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It’s a universally known fact that passion drives career success. While that derives from countless roots, 38-year-old Weiwei Chen from China knew her achievements weren’t solely about the money. At SOAS University of London, she witnessed what learning could be when it’s driven by a passion to improve the world. In an institution that emphasises non-Western perspectives, Chen enrolled as an MSc student in the Department of Development Studies.
“I enjoyed the diversity and high integrity of the practices and cutting-edge research that lecturers brought into the classroom,” Chen, who graduated in 2014, says. “I enjoy the freedom of thought at SOAS and am eager to research development-related topics.”
Master’s students from all around the world congregate at the Department of Development Studies to tackle the world’s most pressing and complex developmental issues. The reason, you ask? It’s ranked third in the world by the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, and it follows SOAS’s spirit of shattering Eurocentric worldviews — that is, through amplifying the voices of those in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
“The postgraduate student body was incredibly diverse, including freshly graduated students from all over the world as well as many practitioners and policymakers. We were encouraged to set up after-class study groups to discuss readings and prepare for exams together,” Chen says.
Since learning is interdisciplinary, students aren’t just confined to one field of study. Together and independently, they navigate developmental disparities across politics, humanitarianism, migration, conflict, the environment, and so much more.
Multidisciplinary MSc programmes manifesting change
MSc programmes at the Department of Development Studies are research-led, and rich in theoretical depth — the main programme being the MSc Global Development. Through a year of study on campus, students here immerse themselves in the social, economic, political, and cultural climates of the Global South. They have two pathways to choose from, based on their career and research interests: Gender or Labour Activism.
The MSc Global Development with Work Placement Year adds a full-time, 10-12 month work placement at an organisation of your choice. While you’ll have to secure the work placement yourself, the SOAS Careers team are on hand to help you with your CV, interview skills and finding the right organisation for you. To graduates, this is a high-impact approach – the emphasis on transferable analytical skills have helped many who have returned to, or taken up, professional careers in development in international organisations, government agencies and non-government organisations.
The department’s other programmes include MSc Environment, Politics and Development, MSc Global Political Economy, MSc Humanitarianism, Aid & Conflict, MSc Migration, Mobility and Development, MSc Research for International Development, and MSc Violence, Conflict and Development.
SOAS graduates are trained in an institution committed to breaking the Eurocentric worldview. Source: SOAS University of London
Flexible curriculum, fertile grounds for exploration
Flexibility is SOAS’s strong suit. On top of the core and compulsory courses each MSc student takes to build a fundamental understanding of development, they get to select four optional courses that align with their interests and career goals.
Chen chose the courses “Aid & Development” and “Extractive Industries..” “I often recommended the ‘Research Methods’ course to many juniors too, as its benefits are invaluable, no matter their specific area of study,” Chen says.
Courses like these allow students to explore the inequalities of development processes with evidence-based approaches, resulting in a strong foundation of critical and analytical skills. It’s the reason SOAS graduates stand out — they’re trained to gain an in-depth grasp of context-specific challenges in an environment that brings minority voices to light. The perspective of an SOAS graduate is unfound elsewhere.
Building that internationally focused mindset takes the influence of an international faculty. The Department of Development Studies certainly isn’t lacking in that. In 2023, the university was ranked second in the UK by QS for its International Faculty Ratio. At SOAS, world-class professors are not only educators but change-making researchers looking to improve the state of development across the world. They’re policy-oriented, activism-focused, and masters of finding solutions to real-world problems.
That gives students a fertile ground for exploration through real-world research, sparking the birth of groundbreaking discoveries aimed at building a better future. It’s all part of the process for MSc students, as their curriculum culminates in a 10,000-word dissertation reflecting their independent research work. Development-related research at SOAS covers five clusters: Global Labour, Activism and Social Justice, Conflict, Peace and Development, Agrarian Change and Development, Migration and Development, and the Environment.
SOAS offers more than 200 postgraduate programmes. Source: SOAS University of London
From SOAS Development Studies to global impact
“Development Studies at SOAS is well-recognised, especially in Europe,” Chen says. “After completing my MSc in Development Studies, I secured an internship opportunity with the United Nations Volunteers (Germany).” While the SOAS experience had put Chen on a pathway to success in the real world, her journey with “The World’s University” was far from over. In 2016, she returned to the institution as a research assistant for a project examining the motives and determinants behind Chinese manufacturing firms investing in Ethiopia — a fieldwork experience that inspired her to begin a PhD in Development Studies at SOAS.
It goes without saying, SOAS graduates like Chen possess top-tier employability. With a high quality of education that’s embedded with empowering experiences, like internships and work placements, it’s no wonder their alumni are making an impact at some of the most powerful organisations in the world, from the United Nations to the World Bank and Amnesty International. Others have even set up their own development-related and social justice organisations.
If that’s the kind of change-making career trajectory you’d like to follow, then check out the MSc programmes at the Department of Development Studies today.
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