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There are seemingly countless reasons to push your career to new heights with a postgraduate degree — and just as many reasons you might hesitate. If you’re feeling unsteady about taking the leap from employee to master’s student, take comfort in knowing that’s exactly what SOAS University of London’s Pre-Master’s Programme (Online) is designed to address.
Perhaps you simply need to revive your academic prowess after a break. Or maybe your undergraduate degree doesn’t quite meet the requirements for direct entry or lacks the necessary foundation for your desired master’s programme. If any of these reasons resonate with you, then this is the foundation for you.
With over three decades of experience, the Pre-Master’s Programme is the ultimate primer — a 10-month journey tailored specifically for international students aiming for master’s degrees in Social Sciences, Business and Management, Arts, and Humanities at British universities.
It’s a pathway that can accommodate various aspirations and backgrounds. SOAS understands you may be juggling professional responsibilities, personal commitments, or different time zones. Hence, this programme will allow you to access high-quality education from anywhere in the world.
Students in the Pre-Master’s Programme are guaranteed entry into the master’s degrees at SOAS, so long as they meet the performance requirement. Source: SOAS University of London
Running from September to June, it features two semesters, each with 12 to 14 weeks of immersive online instruction followed by a dedicated assessment period. A mid-semester reading week lets you catch up and deepen your engagement with the course materials. Weekly live online classes totalling seven hours include tutorial discussions, lecture reviews, and specialised English and research training sessions. Meanwhile, complementary self-study activities span recorded lectures, online forums, and stimulating assignments.
However, the heart of the SOAS experience is the one-on-one support that tailors the learning experience to your needs. This personal approach is coupled with a curriculum that includes compulsory modules in Academic English and an Independent Study Project that revolves around completing an 5,000-word dissertation on a topic of your choice, with classes and close supervision to support your research and writing.
You can also customise your Pre-Master’s journey by choosing from a range of modules tailored to unique interests and academic goals. Options include International Relations, which covers the evolution and current issues of the international political system; International Finance and Management, focusing on key business and financial principles; and other modules like Critical Approaches to Culture, International Development Studies, and Media and Digital Communication.
All lessons are led by the best in their fields. And when you learn from long-serving SOAS staff, you’re absorbing decades of academic passion and expertise. They’re seasoned professionals and respected academics. They bring their real-world experiences and cutting-edge research into classrooms. They’re the same staff that nurtured the talents of highly regarded journalist and international broadcaster Zeinab Badawi; hip-hop artist and political campaigner Lowkey; MP David Lammy; screenwriter, producer, founder of Instinct Productions and UNICEF UK Ambassador Jemima Khan, Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as women’s rights, environmental conservation and socio-economic justice activist Samia Nkrumah, amongst several others.
SOAS students have access to its extensive online library, which houses rare research material you wouldn’t find elsewhere. Source: SOAS University of London
Upon completion of the Pre-Master’s, you’ll have the skills, competencies, and exposure to follow in the footsteps of SOAS’s top alumni. Historically, the programme has shown remarkable outcomes, a trend that continues to this day. In a typical year, a majority of Pre-Master’s students complete the programme with outstanding results — more than half of them achieve a Merit or Distinction.
These performances have translated into impressive progression rates for further studies. Graduates have leveraged guaranteed conditional offers exclusive to Pre-Master’s students at SOAS, securing places in various top-ranked master’s programmes, from Finance to History of Art.
On average, 60% of Pre-Master’s students progress to various colleges within the University of London, with over 90% continuing their education at SOAS or other top 50 UK universities, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
Wherever your academic journey leads, you’ll undoubtedly carry a piece of SOAS with you.
“This last year of my studies at SOAS has flown by, and now I am just days away from submitting my dissertation,” says graduate student Caera Broad. “As I near the end of my student journey, I’ve come to realise that every class and every experience has shaped me, not just academically but as a person.”
Apply to the Pre-Master’s Programme (Online) today.
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