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SOAS University of London

London , England ,United Kingdom

MSc Political Thought

The MSc in Political Thought builds on SOAS’s wealth of regional expertise to offer a new approach to the study of political thought. It promotes the study of political theory as it is tightly linked to practices of global domination and resistance.

The degree considers political theory as it emerges from and is linked to everyday political thinking, philosophical texts, or cultural production. Beyond the regions and traditions that have conventionally framed comparative work in political theory, this degree is unique in teaching students to see how concepts “travel” across the world as a means to examine both political thought and political practice in different times and spaces, with a focus on SOAS’s traditional regions: Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

The degree programme introduces students to the key approaches, debates, and questions in the emerging sub-discipline of comparative political thought.

At the same time, it provides thorough background in canonical political theory, albeit reconsidered through the political frameworks of imperialism, colonialism, and racial capitalism. Covering a range of thinkers, traditions and texts, it provides learning opportunities for students to compare ideas and values across regions and historical periods, and to place those ideas in global contexts.

Intakes

  • Sep

Application Processing Time in Days: 40

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

We offer the following services to all full-time and part-time SOAS students on an on campus course:

  • Access to jobs, internships and volunteering opportunities through our careers management system, CareersZONE.
  • One-to-one careers advice on how to decide on a career path, as well as information and advice on the application process, including CVs, cover letters and application forms.
  • Practice Interviews to help students prepare their upcoming recruitment process, including assessment centres
  • A large selection of SOAS-specific events such as Careers Fairs, Alumni Workshops and Skills Sessions throughout the academic year
  • Assistance with navigating our virtual careers information resources on MySOAS Student
  • Provide information resources, including books, on further study, jobs, internships and volunteering.
  • Access to SOAS Connect, our eMentoring platform designed to help connect SOAS alumni and students around the world for peer-to-peer careers advice and guidance

PSW Opportunity

Psw 2 yrs

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

Applicants should have a first or good second class honours bachelors degree from a UK university, or international equivalent, in a subject appropriate to that of the programme to be followed. If an applicant does not have a bachelors degree in an appropriate field they may be required to complete a qualifying year or a one year diploma before entering the masters programme.

Relevant work experience may also be taken into consideration. Individual courses may have specific entry requirements, so you are advised to consult the postgraduate prospectus for further information.

International students who are unable to meet the Academic or English requirements for post graduate studies at SOAS, should consider our specifically designed programmes at IFCELS which could help you achieve your goals.

Fluency in English language is recommended for SOAS Online Academic Summer Schools. As a guide, we recommend that non-native English speakers should meet the following scores:

IELTS, 6.5 overall or higher, with at least 6 in all sub scores.
TOEFL Paper based test we require a minimum of 583 with minimum 53 in all skills and for TOEFL Internet Based Test we require a minimum of 93 with minimum 20 in all skills. 
Pearson Test of English a score of 59-64
Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) Grade B