Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Policy
Is this programme for me?
The Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Policy focuses on the financial aspects of policy making, increasing your understanding of the principles, applications and context underlying economic policy. It can also provide a suitable route towards entering the MSc Finance (major: Economic Policy).
Programme aims
The programme will enable you to deepen your understanding of the principles, applications, and context underlying economic policy with a focus on policy’s financial aspects.
Programme details
| You study | Study period | Cost (2011-2012) | |
| Postgraduate Diploma | 4 courses | 1-5 years | £4,920 |
| Individual Professional Courses | You can take up to three individual courses from this distance learning programme. Each course lasts eight weeks and you are registered for two years. The fee per course is £1,230. | ||
Prestige
The programme has been developed by academics at the Centre for Financial and Management Studies (CeFiMS), a postgraduate research and teaching department within SOAS, University of London. Staff at CeFiMS have international reputations and are involved in researching their subjects at the very limits of current knowledge.
Career progression
As a graduate of this programme you will be prepared for a career as an economist in government, central banks, other public organisations, international institutions and consultancy.
Comprehensive study materials and support
You will be given all of the learning materials that you need to complete each course. These will typically include:
- The Study Guide, a core text specially written for the course. This takes the form of a looseleaf binder containing eight ‘course units’. The units are carefully structured to provide the main teaching of the course, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the further assigned readings.
- Textbooks and collections of key journal articles and book extracts.
- Online and multimedia tools. You will have access to the Online Study Centre (OSC), which is a web-accessed learning environment. Via the OSC, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the course using discussion forums. The OSC also provides access to the course Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library. In addition, some courses materials will also include video lectures on DVD, CDs of case studies, and econometric software.
- A Welcome Pack is available online, which provides you with resources and tips on effective distance learning. We will also send you a Study Skills textbook to help you manage your studies.
Your time commitment
This will depend partly on choices you make, but most students take two years to complete Postgraduate Diploma. The study calendar consists of five sessions per year. Each session is devoted to a specific course and lasts eight weeks (with the exception of the first session which runs for 10 weeks). During each session you will need to allocate between 15-20 hours per week to complete the programme.
Summary of key dates
| Application deadline | 5 September 2011 | 21 November 2011 | 2 April 2012 |
| Programme starts | November 2011 | January 2012 | June 2012 |
| Examinations | October |
||