Programme Director: Prof James Putzel
The MSc in Development Studies has been offered by the Department of International Development (ID) since 1991 and is one of our two main degrees. We currently admit around 100 students to this programme and receive many more applications than there are places.
Postgraduate work in Development Studies has to take account of the considerable disciplinary range and of the necessary engagement with economics. Anyone who wishes successfully to undertake research or practical work in the field of development needs to have a high level of competence in one of the core disciplines and also be open to approaches from neighbouring disciplines, partly through familiarity with various frameworks and key concepts, through which it has been sought to integrate different perspectives on central problems of social development and change. This is what the MSc programme aims to achieve. It offers high quality academic training for development studies, examining the importance of contemporary theory in the social sciences for the policy and practice of development.
This degree is intended for those with experience of work in development in government and non-governmental organizations as administrators, planners or technical specialists, for those who wish to take up such work and also for those who intend undertaking research on development problems (for whom it will provide an appropriate preparation for a doctoral programme). Recent graduates are already employed in responsible positions in Government, NGOs, international firms and banks.
MSc Development Studies students follow one compulsory core course, Development: Theory, History and Policy, optional courses (to the value of 2 units), a research methods course and produce a 10,000 word dissertation. The two optional courses can be chosen from courses offered within the Department or from a wide range of offerings from other Departments & Institutes within the School such as Anthropology, Demography, Economic History, Economics, Government, Geography, Information Systems, International Relations, Management, Social Policy, Sociology, Law and Gender.
Please note that some options have prerequisites and some have a restricted intake. We cannot guarantee that options will be available in any year. Permission of the relevant course organiser is required for any course outside the Department.
Please see the Graduate Prospectus| for further details.