Fees for 2017/18 entrants. The fees are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year. Further details can be found in the Fees and Funding tab on this page or in the Registry Undergraduate Tuition Fees page
BTEC: DDD
Access to HE: Minimum of 30 Level 3 Credits at Distinction
Scottish Highers: AAAAA
Scottish Advanced Highers: AAA
Irish LC: 360 points from 5 Higher level subjects at grade C1 or above
Advanced Placement: 4 5 5 (Two semesters - UCAS Group A) plus US HSGD with GPA 3.0
Euro Bacc: 85%
French Bacc: 15/20
German Abitur: 1.5
Italy DES: 85/100
Austria Mat: 1.5
Polish Mat: Overall 80% including 3 extended level subjects
Programme Code: See May be Combined With
Mode of Attendance: Full-time
This exciting programme offers a challenging, multi-disciplinary exploration of international development, poverty, and economic and social change in non-western countries. Based upon the internationally recognised research expertise of the staff at the Department of Development Studies, the programme gives students the opportunity to explore social, political and economic changes in the developing world. It examines key issues and themes in international development, as well as analysing the roles and impact of a wide variety of formal and informal development actors.
The BA programme in Development Studies is a combined honours degree, allowing students to blend a critical awareness of international development, with a solid grounding in another discipline or subject area. This allows Development Studies students to place the knowledge they gain as part of their degree within a specific regional, cultural or disciplinary context. The ability to combine Development Studies with the range of research, resource and teaching expertise in SOAS in regard to languages and literatures of Africa and Asia, religious studies, anthropology, history, art and archaeology, is unique to SOAS, and gives students an unrivalled range of options to choose from.
Highlights include:
See the for a full list of modules, including optional modules.
Please see the Unistats data for the various combinations of this programme under the Combinations tab.
+ 4-year degree with (compulsory) one year abroad
++ 3 or 4-year degree with option of one year abroad
** Taught at King’s College London
Click on a combined programme to load KIS data
To be eligible for an Honours degree in BA Development Studies and... degree, 3-year students need to pass at least 11 units with a minimum of 5 units in Development Studies, and 4-year students at least 14 units with a minimum of 8 units in Development Studies. Normally, 1 open option (i.e. a module in a subject or language other than those named in the student’s chosen degree title) may be taken per year, though there are exceptions to allow some flexibility.
The above information refers to those wishing to have Development Studies as the first-named subject of the two-subject degree. The minimum modules requirements will differ for those wishing to have Development Studies as the second-named subject. Guidelines can be found in the relevant Degree Regulations.
The degree structure below is for students enrolling from September 2015. Current students (enrolled before September 2015) should refer to the previous degree programme structure.
Students take two core units in Development Studies. The remaining two units may be completed through their other subject and/or open options.
| Module | Code | Unit value | Term | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction To Development Studies | 151010001 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Introduction to Political Economy of Development | 151010048 | 1 Unit | Full Year |
Where a particular degree combination requires students to take 3 core modules in their first year as part of the other department named in the degree, students will be expected to take one DS core module in their first year, and the second module in their second or third year (depending on when they take their year abroad).
Students take the core module Comparative Studies on Development. The remaining Development Studies module units may be taken from: One unit or two half units from the Year Two Development Studies options; any Year Two undergraduate Economics or Politics option available to Development Studies; a language of Africa or Asia; any Year Two Geography course run by King's College London. The remaining two units must be taken from the other department named in the degree.
| Module | Code | Unit value | Term | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comparative Studies on Development | 151010022 | 1 Unit | Full Year |
| Module | Code | Unit value | Term | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development and conflict | 151010041 | 0.5 Units | Term 2 | Not Running 2017/2018 |
| Development Communication | 151010044 | 0.5 Units | Term 2 | |
| Introduction to Development Practice | 151010047 | 0.5 Units | Term 1 | |
| Governance and development | 151010040 | 0.5 Units | Term 1 | Not Running 2017/2018 |
| Introduction to global forced migration studies | 151010020 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Non-governmental organisations, development and change | 151010034 | 0.5 Units | Term 1 | Not Running 2017/2018 |
| Political economy of finance, debt and development | 151010038 | 0.5 Units | Term 1 | Not Running 2017/2018 |
| Key Thinkers and Theories in Development | 151010049 | 0.5 Units | Term 2 |
Refer to the 'BA Geography and...' page, or contact Dr Debby Potts (debby.potts@kcl.ac.uk) at KCL to discuss module choices.
N.B. 153400003 Introduction to Economic Analysis is a prerequisite for all of the options below.
| Module | Code | Unit value | Term | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banking and Finance | 153400100 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| International Economics | 153400106 | 1 Unit | Full Year |
| Module | Code | Unit value | Term | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comparative political sociology of Asia and Africa | 153400067 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Government and politics of China | 153400071 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Government and politics of South Asia | 153400020 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Government and politics of the Middle East | 153400060 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Political theory | 153400054 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Politics of development | 153400042 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Southeast Asian government and politics | 153400022 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Taiwan's Politics and International Relations | 153400072 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| The state and politics in Africa | 153400064 | 1 Unit | Full Year |
Students choose two further units in specialist Development Studies options; one unit may be an Independent Study Project or an open option. Students returning from a Year Abroad having taken three language units in the first year must do the first and second year compulsory units in Development Studies in their third year. Please note that final year students may not take any introductory level modules, including languages.
| Module | Code | Unit value | Term | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principles of Marxist Political Economy | 153401005 | 0.5 Units | Term 2 |
| Module | Code | Unit value | Term | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comparative political sociology of Asia and Africa | 153400067 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Government and politics of China | 153400071 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Government and politics of South Asia | 153400020 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Government and politics of the Middle East | 153400060 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Political theory | 153400054 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| Politics of development | 153400042 | 1 Unit | Full Year | |
| The state and politics in Africa | 153400064 | 1 Unit | Full Year |
Refer to the 'BA Geography and...' page, or contact Dr Debby Potts (debby.potts@kcl.ac.uk) at KCL to discuss module choices.
Students who have combined Development Studies with a language follow the Year 3 syllabus.
| Module | Code | Unit value | Term | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comparative political sociology of Asia and Africa | 153400067 | 1 Unit | Full Year |
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.
Full details of undergraduate tuition fees can be found on the Registry's Undergraduate Tuition Fees page.
Fees for 2017/18 entrants. The fees below are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year.
| Programme | Full-Time | |
|---|---|---|
| UK/EU Students |
Overseas Students |
|
| BA, BSc, LLB | £9,250 | £16,575 |
| BA/BSc Language Year Abroad | £1,350 | £8,288 |
Application Deadline: 2017-04-17 17:00
For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section
The Department of Development Studies at SOAS provides innovative and challenging teaching, fosters high-quality research and offers unrivalled regional specialisation and language combinations not found anywhere else in Europe.
An undergraduate Development Studies degree from SOAS will develop your understanding of the world, other peoples’ ways of life and how society is organised, with specific focus on violence and conflict, the role of aid, refugees and forced migration. Skills gained during your degree will transfer well to areas such as human rights, international development and politics. This is in addition to your detailed subject knowledge, which will vary according to the regional and theoretical focus of your degree. Your degree will equip you with a set of specific skills, including: analytical and critical skills; the ability to think laterally and employ critical reasoning; a high level of cultural awareness; and the ability to solve problems.
Choosing to study a joint degree programme will increase the breadth of your knowledge, and will develop additional skills with which to further your studies. Development studies may be combined with a huge range of other disciplines. For more information on the extra skills you will gain from your second subject, please see the relevant departmental page. Some graduates go on to work in development planning and in government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Other career paths include journalism, the civil service, banking and the social and educational services. Others are interested in specialising further through postgraduate studies, not only in Development Studies, but also in Economics, Politics, Social Anthropology, Law, Geography, History and languages.
Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:
| BBC World Service Bloomberg British Council British Red Cross Consortium for Street Children Department for International Development Ernst & Young European Commission Gisha - Legal Centre For Freedom Of Movement Homeless International Immigration Advisory Service |
Inter-American Development Bank Ministry of Education Luxembourg Norwegian Institude of International Affairs Office of the President of Guyana Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew The Arab-British Centre The World Bank Thomson Reuters UNICEF Ethiopia Women Of Africa World Food Programme |
| Human Rights Officer Country Director - Indonesia Bureau Chief Head of Advocacy PR Consultant - Asia Pacific Governance Adviser Social Development Specialist Editor Director of Public Department Partnership Liaison Officer |
Fundraising and Communications Manager Paralegal Research Fellow Financial consultant Development Policy Officer Environmental Economist Journalist Relationship Banker - Africa Desk Archaeological Illustrator Policy Analyst/Economist |
For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website.
Ingrida KerusauskaiteSOAS is a unique University that combines both academic excellence and a vibrant, active and innovative student body.
If you still have questions about this programme or studying at SOAS get in touch.
Undergraduate applications should be made through UCAS.
