Course Profile

The MSc in the Political Economy of Development is the latest addition to a portfolio of Masters programmes offered by the Department of Economics, and is designed for economists who want to concentrate on applied theory and to expand their regional expertise.

The MSc is a taught masters degree consisting of eight course modules taught by lectures, classes and tutorials and an 10,000 word dissertation.

There are four core units and four optional modules that make up the course.
The precise modules available vary from year to year, but include units on Agriculture, Finance, the Environment, Industry and International Macroeconomics and Microeconomics.

Eight in-depth regional economic development modules are also available, covering:

• Africa
• The Asia-Pacific region
• The Middle East
• South Asia

All students are required to complete the compulsory preliminary course in Mathematics and Statistics (including Computing) to begin studying on this programme. This course is taught over a three week period from the beginning of September covering mathematics, statistics and computing. For further information about this course including a timetable please see here: Preliminary maths and Statistics Course

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September intake only

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time

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 Econometrics A and/or Advanced Econometrics B, must contact the convenor of Econometrics prior to the taking of the Preliminary examination.  Students on this MSc must always take the Research Methods modules and the other core modules. 

Programme Specification

• MSc Political Economy of Development Programme Specification 2018/19 (pdf; 232kb)

Important notice

Teaching & Learning

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.

Learning Resources 

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 econometrics 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 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.

A postgraduate degree in Political Economy of Development from SOAS equips students with a range of important skills to continue in the field of research as well as a portfolio of widely transferable employability skills valued by a wide range of employers.  These include numeracy, analytical thinking and general skills such as organisation and effective communication skills.  Graduates will develop their regional expertise as well as an advanced understanding of issues of development in their political and economic context.  In addition the study of Economics gives students particular problem solving skills including: abstraction, analysis, quantification, strategic thinking and adaptability.

Postgraduate students from the SOAS MSc in Political Economy of Development have followed successful careers in both academic work and also in international banking and financial analysis, in national governments in many parts of the world, in international development agencies and in a range of non-government organisations.   A postgraduate degree is a valuable experience that provides students with a body of work and a diverse range of skills that they can use to market themselves with when they graduate.

For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website.