Postgraduate Student Information Guide 2012-13
Postgraduate Economics 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 Development Economics which is emphasised by the lively weekly Development Economics organised by Professor Mushtaq Khan and the Money and Development Seminars organised by Professor Jan Toporowski 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 funding for its teaching and research activities from a number of organisations including the Swiss Foundation; the Department for International Development; the Economic and Social Research Council; the World Bank; the Nuffield Foundation; and the Leverhulme Trust.
Degree Structures
Entrance Requirements for MSc Programmes
Applicants are usually expected to have obtained a good undergraduate degree in Economics (an upper second class degree from a British university, or its equivalent) for admission to the MSc in Economics programme. Applications are welcome from students with good degrees in Economics from universities in other countries. By this route your study will be completed full-time in one year.
Students with a good second-class undergraduate degree or the equivalent, but with no previous training in Economics, or insufficient to follow the MSc directly, may be offered a place on the full-time Graduate Diploma in Economics. This provides students with a solid grounding in economic theory and development economics, and in technical skills. Satisfactory results in the Diploma qualify students to progress on to the MSc degree. Therefore, by taking this route your study may be completed over a total of two years of full-time study.
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.
Overview
The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) is one of the colleges of the University of London. The Department of Economics at SOAS is a leading centre for teaching and research in Economics and is especially renowned for work on development economics in Africa and Asia. The University of London's Master of Science (MSc) in Economics at SOAS is an international qualification for professional economists. The degree enables students to obtain a high level of skill in modern ideas and techniques of economic analysis, economic policy, econometrics and applied economics relating to development. An MSc in Economics is generally required for students who wish to study for a PhD in Economics, either at SOAS or elsewhere, and the MScs offered at SOAS provide a sound foundation for those interested in pursuing an academic or professional career as an economist. The degrees are offered on a one-year, full-time basis or a two-year, part-time basis.
Studying Economics at SOAS leads to one of the following Master of Science degrees from the University of London:
MSc in Economics with reference to Africa
MSc in Economics with reference to Environment and Development
MSc in Economics with reference to South Asia
MSc in Economics with reference to the Middle East
MSc in Economics with reference to the Asia Pacific Regions
MSc in the Political Economy of Development
MSc in Finance and Development
MSc Research for International Development
Dissertations
Students are required to complete an 8,000-word dissertation in applied economics. For students completing a regional MSc programme, the dissertation should have a regional specialisation: i.e. focus on a country within their region or the region as a whole. No other limitations are placed on the choice of topic although students are encouraged to select topics appropriate to their specific course and expertise within the Department more generally. Students are required to submit a proposed dissertation title, approved by a member of staff, during the second term.
The dissertation is completed during the summer under the supervision of a member of the Department. Supervisors are allocated by the Department based on approved topics and staff availability. Supervisors provide guidance on source material, hypothesis formulation, research methods and structure but will not read complete drafts.
Dissertations must be submitted by the 15th of September each year, or the following Monday if 15th September falls on a weekend. All dissertations are marked by two readers (the supervisor and another member of the Department) and all marking moderated by an external examiner. Dissertations are assessed on the basis of presentation, structure, analytical depth and originality. Further details can be found here: Dissertation
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 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 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 Deborah Johnston.
Guidelines for Students
BLE (Moodle)
BLE is run on Moodle, a virtual learning environment which is used to make reading lists and other course 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 Coursework Submission. The only exception to this rule is Quantitative Methods II (15PECC045) and Quantitative Methods III (15PECC051) please see the course pages for information on how to manually submit course work for these courses.
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 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.
Programme Convenors will inform the Head of Registry of the names of students who fail to meet the attendance and course work requirements. The Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) of the relevant Faculty or Faculties will review each case, and will decide what further action should be taken. The School may withdraw permission to take examinations or terminate the degree courses of students who persistently fail to meet the attendance and course work requirements. Please see section 5 of the SOAS Postgraduate Taught Masters Regulations for the current year, available at Postgraduate Taught Regulations, for more information.
Assessments
Marking criteria are available on the faculty website. Please note that course work cannot be reassessed and appeals against the academic judgment of markers will not be accepted, nor will requests that work should be re-marked.
Submission of Dissertations
The dissertation deadline is before 16.00pm on 15 September of the year in which the dissertation is undertaken. If 15 September falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then the deadline is before 16.00pm on the Monday immediately following 15 September. For further information please see the Guidelines for the Preparation of Masters Dissertations in the SOAS Postgraduate Taught Masters regulations for the current year, available at Postgraduate Taught Masters Regulations.
Submission of course work
Coursework can only be submitted online via Moodle as confirmed by the Course Convenor. Please see section 6 and 7 of the SOAS Postgraduate Taught Masters regulations for the current year, available at Postgraduate Taught Masters regulations for information about the regulations relating to course work (submission, late submission, resubmission, plagiarism and word count). Please note that you must undertake all elements of assessment and examination prescribed for each course you are taking and must submit sufficient work for each assessment to enable it to be assessed or examined.
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:
- Go to the Faculty Office (room R201) as soon as you think you might have a problem meeting the deadline.
- Collect and complete a Late Submission Request form.
- You may contact relevant members of staff to support your claim - e.g. a student counsellor or tutor.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
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 (Postgraduate Degree Regulations for further information or the School Plagiarism Statement.
Key Contacts
Department Contacts
- Faculty of Law and Social Sciences
- Department of Economics
- Student Services (Welfare, Counselling, Disabilities, and Mental Health and Wellbeing)
- Registry
- Library
- Careers
