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SOAS Management Course???

Does anyone know how good the management course is at SOAS? I know that they're mostly known for Asian/African studies. I find it cool how the course is more Asia centered, but worry that it will not be well respected for getting a job. For context, I want to work in marketing.

Reply 1

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

Is this for undergraduate or postgraduate?

Reply 2

GlobalStudent12

Original post by artful_lounger

Is this for undergraduate or postgraduate?

Undergraduate

Reply 3

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by GlobalStudent12

Undergraduate

In that case I'd point out you don't need a degree in management to go into marketing (or indeed any other business function). You could just as well do e.g. development economics, black, African and diaspora studies and linguistics, Japanese, or social anthropology as SOAS (or elsewhere) and be as good a candidate on the job market. For those kind of jobs they don't care what subject you studied at degree level generally, they just want to see you have a degree (usually at 2:1 or above).

The thing that differentiates candidates will be their relevant work experience, dependent on how actively they engaged with and pursued e.g. internship opportunities, placements, etc during their degree. The other major factor will just be preparing for assessment centre exercises and the psychometric tests used by those kind of corporations for graduate scheme recruitment, which no degree is going to specifically prepare you for. A distant third factor may be what relevant transferable skills you developed by pursuing leadership/committee positions in societies and similar outside of work experience.

School students seem to think that your degree subject defines your career and life path but the reality is aside from the fact most graduates go into jobs unrelated to their degree, research has found that even comparing STEM and non-STEM graduates, career outcomes within 10 years of graduation are the same. It literally doesn't matter, graduates on the whole get into the same kinds of roles over time regardless of what they studied.

Just pick something you actually think is interesting to you personally, whatever that is. Nobody thinks management is interesting to study, and they don't study it out of personal interest - and as above, there's no actual material benefit in doing so at undergraduate level. Personally I think if you feel the need to get a management qualification after your degree, either get some kind of relevant accrediting body membership exam or chartership title done or do an MBA after a few years of work experience.

Reply 4

Szara_SOAS

Official Rep

Hi,

SOAS’s management course is definitely unique in its approach due to its international focus, however, it also provides a strong foundation in business and management principles alongside this. Together, this analytical business approach and global perspective can help build a well-rounded skill set, that's useful in today’s global marketplace and transferable to different industries.

In terms of employability, recent SOAS graduates from the School of Finance and Management have gone on to work for reputable companies, including the Financial Times, Deloitte, White & Case LLP, UBS, HM Treasury, and the World Food Programme. That said, as artful_lounger mentioned, gaining work experience alongside your degree is very important. SOAS offers a variety of opportunities to help with this:

Internships: SOAS sources paid internships in various sectors with external companies, as well as hosts the Co-Creator Internship Scheme, where students can work on projects with SOAS staff across departments, such as the library or gallery.

Virtual Industry Project: In partnership with Practera, the School of Finance and Management hosts virtual industry projects where students can act as consultants, solving real-world business challenges and gaining professional project experience.

Student Ambassador Scheme: The Ambassador scheme offers flexible paid work opportunities and can include assisting during large public events or giving campus tours, as well as longer-term work opportunities, such as supporting the Marketing, Student Recruitment, and Admissions department.