Social business is a cause driven business, which aims to impact on people or the planet, rather than for the accumulation of profits to shareholders or investors. While the benefits of a socially enterprising world are well documented, every social business journey is unique, and the impact of microfinance is still emerging.
Evolving this practice further, the MSc Social Business and Microfinance from Glasgow Caledonian University shares its home with the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health - GCU's world-leading research centre - and is delivered by the award-winning Glasgow School for Business and Society*.
With an increased thirst for solving the world's social problems, global businesses are looking for the right mix of critical, intellectually curious and entrepreneurial scholars and practitioners who are armed with the knowledge and mindset needed to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems.
*winner of 4 QS Stars for Business
As a student of the MSc in Social Business and Microfinance, you'll be a part of one of the first global communities of its kind. You will not only analyse the symptoms of our social problems, but also work to uncover sustainable solutions.
The international appeal of this programme ensures knowledge transfer, interactivity and group activities on an international scale and is designed to generate this wide array of knowledge and skills that are translatable into the global workplace.
You will be skilled in effectively communicating issues relating to Social Business and Microfinance by participating in guest lectures from practitioners from Scotland, the rest of the UK and the EU.
You can start this MSc Economics degree in September or January. It can be tailored to two specialist fields: International Economics or Business and Financial Economics. On successful completion of this programme, you will graduate with one of the following degrees:
There is increasing demand for economics graduates in business and public sector decision making. This demand is evident in national and international institutions, including:
All these employers increasingly look for high-quality, evidence-based decision makers with an ability in applied economics and advanced data analysis. Our Master's degree will enable you to respond to this increasing demand.
The programme combines solid training in theory and method with stimulating exposure to economics and financial data sources. We will prepare you to contribute to an international global economy and to respond to its policy changes.
Our courses weave a three-way linkage between alternative theories of economics and finance, data analysis, and application of theory and method to policy and strategy issues in the world of economics, business and finance.
Our Master's degree has a number of distinctive features to enable you to combine theory and real word examples to develop evidence-based answers to economic and business problems.
The aims of this degree are:
In 2015, Greenwich was named by The Economist as one of four institutions in the country leading the way on curriculum change.
We are proud to say that our economics subjects were ranked:
Greenwich is one of the top two most globally diverse universities in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand, by Hotcourses Diversity Index.
We have also been named as one of the "most international" universities on the planet by Times Higher Education magazine.
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.
Option courses
Students are required to choose 4 courses from this list of options.
For a Business and Financial Economics specialisation, you study the following courses in addition to the compulsory courses listed above.
Students are required to choose 15 credits from this list of options.
For an International Economics specialisation, you study the following courses in addition to the compulsory courses listed above.
Students are required to choose 15 credits from this list of options.
The courses listed above will be split across two years.
You are assessed through:
You can expect to find employment in:
We have developed strong relations with companies in London's financial centres, including in the City and Canary Wharf as well as think-tanks, civil society organisations and research centres both in the UK and abroad such as New Economics Foundation Hans Boeckler Foundation, or Foundation of European Progressive Studies. This offers you networking, mentoring and internship opportunities in a perfect location to develop your career.
You can also reach out to top employers through our dedicated Business School Employability Office (BSEO). The team develops your employment skills through CV support, interview skills workshops and guidance through mentors to progress in the industry.
The BSEO team was shortlisted for the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards, which shows its dedication to actively support your career development.
This course will give you a firm understanding of development theory in an international context, with a particular focus on how to bring theory into practice and build your practical expertise in range of development disciplines.
The course aims to enhance your capacity to critically evaluate economic, political and social factors that are affecting the development policy environment, on a national and international level. Throughout this Master’s degree, you will develop management techniques and skills, and the ability to apply them in a development context.
Through empirical research and analysis, you will have the opportunity to develop specialist expertise in a particular aspect of development management.
The course is designed to prepare you for a career in development management with an international organisation, a non-governmental body or a government development agency.Our graduates are NGO programme officers, trade advisors, project managers, microfinance specialists and development consultants. Some of our graduates have also set up their own development charities or proceeded to PhD research and teaching.
Our regular contributors to teaching and learning activities include experienced field practitioners drawn from international development organisations and NGOs.
Active and enquiry-led learning is a central learning method on the course. Learning is based studying on real-world case studies with official project materials and survey data from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other development agencies.
As part of this course, you have the opportunity to obtain a PRINCE2 Foundation certification in project management.
A highlight for many students is the field trips and social events organised throughout the course which provide an opportunity for networking and extending learning in new environments.
You will also benefit from free access to part of the material on the course reading list.
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.
View a suggested timetable for International Development Management MSc.
Core modules
Optional modules
All students on our full-time Business Masters courses can apply to undertake the PG/MBA Internship Programme, which forms part of the Reflective Practitioner Module.
The internship allows you to test drive a career and explore one of your career interests before you complete your Postgraduate studies!
Completing an 8-12 week accredited internship helps students gain invaluable work experience. This fantastic work experience can be taken in addition to option modules. Students are responsible for finding their own internship with the support of the Business Experience Team.
To express an interest in the module, students must submit a completed application form and a copy of their updated CV. This will give students membership a dedicated website that offers exclusive access to internship vacancies, one to-one CV guidance appointments, mock interviews, employability workshops and much more.
Students can apply to London-based organisations and have the flexibility to take their internship in the summer period or alongside their studies.
Every year we receive very positive feedback from both postgraduate students and employers and expect that the internship programme will continue to remain popular amongst our students.
Find out about postgraduate internships
The course will particularly suit those seeking to work within NGOs and the international development community (including the World Bank, IMF, central and development banks, and government economic planning directorates), as self-employed development specialists or consultants, or as trade attaché in foreign diplomatic offices.
Should you wish to complete the PRINCE2 project management qualification, this will also enable you to work with multinational corporations where, alongside good technical skills, an awareness of global development issues and challenges and the ability to think critically about the world are valued.
Graduates from the programme have worked as specialists advisers with top NGOs across the globe and as advisers with trade and economic departments in government offices. Others are currently working as development consultants, microfinance specialists and as advisors on United Nations-sponsored projects.
The Graduate Institute of International Development, Agriculture and Economics (GIIDAE) is now offering £125,000 worth of scholarship funding for 2018-19 academic year. Find out more here.
Sample modules:
Please note that all modules are subject to change. Please see our modules disclaimer for more information.
Our programmes are excellent preparation for careers in international and rural development, agricultural economics, and marketing within the food chain and policy. Some 96% of our graduates are in work or further study six months after graduating.
Engagement with a wide variety of visiting speakers and field trips provides many opportunities for networking. In addition, competitive internships and placements, and research dissertations are an opportunity to showcase your skills, undertake overseas field research or link with organisations in the development sector. For examples of organisations our graduates go on to, please visit: http://www.reading.ac.uk/giidae" target="_blank">http://www.reading.ac.uk/giidae
Conceived in the context of world-systemic transformation, this MA will give you the analytical tools to understand contemporary developments and world(s) through an encounter with post-colonial theory and international political economic issues.
We're witnessing today a tectonic shift in global geopolitics. The emergence of China, Brazil and India as global players, the development of global governance, the financial crisis, climate change – are all symptoms.
On this Masters you’ll grasp concepts like race, diaspora, hybridity, difference, grassroots development, HDI, multitude, immanence, and human rights.
These concepts are used to analyse practical, policy and activist issues arising from globalisation: global civil society, the role of international organisations (the IMF, WTO, UN and World Bank and global NGOs), intellectual property rights, social capital, financialisation, global governance and deep democracy.
You'll deal with issues like terrorism, microfinance, indigenous people, gender and sexuality, multiculturalism and environmental justice.
The MA is ideal for anyone pursuing careers in policy research, NGOs, advocacy, charities, international organisations, cultural and political activism, global media, art and curating, as well as for further academic work leading to a PhD.
The Masters includes a supervised and assessed practical placement. This may be with NGOs in India or Africa, arts and conservation organisations in China, indigenous activists in Latin America, London-based global NGOs, diasporic communities, think-tanks, environmental organisations, publishers or financial/microfinance organisations.
You'll be taught by leading theorists and visiting lecturers drawn from a wide circle of activists, artists, film-makers, lawyers, economists, journalists and policy-makers.
Core modules
Recommended option modules
You take option modules to the value of 30 credits. Modules can be chosen from across Goldsmiths departments and centres. Option modules are subject to availability and approval by the module lecturer/convenor.
We offer a wide range of option modules each year. Below are some examples of modules that are currently running. For a full list, please contact the Department of Media and Communications.
Other option modules, by department
You may prefer to look through the full range of optional modules available across Goldsmiths departments.
Please note that not all the modules listed below may be open to you - your final selection will depend upon spaces available and timetable compatibility.
Essays and/or practical projects; dissertation.
The programme provides advanced training for labour market-relevant skills in transnational analysis of sovereignty, democracy, governmentality, financialisation, intellectual property rights, and the role of non-governmental organisations.
Suitable careers and areas of work for graduates of the programme include:
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
Develop the skills and understanding to tackle the global challenges of poverty, inequality, conflict, sustainability and social justice.
Whether you are a graduate aiming to make a difference in the world, or a professional wishing to deepen your knowledge and critical thinking, our suite of International Development MSc courses is for you.
Engaged with current debates in policy and practice and grounded in interdisciplinary social sciences, you will develop the tools and confidence to work towards creative solutions that address practical problems in strategic ways.
Four distinct pathways provide a choice of flexibility and breadth, or the chance to pursue a particular interest in greater depth.
Innovative learning approaches promote in-depth investigation of particular cases and issues. These will draw out connections and contradictions between different actors and analytical perspectives, across global, regional, national and local scales.
The opportunity of a placement, leading to a work-based project, will provide hands-on experience to complement classroom-based learning.
You will leave the course with:
The MSc International Development with Conflict and Humanitarian Action pathway enables you to gain an in-depth and interdisciplinary understanding of the theories and concepts that underpin contemporary humanitarian action and conflict response. You will also form a critical understanding of humanitarian, peacebuilding and development policy and practice. You will learn how to interpret and evaluate research information and evidence on topics related to humanitarianism, conflict and development.
The MSc International Development with Economics pathway covers the key economic concepts, theories and tools required to understand development issues, policies and practices, including those of heterodox and social economics. You will learn how to apply them to analyse specific development problems, such as through appropriate combinations of quantitative and qualitative methods.
The MSc International Development, Social justice and Sustainability pathway enables you to gain an interdisciplinary understanding of theories and concepts of social and environmental justice, wellbeing and sustainability. You will develop in-depth knowledge of people’s practical struggles globally and locally for a better life, and the forms of policy and politics that can support or frustrate these. You will also explore how integrated perspectives can capture the complex interactions between social and ecological systems. Additionally, you will consider areas of complementarity and the trade-off between economic development, human wellbeing and environmental sustainability.
You will join the Department of Social & Policy Studies here at Bath. We are ranked in the top 50 for Development Studies in the QS World University Rankings 2017.
Our staff are all active in this field, research-led, and united in their commitment to finding better solutions to the world’s development problems.
This course provides an excellent background for those wishing to pursue an international development career and improve people’s lives.
You will be qualified to work in a wide variety of roles, including social research, public policy, public information and campaigning.
Many of our graduates from similar courses have found jobs with high profile organisations, including:
Other graduates have chosen to work for themselves and set up their own charities, while others have stayed in academia, to complete doctoral studies.
This course lasts 1 year. Occasionally we make changes to our programmes in response to, for example, feedback from students, developments in research and the field of studies, and the requirements of accrediting bodies. You will be advised of any significant changes to the advertised programme, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.
The total number of credits for the taught-stage is 60 credits, with most units being 12 Credits. A typical week would approximately average between 6-10 hours of classes or seminars a week depending on options taken. The dissertation or practicum are 30 credits.
These compulsory units are currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new units.
These optional units are currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new units.
As an alternative to writing a dissertation, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake a six-week placement (practicum), working with an organisation involved in international development. You'll write a report reflecting on a particular area of professional practice.
Combining core economics with relevant finance topics, this course is one of the few of its kind, and ideal preparation for a finance-focused career.
If you are considering work in a financial institution, consultancy, ministry of finance or economics, or central bank, our MSc in Economics and Finance is an excellent choice.
Bringing together a compelling combination of training in advanced economic theory with relevant finance modules, our specialist master’s is one of the few courses in the UK offering this mix of subjects.
Starting with a comprehensive refresher course in essential maths and economics skills, we will go on to explore how economics can be used to help address real financial issues such as the global financial crisis.
You will use a deeper knowledge of economic theory to gain additional insights into these events, and we will support your investigations with rigorous training in econometrics to allow you to interpret and analyse empirical data effectively.
The dissertation will give you the chance to work with one of our experienced lecturers on a topic of your interest and apply your knowledge to a specific problem.
Students have explored topics as wide-ranging as the potential impact of Brexit on the UK financial services sector to the effects of microfinance on poverty reduction in rural China. We offer a series of dissertation workshops in semester two to help you develop your research skills.
By the end of this course you will be able to:
Our teaching staff are all active researchers and regularly publish in the top economics journals, so you will be working with some of the UK’s leading thinkers in economics.
This course is designed to give you the in-depth knowledge and skills needed to secure work in a financial institution, consultancy, ministry of finance or economics, or central bank. It is also suited to those considering PhD study.
Our graduates have excellent employment prospects. Recent students have progressed onto prestigious jobs around the world, including:
Others have opted to stay in academia and complete a PhD.
This course lasts 1 year. Occasionally we make changes to our programmes in response to, for example, feedback from students, developments in research and the field of studies, and the requirements of accrediting bodies. You will be advised of any significant changes to the advertised programme, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.
These compulsory units are currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new units.
These optional units are currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new units.
This course enables you to immerse yourself in rigorous modern economics training – either immediately after an undergraduate degree or as a mid-career professional. You can choose to study full time over the course of one year or part time over the course of two.
This course will give you a solid foundation in microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics, while exploring modules on finance, regulation, health economics, behavioural economics and development economics.
The Economics MSc helps you:
Should you with to pursue further study, the dissertation track can also serve as a stepping stone to an Economics PhD.
As a Masters student at City, you will benefit from City's excellent London location and our proximity to, and connections with, the City of London. We are just minutes away from the Square Mile – London's world-famous financial district – and the headquarters of numerous financial and professional institutions.
Teaching takes place over two terms from September to June. Full-time students who pass all the taught modules during the main exam sessions finish the programme at the end of September when they submit their dissertation or literature review.
Full-time students who successfully complete the taught modules in the August resit exam session submit their dissertation or literature review in December.
Part-time students complete their modules over the course of four terms from September to June before undertaking their dissertation or literature review.
Your course is taught by research-active academic staff. Assessments are a combination of unseen written examinations (70% for each module) and coursework (30% for each module).
Pre-sessional activities
Pre-sessional activities covering Micro-and Macroeconomics, Stata, Excel, Probability and Mathematics run in September before the start of term. These are available for all students who secure a place on the MSc Economics course. Pre-sessionals are included in your degree fee and are designed to prepare you for the course. We therefore strongly encourage you to make every effort to attend. Dates of the sessions are as follows:
You are not required to register for the above pre-sessionals, you just need to turn up on the day. Further information such as the exact times and locations will be provided in your induction schedule.
You will take 120 credits of taught core modules and 60 extra credits through one of the following routes:
In the dissertation route, you will take four core modules and two elective modules.
In the literature survey path, you will take three core modules and five elective modules.
It is not possible to give exact hours per week as these can vary from one term to the other, depending on which electives you choose.
Dissertation route modules
Core modules
Elective modules
**cannot be chosen if ECM157 Development Economics is chosen.
Literature survey route modules
Core modules
Elective modules
*available subject to timetabling feasibility
Elective modules for both paths
On completing the Masters in Economics you will have a wide range of career options. Graduates of this course enjoy numerous employment possibilities in both the public and private sectors, including consultancy and financial analysis.
Recent Economics Masters graduates have secure roles such as:
The MSc also provides a solid academic foundation for students wishing to pursue doctoral research in economics.
Learn about global development from a heterodox economics perspective, and gain the skills to work in economic and development policy and practice.
This course addresses the contemporary challenges of global development, utilising core economic concepts, theories and methods. Rooted in real-world practical and policy challenges, the course is founded on Bath’s longstanding engagement in international development and applied economic analysis. It uses innovative learning approaches to promote in-depth investigation of cases and issues, drawing links across global, regional, national and local scales. We offer you the opportunity of a placement-based research project, providing hands-on experience to complement campus-based learning.
The course is ideal if you’re a recent graduate who wants to pursue a career in international development as an economic analyst. It is also suitable if you’re an established professional wishing to deepen your knowledge and critical understanding of international development from an economics and broader social science perspective.
You will leave the course with:
You will join the Department of Social & Policy Studies here at Bath. We are ranked in the top 50 for Development Studies in the QS World University Rankings 2017.
Our staff are all active in this field, research-led, and united in their commitment to finding better solutions to the world’s development problems.
We encourage diversity of intake, in experience, qualifications and interests, to stimulate the richness of experience and learning.
Our courses provide an excellent grounding for careers in international development, humanitarian action and working for social, economic and environmental justice in both global North and global South. They provide the core skills required in a range of policy, communication, advocacy, research and programmatic roles.
Many of our graduates from similar courses have found jobs with high-profile organisations including:
Other graduates have chosen to work for themselves and set up their own charities, while some have stayed in academia to complete doctoral studies.
This course lasts 1 year. Occasionally we make changes to our programmes in response to, for example, feedback from students, developments in research and the field of studies, and the requirements of accrediting bodies. You will be advised of any significant changes to the advertised programme, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.
The total number of credits for the taught-stage is 60 credits, with most units being 12 Credits. A typical week would approximately average between 6-10 hours of classes or seminars a week depending on options taken. The dissertation or practicum are 30 credits.
These compulsory units are currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new units.
These optional units are currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new units.
As an alternative to writing a dissertation, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake a six-week placement (practicum), working with an organisation involved in international development. You'll write a report reflecting on a particular area of professional practice.
