Overview and entry requirements
MSc International Business programme is open to graduates from any discipline. Work experience is welcome but not necessary. This programme not just emphasises the development of a comprehensive knowledge set of key areas in international business, but also their applications.
Through interactive teaching and learning students are expected to develop their critical perspectives on the changing dynamics of multinational firms and small businesses and their relationships with the external environment.
See School of Finance and Management
Why study MSc International Business at SOAS
We are 5th in UK for graduate employability (Guardian League Tables 2021).
This programme aims to help students understand the importance of cultural intelligence in delivering effective communications, negotiations and work in the global business environment.
Graduates from this programme are expected to start their careers in global firms with a wide range of roles.
Explore
Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings
Start of programme: September
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.
Structure
Students must take 180 credits. These are composed of 120 taught credits comprising core and optional modules and a 60 credit dissertation.
Not all option modules are offered every year; please check your preferences with the Programme Convenor. Also note that where 15 credit modules are selected, these should be balanced between term 1 and term 2.
Core Modules
Optional Elective Modules
Students should choose one 15 credit module from List A and one 15 credit module from List B. Alternatively, students should choose one 30 credit module from List C.
Please note that some modules below have pre-requisite modules. For example, in order to take Chinese 1 B (PG), students must have also taken and passed Chinese 1 A (PG). Please see the individual module pages below for details of any pre-requisite requirements.
List A
List B
List C
Programme Specification
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 & Learning
Masters programmes (with the exception of two-year full-time MAs) 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.
Contact hours
As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study such as reading and research, preparing coursework, revising for examinations and so on. Also included is class time, for example lectures, seminars and other classes.
At SOAS, most postgraduate modules have a one-hour lecture and a one-hour seminar every week, but this does vary. More information can be found on individual module pages.
Find out more on our approaches to teaching and learning
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.
Employment
Graduates from the School of Finance and Management leave SOAS with a coherent and solid knowledge of management and finance, with skills in statistics and computing, critical reasoning and analytical thinking.
Recent Finance and Management graduates have been hired by:
- Christian Aid
- Dagong Global
- Deloitte
- Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
- Elbus Group
- Financial Times
- FM Capital Partners
- HM Treasury
- Houlihan Lokey
- Huaxia Bank, China
- IDB (Islamic Development Bank)
- Investec
- J.P. Morgan Asset Management
- KPMG
- Lloyds Banking Group
- Santander
- UBS
- University of Oxford
- White & Case LLP
- World Food Programme
Find out more at Careers Service
Careers
SOAS graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:
- Deloitte
- Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ
- KPMG
- Euro Monitor International
- Santander
- Investec
- HM Treasury
- Western Securities Co. Ltd
- Nomura
- UBS
Roles
Types of positions postgraduates gain include:
- Trainee Chartered Accountant
- Business Relationship Manager
- Financial Analyst
- Market Research Executive
- Management Consultant
- Vice-President
- Foreign Exchange Trading
- Business Manager
- Deputy Chief Executive Officer
- Events Manager
A Student's Perspective
Part of the reason I chose SOAS over others is because it offered the Islamic Banking and Finance elective module. This is a one-of-a-kind class and an interesting subject that only SOAS offers. My hope is that the knowledge attained in this class will make me more suited for international corporate jobs that deal with the states that are a part of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Tariq Islam
