Business, Management, Economics & Law with Foundation Year

Business, management, economics, and law are four disciplines that together explain how modern societies organise economic activity, make and apply rules, and allocate resources and power. Understanding all four at once, even at an introductory level, gives you an unusually integrated picture of the institutions and relationships that shape professional and public life. Studying them through a programme rooted in the perspective of the School of Oriental and African Studies adds a further dimension: an awareness of non-Western economic systems, legal traditions, and business cultures that is increasingly important in a globalised world.

This five-year, full-time programme at SOAS includes a foundation year designed for students who would benefit from an additional year of preparation before beginning undergraduate study, whether because they lack direct entry qualifications, are returning to education after a gap, or want to build a stronger subject foundation before the degree proper. The foundation year eases you into the intellectual demands of the four disciplines and prepares you for the rigour of the full programme. Across the subsequent years you will study business organisation and strategy, the core concepts of economics, the principles and application of law, and management theory and practice, developing a genuinely multidisciplinary understanding of how organisations and societies function.

Graduates from this programme are equipped for a wide range of careers in business, law, consulting, public policy, and international organisations. Many enter management or consulting roles, using their ability to move between disciplines to add value in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. Others pursue professional qualifications in law or accountancy, or enter the civil service, international development, or the financial sector.

SOAS's particular strengths in global and regional studies mean that graduates are well placed for roles with an international or cross-cultural dimension. Further study in law, business administration, economics, or related fields is also a well-trodden path.