SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

Structure

Overview

There are four main components to this degree: three taught courses and a dissertation. All students take two core courses, Political Economy of Development and Theory, Policy and Practice of Development. Through these courses students build their analytical skills and knowledge of the main issues and debates in Development Studies. 

Specialisation

Students also take optional courses (one full unit course or two half-unit courses), allowing them to specialise in particular areas of development and potentially to develop a dissertation in a related theme. By tying these to their individual dissertation topic, students design their degree to suit their own interests and career development goals.

Core Courses

All students take both Political Economy of Development and Theory, Policy and Practice of Development. The dissertation is compulsory. All MSc students in Development Studies are eligible to attend the one-term , non-assessed course, Economics for Beginners,which introduces students to basic concepts in microeconomics, macroeconomics, development economics, and statistics and econometrics.

• Political economy of development - 15PDSC002 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Theory, policy and practice of development - 15PDSC001 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Dissertation in Development Studies - 15PDSC999 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Non-Assessed Courses

All MSc students in Development Studies are eligible to attend the one-term , non-assessed course, Economics for Beginners,which introduces students to basic concepts in microeconomics, macroeconomics, development economics, and statistics and econometrics.

Optional Courses - Development Studies

Students may choose optional courses (one full course or two half courses) from the list below. Please check to ensure that any course in which you have a special interest is running in the year that you wish to study. In addition, access to relevant courses in other departments may be negotiated subject to the agreement of both Convenors.

• Agrarian Development, Food Policy and Rural Poverty - 15PDSH026 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Aid and development - 15PDSH027 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Issues in Borders and Development - 15PDSH023 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Civil society, social movements and the development process - 15PDSH001 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Contested natural resources, rural livelihoods and globalisation - 15PDSH031 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Development practice - 15PDSH013 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• East Asia and globalisation - 15PDSH025 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Famine and food security - 15PDSH022 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Fundamentals of research methods for Development Studies - 15PDSH017 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Gender and development - 15PDSH010 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• HIV and AIDS, culture and development - 15PDSH021 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Industrial globalisation and development - 15PDSH024 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Issues in forced migration - 15PDSH015 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Migration and Policy - 15PDSH029 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Problems of development in the Middle East and North Africa - 15PDSH019 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Security - 15PDSH020 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• The politics of water resources management in Asia - 15PDSH034 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2013/2014
• The working poor and development - 15PDSH030 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Understanding economic migration: Theories, Patterns and Policies - 15PDSH032 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Water Law and Governance Reform in Asia - 15PDSH033 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2013/2014

Open Options in Other Departments

Economics Department

• Economic development in Africa - 15PECC203 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Economic dynamics of the Asia-Pacific region - 15PECC334 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Economic problems and policies in modern China - 15PECC035 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Economic development of modern Taiwan - 15PECH002 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Politics and International Studies Department

• Government and politics in Africa - 15PPOC205 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Government and politics of modern South Asia - 15PPOC003 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Taiwan's politics and cross-strait relations - 15PPOC252 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• State and development in Asia and Africa - 15PPOC017 (1 Unit) - Full Year

School of Law

• Human rights in the developing world - 15PLAC111 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Anthropology and Sociology Department

• Therapy and Culture - 15PANH027 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1

Programme Specification

• Programme Specification 2012/2013 (pdf; 35kb)

Teaching & Learning

Materials

SOAS Library
SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Teaching & Learning

Courses are taught by a combination of methods, principally lectures, tutorial classes, seminars and supervised individual study projects.

The MSc programme consists of three taught courses (corresponding to three examination papers) and a dissertation.

Lectures

Most courses involve a two hour lecture as a key component with linked tutorial classes.

Seminars

At Masters level there is particular emphasis on seminar work. Students make full-scale presentations for each unit that they take, and are expected to write papers that often require significant independent work.

Dissertation

A quarter of the work for the degree is given over to the writing of an adequately researched 10,000-word dissertation. Students are encouraged to take up topics which relate the study of a particular region to a body of theory.

Destinations

A postgraduate degree from the Department of Development Studies at SOAS will further develop your understanding of the world, other peoples’ ways of life and how society is organised, with an emphasis on transferable analytical skill. These skills have been of great benefit to the many graduates who have taken up professional careers in development in international organisations,
government agencies and non-government organisations. This, in addition to your detailed subject knowledge, will also equip you with a set of other specific skills, including: critical skills; the ability to research extensively; a high level of cultural awareness; and the ability to solve problems.

Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:

Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:

For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website.

How to apply

How to apply

• How to Apply
• Online Application
• Funding options
• English language requirements
• Tuition Fees
• Admissions Contacts

Scholarships

For further information visit the Scholarships section