Is Global Development a useless degree?

I've always been on the stem track, and was fully set to do medicine until recently where I realised it is not what I want to do after all.

I've still got a strong interest in biology, but also the world and the issues in it. Part of my motivation for med was to help people and that is still the case. The BA in Global Development at SOAS looks really interesting to me, but I can't help feel I'd be better served doing something like HSPS?

Thoughts?

Reply 1

username4899406

I wouldn't say either of these choices are useless
And besides soas is a very respected uni

All I can say is that read up on the courses and the constituent units as much as you can, attend open days etc and just go with whichever feels right

School of Oriental and African Studies

London

Reply 2

SOAS

Official Rep

Hi, I was interested in your question about the respective merits of Global Development and HSPS as a degree in terms of moving into a career in which you can make good social change.

Both are excellent subjects for study, and both - in different ways - will allow you to develop your critical thinking and skills around how to shape and influence policy, or engage in particular kinds of intervention, that will help people, communities and create that good social change. So you don't have to do one of these, or either, in order to pursue the type of career you want. But both will help you in that journey in different ways.

As a member of the SOAS Development Studies department, I can't talk in depth about the HSPS programme, but I would echo one of the other comments about speaking to the people who run the various programmes and getting a better sense of what each focuses on and does. And all institutions will be happy to put you in touch with current students for their perspective.

I think the main difference will be that the Global Development programme is much more focused on issues around poverty, inequality, marginalisation and policies to mitigate those, compared to the HSPS programme which will be broader based. A global development programme is also more likely to focus on the regions of the global South. But both degrees are inter-disciplinary (ie you draw on different disciplinary approaches and methods of thinking about the core issues); and both will help you develop those critical skills. Both are excellent, and I think you would be very pleased with either.

So the decision probably comes down to (a) where would you be happiest studying (institution and city); (b) whether you know that you want to develop these social science critical skills in relation to global development specifically, or through a more general subject focus, and (c) looking at the structure of each programme and deciding which has modules that most attracts you. But do speak to the Admissions team in any institution you are interested in, or get in touch with the programme convenor. We will all be very happy to answer any questions you have in relation to our own programmes.

Dr. Mike Jennings, Department of Development Studies at SOAS

Reply 3

Anonymous #2

Original post by WazzWazz98

Soas is not a respected uni

Reply 4

micholate9

It depends what you want to do afterwards tbh. Most graduate jobs just need you to have a 2.i. The actual degree and uni don't matter too much. Unless you want to go into research, don't worry about it too much.