School of Social and Political Science

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What made you choose to study at the University of Edinburgh?

I researched a lot of different universities offering online degrees across a few different subject areas. Edinburgh stood out for several reasons.

First, it has a fantastic international reputation, so I knew that a degree from there would stand out to employers.

Second, the degree is exactly the same as a taught degree that has been going for a while, so I knew it would be as rigorous as studying something in-person, as I was a bit suspicious of new online-only degrees and the quality of the content.

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Third, the University is known for its Centre for African Studies, which is something I was especially interested in gaining more knowledge in.

Fourth, the degree was broad ranging enough to give me a solid background in several different areas, but also offered a number of more in-depth elective modules that appealed to me on displacement and development in Africa.

Find out more about Centre of African Studies

What has been your favourite course

I would have to say two: Displacement and Development, and what is now known as Governance, Development and Poverty in Africa.

The first tied in heavily with my professional experience, so was very interesting to me on a personal level. I also really enjoyed how we thought about different types of displacement, including non-physical displacement, which I ended up writing my end-of-term essay about.

The second was a bit of whirlwind tour of the major issues facing different African countries, but I really appreciated how we focused in on a number of places as well as learning about the history of African studies more generally. I learned a lot during that course that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

I also absolutely loved doing my dissertation! It was a really unique opportunity to sink my teeth into a bit of research that I was passionate about: the Windrush Scandal. I had an excellent supervisor, George Karekwaivanane, and learned a lot of difficult but important things by turning an academic development lens on my own country.

How have you enjoyed you programme?

I have absolutely loved it – I really can’t recommend it highly enough. It has been stimulating, challenging, enjoyable and fascinating. I had high expectations already but it really excelled beyond them.

Find out more about MSc International Development (Online Learning)

What are your highlights from your time at the School of Social and Political Science?

My highlights included getting into really genuinely engaging discussions on the chat forums some weeks (online students’ replacements for seminars), making a few good girl friends in the second year to chat with online about how it was all going (one based in Ecuador, one in Syria, and one in the US!), and writing my dissertation, which earned me a solid distinction.

I also won a prize for the best performance in my degree which was a very unexpected honour and something that has made me super proud of all the work I put in over the two years.

Aims after University

I continued to work as a journalist while completing my degree and am still doing so now. Part of the aim of doing the degree was to open up more work opportunities in the development world and that is something I will be looking into in the future.

For now, it has helped me to deepen my understanding of issues I report on every day and challenge my assumptions more rigorously.

(Written in 2021)