Key information

Duration
3 or 4 Years
Start of programme
September
Attendance mode
Full-time
Location
Russell Square, College Buildings
Fees

Home student fees: £9,250
Overseas student fees: £21,990

Please note that fees go up each year. 
See undergraduate fees for further details.

Entry requirements

AAA-AAB

For joint degrees, the offer is based on the subject with the higher entry requirements Applicants without A level Maths (or equivalent) must have a minimum of grade B in GCSE Maths (or grade 6 in the new structure)

Contextual: AAB-ABB 

See undergraduate entry requirements and English language requirements for international and alternative entry requirements.

Course overview

The BA Economics (two subject degree) combines economics with another discipline or language and takes 3 or 4 years depending on the subject involved.

It provides you with a thorough grounding in economic principles while allowing you to create a specialist niche for yourself by studying another subject. 

Why study Economics Combined Honours at SOAS?

  • SOAS is ranked 27th in UK for economics (QS World University Rankings 2023)
  • We're top 20 in the UK for student satisfaction with teaching (Complete University Guide 2023)
  • We're top 40 in the UK for economics (Complete University Guide 2023)

Degree combinations

May be combined with

+ 4-year degree with (compulsory) one year abroad
++ 3 or 4-year degree with option of one year abroad
 

Key information set data

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.

Over the course of a three-year degree, students must complete 360 credits. These can be split evenly between both subjects (180/180), or be varied between the two subjects if the programme structure gives scope for this. Students must have at least 150 credits in the first subject (with a maximum of 240 credits being possible) and 120 credits in the second subject (with a maximum of 210 credits being possible) in order to be awarded a two-subject degree. The subject in which the higher amount of credits has been passed will be named first on the final degree awarded, provided core modules are passed.

Important notice

The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes. However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. 

BA Economics and... (with 'Economics' appearing first in the degree title)

 

Year 1 (A - for students with A-level or equivalent in Maths)

Core modules

Guided option modules & second subject

NB. Guided option lists can be found towards the end of this page

In addition to the above core & compulsory modules, students select the following:

  • Module(s) to the value of 30 credits from their 'second subject'
  • A Year 1 guided option module (see list below) to the value of 15 credits or a 'second subject' module to the value of 15 credits. 
  • A language open option module to the value of 15 credits or a 'second subject' module to the value of 15 credits.

Year 2 (A - for students with A-level or equivalent in Maths)

Compulsory modules

In addition to the Employability and Career Planning Workshop, students select one of the following modules:

  • Macroeconomic Analysis 
    or
  • Microeconomic Analysis

Guided option modules & second subject

NB. Guided option lists can be found towards the end of this page

In addition to the above core & compulsory modules, students select the following:

  • Year 2 guided option module(s) (see list below) to the value of 30 credits.
  • 'Second subject' modules to the value of 60 credits.  

Year 1 (B - for students without A-level or equivalent in Maths)

Core modules

Guided option modules & second subject

NB. Guided option lists can be found towards the end of this page

In addition to the above core & compulsory modules, students select the following:

  • Module(s) to the value of 30 credits from their 'second subject'
  • A Year 1 guided option module (please see list below) to the value of 15 credits or a 'second subject' module to the value of 15 credits. 
  • A language or non-language open option module to the value of 15 credits or a 'second subject' module to the value of 15 credits.

Year 2 (B - for students without A-level or equivalent in Maths)

Compulsory modules

In addition to the Elementary Statistics, Statistics and Employability and Career Planning Workshop students select one of the following modules:

  • Macroeconomic Analysis
    or
  • Microeconomic Analysis

Second subject

Students complete their module choices from:

  • 'Second subject' modules to the value of 60 credits.

Year 3 (A&B - all students)

Compulsory modules

Students select one of the below compulsory modules (if not already taken in year 2):

    Guided option modules & second subject

    NB. Guided option lists can be found towards the end of this page

    In addition to the above core & compulsory modules, students select the following:

    • Module(s) to the value of 30 credits from the Year 3 guided option lists A, B, and C below. 
    • Module(s) to the value of 60 credits from their 'second subject'.

    BA Economics (with Economics appearing second in the degree title)

    Year 1 (A - A-level or equivalent in Maths)

    Core modules

      Guided option modules & second subject

      NB. Guided option lists can be found towards the end of this page

      In addition to the above core modules, students select the following:

      • Module(s) to the value of 30 credits from the Year 1 guided option list below.
      • Modules to the value of 60 credits from their 'second subject'. 

      Year 1 (B - for students without A-level or equivalent in Maths)

      Core modules

      Guided option modules & second subject

      NB. Guided option lists can be found towards the end of this page

      In addition to the above core & compulsory modules, students select the following:

      • Module(s) to the value of 30 credits from their 'second subject'
      • A Year 1 guided option module (see list below) to the value of 15 credits or a 'second subject' module to the value of 15 credits. 
      • A language open option module to the value of 15 credits or a 'second subject' module to the value of 15 credits.

      Year 2 (A&B - all students)

      Compulsory Modules

      In addition to Employability and Career Planning Workshop students, select one of the following Compulsory modules:

      • Macroeconomic Analysis
        or
      • Microeconomic Analysis

       

      Guided option modules & second subject

      NB. Guided option lists can be found towards the end of this page

      In addition to the above core & compulsory modules, students select the following:

      • Year 2 guided option module(s) (see list below) to the value of 30 credits.
      • 'Second subject' modules to the value of 60 credits.  

      Year 3 (A&B all students)

      Compulsory Modules

      Students select one of the following Compulsory modules 

      Macroeconomic Analysis OR Microeconomic Analysis (if not already taken in year 2):

        Guided option modules & second subject

        NB. Guided option lists can be found towards the end of this page

        In addition to the above core & compulsory modules, students select the following:

        • Module(s) to the value of 30 credits from the Year 3 guided option lists A, B, and C below. 
        • Module(s) to the value of 60 credits from their 'second subject'.

        GUIDED OPTION LISTS - ALL YEARS

        Year 1 - guided option modules

        Year 3 guided option modules - list C

        Modules from the below Summer School list may be taken at the end of Year 2 and count towards Year 3 credits. However the modules do not run every year and the Dept. will confirm to the relevant student cohort their availability in advance of the period for module selection.

        • 151040084 Climate Change and Sustainable Finance (15 credits)
        • 153401011 Asia Pacific Business (15 credits)
        • 1534401012 China's Belt and Road Initiative: Challenge and Opportunities (15 credits)
        • 151010055 Economic Globalisation in Asia (15 credits)
        • 153401017 Entrepreneurship in Asia (15 credits)
        • 153401018 Global Mega Trends: Opportunities and Challenges in Asia (15 credits)

        Teaching and 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. 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.

        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 Librar y 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.

        Fees and funding

        Fees for 2023/24 entrants per academic year

        Programme Full-time
        Home students Overseas students

        BA, BSc, LLB

        £9,250

        £21,160
        BA/BSc Language year abroad £1,385 £10,580

        Please note that fees go up each year.

        For full details see undergraduate fees.

        Employment

        Economics graduates leave SOAS with a solid grounding in statistical skills and an ability to think laterally, take a global perspective, and employ critical reasoning.

        Recent graduates have been hired by:

        • Bain & Co
        • Barclays
        • Bank of America
        • Cabinet Office
        • Deloitte
        • Ernst & Young
        • HM Treasury
        • KPMG
        • NHS England
        • Foreign and Commonwealth Office
        • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
        • HSBC
        • National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi
        • UK Civil Service
        • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
        • University of Bayreuth
        • HM Treasury
        • Department for International Development
        • PwC
        • UNDP
        • King’s Investment Fund
        • Foreign and Commonwealth Office
        • The World Bank
        • EY
        • British Chamber of Commerce
        • Oxfam
        • RBS

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