Hi all,

I am planning on starting a Master in development economics next September. I have received offers from Manchester, SOAS and Sussex and am still unsure which one I should choose. Could some of you please give me some advice?
What is the reputation of these programmes? How known and respected are they in development circles (for finding a job after the Master) or in academia (if I would want to pursue a PHD at some stage)?

I am hesitant for several reasons:
- From what I read in the forums, Sussex is well-known for development studies, but I'm not sure about development economics (the development economics programme is not administered by IDS, contrary to the development studies one). Also Sussex is lower in overall rankings than Manchester for instance, I'm unsure how that would affect job or PHD prospects.
- SOAS is well-known as well, but I'm afraid it might be too heterodox and that I might come out with too little quantitative skills.
- haven't heard much about Manchester...?

Thank you all for your help!

Manchester has Stiglitz...Well, for a few weeks of the year at least..

:) sure, I've seen that. Thanks for your reply!

Do you know the progammes and their reputation otherwise?

I always thought of SOAS / Manchester as having almost reputations... However, the problem with SOAS is that it is located in Central London. I've lived in Manchester before and think it's a great university city. Sussex, as a university, seems to be going through a lot of strife at the moment such as that around the outsourcing of facilities. Was there a specific geographic area that you were interested in? If so, it might be worth looking at the profiles of the stuff at SOAS / Manchester to see who was a better fit.

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to answer, I really appreciate it! I didn't know that Sussex was going through some strife at the moment...
No, I don't have a particular geographic area in mind. But I'm more interested in applied microeconomics, poverty and inequality issues and also especially in the randomised trial methodology, that's why I want some sound econometric skills,
What do you mean by "almost reputations"?:) In general do you think they are all kind of equal reputation-wise?

Hey,

Sorry, that was meant to read "almost similar reputations"... So, yea, pretty much equal. I guess in some circles SOAS is considered better, while in others Manc is preferred.

Maybe if you are looking at poverty and microeconomics in particular, Manc might be slightly better because of the Brooks World Poverty Institute? I guess it might be worth flicking through the staff profiles and seeing who would be a good fit in terms of potential Master's / PhD supervisors.

Thank you very much for your answer!