About us

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences carries out excellent research and teaching across a number of related disciplines. Our areas of expertise include Arab and Islamic Studies, Archaeology, Classics and Ancient History, History, Law, Politics, Sociology and Philosophy, Theology and Religion.

Interdisciplinary collaboration is a hallmark of the School, reflected both in research and our varied curriculum which offers flexibility and choice. Our areas of interdisciplinary excellence include Middle East Politics, Medical History, Socio-biology, Security Studies, and European Law and Governance.

With around 200 staff, 3,000 undergraduates and 590 postgraduate students, we carry out research and teaching at the University’s campuses at Streatham and Cornwall. We believe our size and quality enable us to not only develop world leading research but also offer a wide range of postgraduate and undergraduate programmes that are dynamic, flexible, and taught with a high degree of commitment and skill.

High quality teaching

  • A very wide range of undergraduate programmes, each with considerable flexibility in module selection, is supplemented by options that allow even wider choice both within and outside the School.
  • All our programmes are based on research-led teaching and are structured to offer growing disciplinary expertise while developing key generic skills sought by employers.
  • Our postgraduate programmes are recognised and funded by both ESRC and AHRC, and also attract scholarships from the Wellcome Trust and other trusts.
  • Our excellent support for postgraduate students includes our own Graduate School, dedicated facilities and generous funding awards.

World leading research

  • School staff and research centres currently hold over £4.672 million in external research grants.
  • We are home to a number of major research projects which seek to push back academic boundaries and have important policy and societal implications.
  • The School hosts numerous research conferences, seminars and workshops, and is also home to several international journals.
  • Close cooperation between and across disciplinary groupings improves the quality and diversity of our teaching as well as encouraging the free movement of ideas and cross-disciplinary exchanges.