BA Economics (dual degree options)

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

The BA Economics (two subject degree) combines economics with another discipline or language and takes 3 or 4 years depending on the subject involved. It provides you with a thorough grounding in economic principles while allowing you to create a specialist niche for yourself by studying another subject.

May be combined with:

• African Studies, (TL51 BA/ECAF)
• Arabic+, (LT16 BA/ECA)
• Chinese+, (LT11 BA/ECCH)
• Development Studies, (LL91 BA/ECDVS)
• Hebrew+, (LQ14 BA/HEEC)
• History, (LV11 BA/HEC)
• Japanese+, (LT12 BA/JEC)
• Japanese Studies, (TL21 BA/JSE)
• Korean+, (LTCL BA/KOEC)
• Law,(LM11 BA/LWEC)
• Middle Eastern studies, (TL61 BA/MESEC)
• Middle Eastern Studies (including a year abroad)
• Persian, (LTD6 BA/PEC) ( + Compulsory Year Abroad which is split between 2 countries)
• Politics, (LL12 BA/POLEC)
• Social Anthropology, (LL16 BA/SAEC)
• South Asian Studies++ (3 Year), (TLH1 BA/SASEC)
• South Asian Studies++ (4 Year), (TLH1 BA/SASEC)
• South-East Asian Studies, (TLJC BA/ECSEA)
• Study of Religions, (LV16 BA/SREC)
• Turkish+, (LTC6 BA/TUEC)

+ 4-year degree with (compulsory) one year abroad
++ 3 or 4-year degree with the option of one year abroad

Why study Economics Combined Honours at SOAS?

• We offer the broadest portfolio of modules on economics and political economy.
• Our unrivalled focus on 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.
• We are specialists in the delivery of languages. Your command of a language from SOAS will set you apart from graduates of other universities.
• Choosing to study a Combined Honours programme will allow you to take advantage of the expertise of one of our other departments allowing you to create a specialist niche for yourself.

Employment

An undergraduate degree in Economics from SOAS will give you a solid grounding in economic principles and their application to concrete situations.

Skills gained include:

• expertise in key economics and political economy theories from a pluralist stance, appreciating both orthodox and heterodox views,
• expertise in the emerging economies of Africa, Asia and the Middle East,
• the ability to think laterally, to take a global perspective, and employ critical reasoning,
• statistical and computing skills,
• analytical skills,
• communication and presentation skills,
• choosing to study a joint degree programme will increase the breadth of your knowledge allowing you to develop a specialist niche for yourself.

Graduates from the Department have pursued a variety of successful careers, often with Asian or African links, in international organisations, business and industry, banking, accountancy, journalism, consultancy, teaching and higher education. Many have gone on to read for postgraduate degrees either in the Department’s own thriving masters’ and research degree programmes or elsewhere.

Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:

• BBC World Service
• Bloomberg LP
• Capital Economics
• Deloitte
• Goldman Sachs
• Grant Thornton
• Myers Clark Chartered Accountants
• PWC
• Standard Chartered Bank

Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:

• Assistant Economist
• Equity Derivative Worker
• Financial Analyst
• Freelance Broadcast Journalist
• Graduate Tax Trainee
• Policy Data Manager
• Monitoring Analyst
• Risk Consultant
• Sustainability Consultant
• Trainee Chartered Accountant

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.

Programme structure for students studying Economics as a second subject

The Programme Structure for students studying Economics as a second subject can be found at the bottom of the page. For students studying Economics as the first subject in the joint degree can find their programme structure below:

BA Economics and... (with Economics appearing FIRST in the degree title)

Over the course of a three-year degree, students must complete 360 credits. These can be split evenly between both subjects (180/180), or be varied between the two subjects if the programme structure gives scope for this. Students must have at least 150 credits in the first subject (with a maximum of 240 credits being possible) and 120 credits in the second subject (with a maximum of 210 credits being possible) in order to be awarded a two-subject degree. The subject in which the higher amount of credits has been passed will be named first on the final degree awarded, provided core modules are passed.

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

Core Modules

• Introduction to economic analysis
• Quantitative Methods for Economists

Compulsory Modules

Year 1 Economics Students are also required the following compulsory module:

• Essay Writing Workshop - Undergraduate Economics

Plus

60 credits from second subject

or

30 credits from second subject, if possible,

and

• Comparative Growth and Development

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

Core Modules

Students choose one of the following core modules:

• Microeconomic Analysis
• Macroeconomic Analysis

Plus

Choose modules from List A to the value of 30 credits

and

60 credits from second subject

Year 3 (For students with A-level or equivalent in Maths)

Core Modules

Students choose one of the following core modules:

• Microeconomic Analysis
• Macroeconomic Analysis

Plus

Choose modules from List B to the value of 30 credits

and

60 credits from second subject

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

Core Modules

• Introduction to economic analysis
• Introduction to quantitative methods for Economists

Compulsory Modules

Year 1 Economics Students are also required the following compulsory module:

• Essay Writing Workshop - Undergraduate Economics

Plus

60 credits from second subject

or

30 credits from second subject, if possible,

and

• Comparative Growth and Development

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

Core Modules

• Quantitative Methods for Economists

Students choose one of the following core modules:

• Microeconomic Analysis
• Macroeconomic Analysis

Plus

60 credits from second subject

Year 3 (For students without A-level or equivalent in Maths)

Core Modules

Students choose one of the following core modules:

• Microeconomic Analysis
• Macroeconomic Analysis

Plus

Choose modules from List B to the value of 30 credits

and

60 credits from second subject

BA Economics (with Economics appearing Second in the degree title)

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

Core Modules

• Introduction to economic analysis

Compulsory Modules

Year 1 Economics Students are also required the following compulsory module:

• Essay Writing Workshop - Undergraduate Economics

Students choose one of the following core modules:

• Quantitative Methods for Economists
• Comparative Growth and Development

Plus

60 credits from second subject

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

Core Modules

• Introduction to economic analysis
• Introduction to quantitative methods for Economists

Compulsory Modules

Year 1 Economics Students are also required the following compulsory module:

• Essay Writing Workshop - Undergraduate Economics

Plus

60 credits from second subject

or

30 credits from second subject, if possible,

and

• Comparative Growth and Development

Year 2 (For students with and without A-level or equivalent in Maths)

Core Modules

Students choose one of the following core modules:

• Microeconomic Analysis
• Macroeconomic Analysis

Plus

Choose modules from List A to the value of 30 credits

and

60 credits from second subject

Year 3 (For students with and without A-level or equivalent in Maths)

Core Modules

Students choose one of the following core modules:

• Microeconomic Analysis
• Macroeconomic Analysis

Plus

Choose modules from List B to the value of 30 credits

and

60 credits from second subject

List A

• Quantitative Methods for Economists
• Issues in Development Economics
• Banking and Finance
• International Economics
• Econometrics

Students may also choose an Open Option module(s) or intercollegiate module(s) to the value of 30 credits. Selection of this/these will be subject to approval by the programme convenor.

List B

• Issues in Development Economics
• Banking and Finance
• International Economics
• Quantitative Methods for Economists
• Econometrics
• Gender Economics (UG)
• Global Economic Policy
• China and World Development
• China's Economic Transformation
• Economic Development of Japan
• Economic Development in the Asia Pacific region
• History of Economic Thought and Methods
• The Economics of the Environment
• Independent study project in Economics
• Applied Econometrics for Cross-section Data Analyses
• Applied Econometrics for Time-Series Data Analysis
• Economic development of Africa: macroeconomic approaches
• Economic development of Africa: microeconomic approaches
• Political Economy of Development and Change in the Middle East
• Topics in the Political Economy of Contemporary Middle East
• Topics in the Political Economy of Contemporary South Asia
• Political Economy of Development and Change in South Asia
• Limits to Growth?
• Economic Development of Southeast Asia

Students may also choose an Open Option module(s) or intercollegiate module(s) to the value of 30 credits. Selection of this/these will be subject to approval by the programme convenor.

Prerequisistes

Important notice

The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session.

Admissions and Applications

To apply for an undergraduate degree at SOAS (including students wishing to transfer from another university) you must apply through the UK's central universities application organization, UCAS. An application form and details of courses can be found on their website. UCAS charges an applicant's fee for handling the application.

You can apply to up to five choices of higher education institutions or course on the UCAS form. How you utilise the choice is up to you. In other words, you could apply to do the same subject, for example, economics, at five different universities, or five different courses at the same university, or any combination of subject and institution. Nor do you have to use up all five choices. Whatever you choose you should list your choices in the order they appear in the UCAS handbook.

Entry Requirements

A minimum of Grade B (grade 6 in the new structure) at GCSE for those without A-level Maths.

• A-Levels: AAA-AAB
  IB: 37 (666 at HL)

Alternative entry requirements

• BTEC: DDD
• Access to HE: Minimum of 30 Level 3 Credits at Distinction
• Scottish Highers: AAAAA
• Scottish Advanced Highers: AAA
• Irish LC: 360 points from 5 Higher level subjects at grade C1 or above
• Advanced Placement: 4 5 5 (Two semesters - UCAS Group A) plus US HSGD with GPA 3.0
• Euro Bacc: 85%
• French Bacc: 15/20
• German Abitur: 1.5
• Italy DES: 85/100
• Austria Mat: 1.5
• Polish Mat: Overall 80% including 3 extended level subjects

English Language Entry Requirements

You must be able to show that your English is of a high enough standard to successfully engage with and complete your course at SOAS. Please note that we take our English language requirements seriously and failure to meet them exactly may well result in your application to SOAS being rejected. It is not possible to negotiate if your scores are below our required levels, with the expectation that because they are 'close enough' they will be accepted. It is important that you plan appropriately, well in advance, so that your English language test comes in good time and so that you have time to retake the test if necessary. We do not accept reasons of inconvenience or financial hardship for not submitting or retaking an English test.

International students

For EU and International students who need a visa, if unconditional entry scores are achieved we accept qualifications from several countries, as well as a range of international qualifications and tests.

If a Tier 4 entry visa is required then a SELT, such as UKVI IELTS may be needed. For this reason, we recommend all Tier 4 visa students to choose the UKVI IELTS Academic test as the test of first resort.