Overview and entry requirements 

Studying BSc Development Economics will provide you with a thorough grounding in economic theory, analysis and policy, while studying the economics of a wide range of developing and emerging countries.

The Department of Economics is one of the country's leading departments specialising in the economics of growth and development as well as in political economy and heterodox approaches to Economics. Research and teaching is pursued on a variety of topics and is unique in its depth and range of regional and specialising 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 BSc Development Economics at SOAS

• 12th in UK for course satisfaction Guardian League Tables 2021 and 5th in London Complete University Guide 2021
• 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

• SOAS students selected for the Emerging International Leaders programme
• Inequality, instability and the financialisation of social care in the wake of Covid-19

Programme Code: L170 BSc/DE

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September

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.

After the introductory modules in Year 1, you will then advance into more specialised modules in Years 2 and 3 that dive deeper into economic theory, specific regions in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and specialised fields.  In your final year you should take at least 30 credits from the Regional Development Optional Modules.

Year 1 (For students WITH A-level or equivalent in Maths)

Core Modules

Compulsory Modules

• In addition to the above, students select a module to the value of 15 credits from the Year 1 Guided Option Modules list below, AND Language or Non-Language open option module(s) to the value of 30 credits

Year 2 (For students WITH A-level or equivalent in Maths)

Compulsory Modules

In addition to the above, students select either:

• Module(s) to the value of 30 credits from the Year 2 Guided Option Modules list below AND a Language or Non-Language open option module to the value of 15 credits

• OR a module to the value of 15 credits from the Year 2 Guided Option Modules list below AND Language or Non-Language open option module(s) to the value of 30 credits 

Year 1 (For students WITHOUT A-level or equivalent in Maths)

Core Modules

Compulsory Modules

In addition to the above, students select either:

• Module(s) to the value of 30 credits from the Year 1 Guided Option Modules list below AND a Language or Non-Language open option module to the value of 15 credits

• OR a module to the value of 15 credits from the Year 1 Guided Option Modules list below AND Language or Non-Language open option module(s) to the value of 30 credits

Year 2 (For students WITHOUT A-level or equivalent in Maths)

Compulsory Modules

• In addition to the above, students select a module to the value of 15 credits from the Year 2 Guided Option Modules list below

Year 3 (all students)

Compulsory Modules

In addition to the above, students select either:

• Modules to the value of 90 credits from the Year 3 Guided Option Modules Lists A, B and C below. Students must select a minimum of 30 credits from List B. 

• OR modules to the value of 60 credits from the Year 3 Guided Option Modules Lists A and B below (students must select a minimum of 30 credits from List B) AND Language or Non-Language open option module(s) to the value of 30 credits.

Guided Option Module lists

Year 1 Guided Option Modules

Year 2 Guided Option Modules

Year 3 Guided Option Modules List A

Year 3 Guided Option Modules List B

Year 3 Guided Option Modules List C

The below are summer school modules, which can be taken during summer at the end of year 2, and which count towards year 3. 

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

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 from the Department of Economics have been hired by:

• Deloitte
• NHS England
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office
• Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
• HSBC
• National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi
• 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

Find out about our 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