Department of Economics

MSc Political Economy of Development (2021 entry)

Select year of entry: 2021 2020

Overview

Overview and entry requirements

The unique MSc Political Economy of Development is designed for students whose first degree was only partially in economics or who have already studied a lot of economics and want to do an MSc that enables them to do a wider range of options.

Instead of the usual compulsory courses in micro, macro and econometrics (they are still available as options), this MSc has compulsory courses in institutional economics, development economics, research methods and statistical techniques.

If you want to benefit from pluralist theoretical training in institutional economics and development economics, are interested in understanding how inequalities, corruption and climate change affect economic development, and want to apply policies to real world economic issues in the Global South, the MSc in Political Economy of Development is ideal for you.

See Department of Economics

Why study MSc Political Economy of 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

Career paths

The SOAS MSc in Political Economy of Development and the pluralist approach to real world economic and development issues will prepare students to work in international organisations, government, business and finance, and NGOs. The research training in political economy and economics also serves as an excellent foundation for PhD studies.

Explore

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September intake only

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time

Entry requirements

We will consider all applications with 2:ii (or international equivalent) or higher. In addition to degree classification we take into account other elements of the application including supporting statement and references.

Featured events

duration:: One calendar year (full-time) Two or Three years (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

Dr Tobias Franz Convenor

Structure

Students registered for this MSc must take all the core courses listed below.

Dissertation

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Dissertation for MSc Political Economy of Development	15PECC988	60	Full Year

Taught Component

Core Modules

All students will take the following four core modules:

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Growth and Development	15PECC007	15	Term 2
Essay Writing Workshop - Postgraduate Economics	15PECH031	0	Term 1
Political Economy of Institutions	15PECC020	15	Term 1
Statistical Research Techniques	15PECC039	15	Term 2
Research Methods	15PECC040	15	Term 1

Guided Options

All students will take modules to the value of 60 credits from 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
Economic development in the Asia Pacific region	15PECC030	15	Term 2
China and World Development	15PECH023	15	Term 2
Economics of Environment and Development	15PECC048	15	Term 2
Financial Systems and Economic Development	15PECC036	15	Term 1
Global Economic Policy Analysis	15PECC063	15	Term 2
Green Finance	15PECH030	15	Term 2
International Finance	15PECC019	15	Term 1
Macroeconomics	15PECC005	15	Term 1
Microeconomics	15PECC006	15	Term 1
Gender Economics (PG)	15PECH026	15	Term 1
Economic development of Africa (PG)	15PECH034	15	Term 2

Programme Specification

Msc Political Economy of Development Programme Specification (pdf; 207kb)

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 eight taught modules plus a preliminary module in Mathematics and Statistics and an 10,000-word dissertation.

The courses 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 or three 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 a 10,000-word dissertation in applied economics.

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

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 econometrics courses are designed to be accessible to all of our students including those with a relatively small quantitative component in their first degree.

Preliminary Mathematics and Statistics course

Our well-received econometrics modules 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 econometrics 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. Further details on the Preliminary Mathematics and Statistics course.

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

Commonwealth Shared Scholarships

Application Deadline: 2021-04-09 00:00

Felix Non- Indian Scholarship

Application Deadline: 2021-01-29 00:00