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Department of Economics

Graduate Diploma Student Information Guide 2012-13

Graduate Diploma at SOAS

The study of Economics at SOAS started in 1962, as a section in the newly established Department of Economic and Political Studies.  The Department was divided in October 1990, when the Department of Economics was formed.  Since then it has grown significantly in size and it presently includes 26 academic members of staff, in addition to research staff.  

The Department of Economics is one of the country's leading departments specialising in the economics of growth and development.  Research is pursued on a variety of topics and is unique in its depth and range of regional coverage.  A special feature of the Department is the orientation to Political Economy, which is emphasised by the lively of Development Economics and Money and Development seminars.  In addition, the department has strength in economic theory and considerable expertise in econometrics.  The department has an active Working Paper series and a regular output of publications.  

The Department of Economics strengths are recognised internationally and, as a consequence, it as received large amounts of funding for its teaching and research activities from a number of organisations, including the Swedish International Development Authority; the Department for International Development; the Economic and Social Research Council; the World Bank; the Nuffield Foundation; and the Leverhulme Trust.


Programme Structure

The programme is suitable as a stand-alone qualification for those wishing to change their career path or develop within their present profession.  Alternatively, the Diploma acts as a conversion course for students without previous economics training who wish to take an MSc programme in Economics.  The core prerequisites in economics and technical skills necessary for masters degrees are covered in one year.

Upon successful completion of the programme with a satisfactory pass mark you will be eligible to apply for one of the MSc programmes offered by the Department.

Entrance Requirements for Graduate Diploma

Students with a first degree or equivalent, but with no previous qualifications in Economics (or insufficient for direct entry onto any of the MSc degrees offered by the Department of Economics), may be considered for the Graduate Diploma in Economics.  A Second Class pass or its equivalent is normally expected.  

If you are unsure whether your qualifications are at the right level, complete an application form, attach a copy of your transcript, and ensure that your referees send their reports.  We will then be able to make a decision regarding the most appropriate course of study for you.

The programme is offered on a full-time basis, over a period of nine months commencing in late September.  

The Graduate Diploma may also be taken on a part-time basis over two years. Students undertaking the programme of that basis must take Economic Principles and Quantitative Techniques in the first year, and take Development Economics and EITHER Foreign Trade and Developing Countries OR Money, Banking and Finance.in the second year.

Core and Optional courses must be chosen from the approved lists in the ‘Structure’ tab of the  programme page. Please see Graduate Diploma Programme Structure for the programme structure.

Departmental Seminars

Economics Seminar Series

During term time the Department runs occasional seminars which cover a range of topics in Economics. Students are encouraged to attend to hear prominent development specialists from SOAS and other universities and colleges around the UK and from overseas.  Seminar speakers represent the full range of development-related disciplines including economics, political science, anthropology, sociology and history. For example, recent seminar topics include agrarian reform, the relationship between poverty and economic growth, development finance and the environment, the political economy of liberalization in India, economic reform in China, and toxic assets and the global financial crisis. For further information contact Professor Mushtaq Khan.

Money and Development Seminars

During term time the Department also runs a lively seminar series on Money and Development. The seminar series engages with critical issues such as monetary theory, the relationship between monetary economics and economic development, the role of finance in contemporary capitalism, and financial crisis. For example, recent seminar topics included exchange rate dynamics in Brazil, deficits and crisis in Italy and Spain, and the theory of the monetary circuit. For further information, contact Professor Jan Toporowski.

Agrarian Change Seminars

The Agrarian Change Seminars are organised by the Journal of Agrarian Change and the Department of Development Studies, SOAS. They usually take place every two weeks during terms one and two, with speakers examining agrarian issues across the developing world. For further information, contact Dr Deborah Johnston.

Guidelines for students

BLE (Moodle)

BLE is run on Moodle, a virtual learning environment which is used to make reading lists and othercourse information available online.  Log-on to Moodle.  For further information about BLE, contact ble@soas.ac.uk. During the busy registration period, all students will have access to all courses within their registered departments.  From the second week of term, students will only have access to courses they are registered for.  If you don’t have access to any of your courses on BLE, there is likely to be a problem with your registration. In this case, please contact the faculty office as soon as possible.

On-line submission of course work

Students will be informed at the start of term that they will be required to submit all course work via Turnitin on Moodle.  Please follow the following link for instructions on how to submit your course work on-line: Guide to online course submission

Attendance

Students must attend all required teaching sessions. If, you exceptionally miss a tutorial because you are ill or for another unavoidable reason, you need to fill out a form at the Faculty Office to explain your absence, please see: Non-attendance student form for the form. Students who persistently fail to meet the attendance requirement without supplying evidence of good cause may be withdrawn from the course.

Assessments

Marking criteria are available on the faculty website, also available here: Undergraduate Marking Guidelines.  The key requirements relating to your degree are summarised below. For detailed information on any of these requirements, please see Part 2 of the Undergraduate Regulations for the current year, available at Undergraduate Degree Regulations. For any clarification, please contact the Faculty Office.

Submission of Coursework

All students are required to submit all elements of assessment to pass a course, and are required to submit all coursework as a pre-condition of exam entry.  The Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) may, at the request of the Head of Department, withdraw permission to take exams or terminate degree registration if you persistently fail to submit coursework without good cause.

Deadlines for course-work essays are set prior to the commencement of the academic year by the course lecturer or (where more than one teacher is involved in a course) the course convenor.  The final deadline will not be later than the School's final deadline and will generally be earlier. Students will be informed of these deadlines at the beginning of the course. Coursework deadlines may also be confirmed on your course Moodle page or from the Faculty Office.

Coursework can only be submitted online via Moodle as confirmed by the Course Convenor.  Please see below for the standard cover sheet that must be submitted with your coursework:

Cover Sheet

When submitting course work students must ensure that the cover sheet has the following information at the top right-hand corner:

  • Name of student in full
  • ID number
  • Name of course
  • Code of course
  • Assignment number e.g. 1 for first assignment, 2 for second assignment – etc.,
  • Date of deadline, which is given out at the start of term with the course outlines


Students should aim to submit coursework at least an hour before the deadline. Students must see that the date of their essay submission is recorded on their receipt. Students who submit their essays on time are entitled to receive one copy of each essay back with comments and a provisional mark within at most three weeks in term time.  

Late submission of coursework

All students should plan their time so that they are able to meet coursework deadlines. Penalties are automatically imposed for each day that an assignment is overdue. If,  in exceptional circumstances, you are unable to meet a course deadline and wish to request that the Examination Sub-Board waive or reduce the penalty for late submission, you must complete a Late Submission Request Form from the Faculty Office or available here: Student Forms.

Students should submit this without delay to the Faculty Office (Room R201), along with supporting evidence (e.g. letter from a medical practitioner or counsellor, supporting letter from a lecturer or tutor). All information provided will be handled sensitively and confidentially. You must then submit your coursework as soon as possible thereafter. All these applications will be considered by the Examination Sub-board which will determine if there is acceptable evidence of ‘good cause’  for the late submission (see UG Regulations for details) and if some or all the penalty points may be remitted. Please note that individual staff members have no powers to grant extensions or to waive the penalty. If you are generally struggling to meet deadlines, despite your best efforts to organise your time effectively, this is something that you should discuss and seek advice from teaching staff or Welfare Tutor.

Failure to meet the attendance and coursework requirements stated above

Each case will be reviewed to decide what further action should be taken. The School may withdraw permission to take examinations or terminate the degree programme of student who fail to meet the attendance and coursework requirements.

If you are unable to meet a course deadline and wish to request that the Examination Sub-Board waive or reduce the penalty for late submission, the procedure is as follows:

  1. Go to the Faculty Office (room R201) as soon as you think you might have a problem meeting the deadline.
  2. Collect and complete a Late Submission Request form.  
  3. You may contact relevant members of staff to support your claim - e.g., a student counsellor or tutor.
  4. Attach any supporting evidence (e.g. medical notes or letters from a tutor) to the form. All information provided will be handled sensitively and confidentially.
  5. Submit the form (with supporting documentation) to the Faculty Office as soon as possible and no later than the School deadline.

 

All applications will be considered by the July meeting of the Examinations Board to determine appropriate deductions. The Board will determine what is acceptable evidence and ‘good cause’ in consultation with Registry and the Associate Dean where necessary.
Please note that ONLY the Sub-Board of Examiners have the authority to remit the penalty for late submission.  Individual members of staff or tutors have no powers to grant extensions or to waive the penalty.  All requests should be made through the procedure described above. If you have any questions about these procedures, please ask at the Faculty Office.

Unseen written exams

Information on exams for specific courses is available in the course handbooks; please read and see the convenor/tutors with any queries. Past exam questions are available at Past Exam Papers.

Plagiarism

All work submitted for your degree must incorporate your own ideas and judgements, in your own words. The presentation of other people's thoughts or words as though they were your own must be avoided. Direct quotations and summaries of other people’s ideas and judgements must be clearly identified, by use of quotation marks and references. If you draw on your own previous written work submitted for this degree or other qualifications this must be clearly stated and approved in advance. If you are in any doubt about what is permissible, consult your tutor. Plagiarism is an academic offence and may be severely penalised (see the UG Regulations for further information or the School Plagiarism Statement).

Key Contacts

Department contacts
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