Development Studies: The University of Manchester

Course description

Flexibility and choice are the key to the BA(Economic and Social Studies) programme. There are 29 different combinations covering Accounting, Business Studies, Development Studies, Finance, Economic and Social History, Economic Studies, Politics, Social Anthropology, Criminology and Sociology. You can decide which is for you as you move through the three years. When you apply you use a specific UCAS code which indicates an interest in that area but does not commit you. It is run by the School of Social Sciences and Manchester Business School. In the first year of the degree all students follow a general and broad programme of study which includes Economics, Politics, the Social Sciences and either Quantitative Methods or Social Research Methods, depending on your intended area of specialisation.

In addition, you take a course in computer applications and can choose to take a course in study skills. The aim of the first year is to provide a broad introduction to the social sciences, to provide some of the basic transferable skills you will need as a student and in later life and to enable you to make an informed choice of the subject areas you will study in the second and third year. In the second year you can take the majority of your course modules in a single area, but many students choose to work within two, and sometimes three, areas. In the final year you specialise in one area or combine two areas of study. In total, more than 260 course units are available, giving you remarkable choice and the opportunity to put together a programme of study that suits your particular interests.

Career opportunities

Graduates have a wide variety of career opportunities in both the private and the public sectors because of the large number of pathways through the degree. Recent graduates have pursued careers in management, accounting, consultancy, the Civil Service and the Bank of England, journalism and the media, social work, teaching and the law.

Entry requirements

• A level: ABB.
• Unit grade information: The University of Manchester welcomes the provision of unit grade information which, like all other available information, will inform the consideration of applications.
• GCSE: Minimum grade C in English Language and Mathematics.
• Key Skills qualification: The University warmly welcomes applications from students studying the Key Skills qualification.
• International Baccalaureate: 34 points overall. 6,6,5 at Higher Level. No lower than 5 in any subject.