Department of Economics

MSc International Finance and Development (2021 entry)

Select year of entry: 2021 2020

Overview

Overview and entry requirements

MSc International Finance and Development students take five core modules in Macroeconomics, Statistical Research Techniques, Financial Systems and Economic Development, International Finance, Theory of Financial Institutions and Policy. They are given the choice of three options and they have to write an 10,000 word dissertation on an approved topic relating to finance and development.

All students are required to complete the compulsory preliminary course in Mathematics and Statistics (including Computing) prior to commencing this programme. This course is taught over a three week period from the beginning of September.

See Department of Economics

Why study MSc International Finance and Development at SOAS

we are 12th in UK for course satisfaction Guardian League Tables 2021 and 5th in London Complete University Guide 2021
it provides rigorous training in both mainstream and heterodox economics
it makes explicit links between economic theories and the real world, using pluralist and political economy perspectives
it provides economic knowledge for specific regions, drawing on the rich regional expertise of SOAS
contemporary topics (like environmental policies and the gendered effects of monetary and fiscal policies) are incorporated in the core modules of the programme; they are not just taught in optional modules

Explore

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September intake only

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time

Who is this programme for?:

This progamme replaces the MSc Finance and Development Programme. This programme combines political economy of international finance with development economics. It is unique in Britain and draws on the specific strengths of SOAS, namely in development economics, political economy and area specialisation. It also draws on the international reputations of SOAS specifically in the political economy of finance.

Entry requirements

We will consider all applications with 2: ii (or international equivalent) or higher in Economics or a joint degree containing Economics PLUS work experience in financial markets and development. In addition to degree classification we take into account other elements of the application including supporting statement and references. All students must complete the Preliminary Mathematics and Statistics module which is taught over three weeks in August/September.

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duration:: One calendar year (full-time) Two (part-time, daytime only). We recommend that part-time students have between two and a half and three days free in the week to pursue their course of study.

Fees 2021/22

UK fees:: £12,720

Overseas fees:: £21,750

Fees for 2021/22 entrants. This is a Band 4 fee. 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 Postgraduate Tuition Fees page

Convenors

Professor Costas Lapavitsas Convenor

Structure

Students registered for this MSc must take all the core courses listed below. The only possible exception is that students who have already an adequate maths and stats background may drop the Statistical Research Techniques module and take instead Econometrics, this requires the written permission of the course convenor for Econometrics. Students who wish to apply for this alternative quantitative structure, which includes the option of taking Advanced Macroeconometrics, must contact the convenor of Econometrics prior to the taking of the Preliminary examination.

Dissertation

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Dissertation for MSc Finance and Development	15PECC989	60	Full Year

Taught Component

Core Modules

All students will take the following five compulsory modules:

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Macroeconomics	15PECC005	15	Term 1
International Finance	15PECC019	15	Term 1
Financial Systems and Economic Development	15PECC036	15	Term 1
Econometrics	15PECC008	15	Term 1
Advanced Macroeconometrics	15PECC045	15	Term 2
Essay Writing Workshop - Postgraduate Economics	15PECH031	0	Term 1

Guided Options

All students will take modules to the value of 45 credits from the list of options (below)

List of Modules (subject to availability)

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Political Economy of Development and Change in the Middle East	15PECC028	15	Term 1
China and World Development	15PECH023	15	Term 2
Economic development in the Asia Pacific region	15PECC030	15	Term 2
Economics of Environment and Development	15PECC048	15	Term 2
Gender Economics (PG)	15PECH026	15	Term 1
Global Economic Policy Analysis	15PECC063	15	Term 2
Green Finance	15PECH030	15	Term 2
Growth and Development	15PECC007	15	Term 2
Microeconomics	15PECC006	15	Term 1
Political Economy of Institutions	15PECC020	15	Term 1
Advanced Microeconomics	15PECH021	15	Term 2
Advanced Macroeconomics	15PECH022	15	Term 2
Economic development of Africa (PG)	15PECH034	15	Term 2
Research Methods	15PECC040	15	Term 1

Programme Specification

MSc International Finance and Development Programme Specification (pdf; 76kb)

Important notice

The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. If you are a current student you can find structure information on the previous year link at the top of the page or through your Department. Please read the important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.

Teaching and Learning

Teaching & Learning

The MSc includes five core modules in Macroeconomics, Statistical Research Techniques, Financial Systems and Economic Development, International Finance, Theory of Financial Institutions and Policy. Students are given the choice of three options and they are required to write an 10,000 word dissertation on an approved topic relating to finance and development.

The modules are taught in seminar groups and lectures. The degrees are awarded on the basis of assessed coursework, examinations and the dissertation.

The MSc degrees are taught over a period of twelve months of full-time study within a structured programme. In the case of part-time study, the degrees will be taught over two years. Four modules are studied each year, with the dissertation normally being completed in the second year.

Contact hours

All Masters programmes consist of 180 credits, made up of taught modules of 30 or 15 credits, taught over 10 or 20 weeks, and a dissertation of 60 credits. 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, including reading and research, preparing coursework, revising for examinations and so on. 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 postgraduate modules have a two hour lecture and a one hour seminar every week, but this does vary.

More information is on the page for each module.

Lectures

Most modules involve a 2-hour lecture as a key component with linked seminar or tutorial classes.

Seminars

At Masters level there is particular emphasis on seminar work. Students make full-scale presentations and are expected to write papers that often require significant independent work.

Dissertation

Students are required to complete an 10,000-word dissertation on an approved topic relating to finance and development.

SOAS Library

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.

Pre Entry Reading

Preliminary Mathematics and Statistics course

Our MSc programmes attract students with a wide range of backgrounds including many who have worked for a few years before coming to SOAS.

Our popular quantitative courses are designed to be accessible to all of our students including those with a relatively small quantitative component in their first degree. Our well-received quantitative courses focus on applying basic methods used in empirical research.

They equip students to carry out their own high quality empirical work and critically evaluate research, with relatively little emphasis on advanced econometric theory and mathematical proofs.

Our quantitative methods teaching begins with a three-week preliminary course in mathematics, statistics and computing. The objective of the course is to review the basic quantitative skills assumed once formal teaching commences. This course is compulsory. Visit the Preliminary mathematics and statistics page for further details.

Fees and funding

Tuition Fees

Full details of postgraduate tuition fees can be found on the Registry's Postgraduate Tuition Fees page.

This is a Band 4 tuition fee.

Fees for 2021/22 entrants. The fees below are per academic year. Fees go up each year, therefore, your tuition fee in your second & subsequent years of study will be higher. Our continuing students, on the same degree programme, are protected from annual increases higher than 5%.

Full-time		Part-time 2 Years		Part-time 3 Years
UK Students	Overseas Students	UK Students	Overseas Students	UK Students	Overseas Students
12,720	21,750	£6,360	£10,875	£4,240	£7,250

Scholarships

Felix Non- Indian Scholarship

Application Deadline: 2021-01-29 00:00