arising both within the discipline of economics itself and in the wider public sphere. Through this, the module seeks to develop an approach to economic understanding that is closely attuned to the issues and challenges that define the contemporary world.

Upon accepting an offer for the King’s International Foundation Programme, you are required to pay a deposit of £6,000 to secure your place by the deadline, which will be stated in your offer. If you do not pay the deposit or provide evidence of financial sponsorship by the deadline stated in your offer, your offer will expire, and King’s reserves the right not to reinstate the offer.

This deposit is payable when you firmly accept an offer (unconditional or conditional) to study with us and will be offset against your tuition fees when you join King’s.

Payments are made online through the King's Apply portal.

All students need to pay the deposit, with the exception of sponsored students. If you are being sponsored by an employer or your government, for example, you will need to provide a valid Financial Guarantee letter. Please contact our Admissions team if you have any questions.

Application fee: £75

Our King’s International Foundation Programmes require a non-refundable application fee before you can submit your application to be considered. This step is built into the application process. Please note that payment of an application fee does not guarantee that you will receive an offer for your chosen programme, as many of our programmes are competitive.

If you apply for a pathway and receive a rejection your application fee will not be refunded. If you then choose to apply for a different pathway you will need to pay another application fee.

Please ensure that you carefully read the information about your chosen pathway and modules before applying.

Note: if you receive an offer, our King’s International Foundation Programme will also require a deposit to secure your place. This is in addition to the application fee; however, the deposit is used as a partial payment of the tuition fees upon enrolment. Your offer letter will include details of any deposit you must pay, deadlines, and payment methods. You should not make a deposit payment unless instructed to do so as part of an offer.

Find out more about how to apply for the International Foundation Programme.

In addition to your application and tuition fees, you can also expect to pay for:

• Accommodation and living costs
• Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses
• Books if you need your own copy or they are required for your module
• Library fees and fines
• Society membership fees
• Personal photocopies
• Printing course handouts
• Stationery
• Graduation costs

Please see our student Terms and Conditions for further fee details, including our refund policy.