Overview and entry requirements 

BA Economics at SOAS University of London will provide you with training in microeconomics, macroeconomics and quantitative methods that will enable you to pursue a successful career in an economics-related profession or to go on to postgraduate work.

BA Economics offers ample flexibility to the quantitative modules students can select, including a pathway to graduate with a BSc Economics degree. Students will be given guidance on module selections and transfer opportunities between programme structures throughout their degree, including those aiming to graduate with BSc Economics. Moreover, the SOAS Economics Department is distinctive in offering a pluralist and critical approach to economic theory, policy and real applications.

The Department of Economics is one of the country's leading departments specialising in political economy and heterodox approaches to economics as well as in the economics of development. Research and teaching is pursued on a variety of topics and is unique in its depth and range of regional and specialised coverage including topics from contemporary banking and finance the economics of the environment, gender economics, global economic theory, as well as the economic development of a variety of regions from Japan to the Middle East.

See Department of Economics

Why study Economics at SOAS

• 12th in UK for course satisfaction Guardian League Tables 2021 and 5th in London Complete University Guide 2021
• we offer the broadest portfolio of modules on economics and political economy
• our unrivalled focus in the study of developing and emerging economies provides you with a more critical approach to economic theory
• our academic staff are specialists within an unparalleled range of emerging and developing economies, and a broad spectrum of theory and policy debates
• theoretical concepts and debates are expertly applied to real issues within the countries of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as in the global economy and interdependencies therein
• you will be able to flexibly structure your programme using our Open Options modules to take advantage of the expertise of our other departments, including the opportunity to learn a language
• we are specialists in the delivery of languages. Your command of a language from SOAS will set you apart from graduates of other universities

Explore

•  Webinar Is it time for a Universal Basic Income? Perspectives from Africa and Peripheral Europe
• COVID-crash conundrum: why mainstream economics misses the point

Programme Code: UGSF0068

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: 2021

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

Structure

Students take 120 credits composed of Core, Compulsory and Optional modules.

Core modules: These are mandatory and must be passed in the year they are taken before the student can progress to the next year.

Compulsory modules: These are mandatory but in the case of a failure, students may carry this into their next year provided that they retake and pass the failed element or exam.

Optional modules: These are designed to help students design their own intellectual journey while maintaining a strong grasp of the fundamentals.

*Students who wish to graduate with a BSc Economics degree have to make sure to include and successfully complete Mathematics for Economists and Econometrics as part of their degree

Year 1

Core Modules

Compulsory Modules

• PLUS select modules from the Year 1 Guided Option list below to the value of 30 credits and Language or Non-Language open option modules to the value of 15 credits

• OR select modules from the Year 1 Guided Option list below to the value of 15 credits and Language or Non-Language open option modules to the value of 30 credits

Year 1 Guided Option Modules

Year 2

Core Modules

Compulsory Modules

The above module(s) must be selected if they were not taken in Year 1

• PLUS choose modules from the Year 2 Guided Option list below to the value of 30 credits

• OR choose Language or Non-Language open option modules to the value of 30 credits

Year 2 Guided Option Modules

Year 3

Compulsory Modules

In addition to the above, students select from the following:

Year 3 Guided Option modules to the value of 90 credits from Lists A and B below. A maximum of 60 credits may be selected from List B. 

Alternatively, students may select modules to the value of 60 credits from Lists A and B below AND Language or Non-Language Open Option modules to the value of 30 credits.

Year 3 Guided Option Modules - List A

Year 3 Guided Option Modules - List B

Important notice

Teaching & Learning

Our teaching and learning approach is designed to support and encourage students in their own process of self-learning, and to develop their own critical grounds of the economics discipline.

Contact hours

All full-time undergraduate programmes consist of 120 credits per year, in modules of 30 or 15 credits. They are taught over 10 or 20 weeks. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which optional.

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study (see Approaches to teaching and learning at SOAS). It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others. In the Department of Economics, most undergraduate modules have a two-hour lecture every week. Some, but not all, also have a one-hour seminar or tutorial every week.

More information is on the page for each module.

Modules

Teaching combines innovative use of audio-visual materials, practical exercises, group discussions and conventional lecturing. Modules are taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials, usually a two-hour lecture and an one-hour tutorial weekly. Tutorials are sessions in which students are expected to take lead in discussions and/or present reports or presentations or solve problem sets and applied exercises in quantitative modules. Assessment of most modules is through a combination of written examination and course works.

Learning resources

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.

Tuition fees

Fees for 2021/22 entrants per academic year

Please note that fees go up each year. 

For full details of undergraduate tuition fees, see our Registry's undergraduate tuition fees page.

Scholarships

For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section

Employment

An undergraduate degree in Economics from SOAS will give you a solid grounding in analytical and critical thinking, statistical and computing skills and knowledge of economic principles and their application to concrete situations.

Skills gained

• expertise in key economics and political economy theories from a pluralist stance, appreciating both orthodox and heterodox views
• expertise in the emerging economies of Africa, Asia and the Middle East
• the ability to think laterally, to take a global perspective, and employ critical reasoning
• statistical and computing skills
• analytical skills
• communication and presentation skills

Graduates from the Department have pursued a variety of successful careers, often with Asian or African links, in international organisations, business and industry, banking, accountancy, journalism, consultancy, teaching and higher education. Many have gone on to read for postgraduate degrees either in the Department’s own thriving masters’ and research degree programmes or elsewhere.

Find out more about Economics Graduate Destinations

Careers

• BBC World Service
• Bloomberg LP
• Capital Economics
• Deloitte
• Goldman Sachs
• Grant Thornton
• OECD
• PWC
• United Nations Organisations
• World Bank
• ODI

Roles 

SOAS Economics graduates gain roles including: 

• Assistant Economist
• Equity Derivative Worker
• Financial Analyst
• Freelance Broadcast Journalist
• Economist/Researcher
• Policy Data Manager
• Monitoring Analyst 
• Risk Consultant
• Sustainability Consultant
• Chief Economist

Find out about Careers Service

• How to Apply
• UCAS website
• Request a prospectus
• Got a question - use our enquiry form (opens a new window)
• Funding options
• English language requirements
• Tuition Fees
• Admissions Contacts