MSc Population and Development

About the MSc programme

For information on applying to the programme contact the programme ditector, Dr Tiziana Leone|, Department of Social Policy.

We expect students to come from a range of backgrounds, and you normally need an upper second class honours degree or its equivalent.

This programme will bring you up-to-date with current international issues in the relationship between development and population. Issues debated in the MSc in Population and Development include: Is poverty the main cause of rapid population growth? How can mass media be used effectively by reproductive health programmes? What are the prospects for world agriculture to expand food production to meet a growing demand? What role has the United Nations played in shaping and implementing policies on international migration and on refugees and displaced persons? What are the likely impacts of HIV/AIDS on society and economy in developing countries? Is violence against women a reproductive health issue? How and why does female education affect child survival?

Career options: The programme will equip you with the skills to assess and understand contemporary and future issues of population and development. The content and structure of the programme are designed to provide skills and knowledge to students looking for high level careers in public, private and voluntary agencies dealing with population and development issues at both the national and international levels. Previous students currently work for the UN, WHO, IPPF, Global Vision, Marie Stopes, UNFPA, USAID, DFID, as well as several NGOs who work on population related issues.

Courses: The approach is multi-perspective, addressing issues from theoretical, substantive and policy angles, and provides an exceptional overview of the inter-relationships between population and development. It provides a choice of options from a wide range of highly rated courses and helps to develop skills which have already secured past students promising professional careers. It is taught through a combination of lectures and seminar discussions and is assessed using a combination of written examinations and a dissertation.

Funding

ESRC/PIC Master's Studentship Scheme in Population Studies.

Value: £15, 000. Please refer to the PIC website| for full information.

Compulsory courses

(* half unit)

• Development: Theory, History and Policy
• Long essay and the Research Process (not assessed)
• Dissertation on population and development (submitted by 1 September 2013) 

Two half units from: 

• Population and Development: An Analytic Approach*
• Population Analysis: Methods and Models*
• Demography of the Developing World*

Options 

Two half units or one full unit from:

• Poverty*
• Environmental Problems and Development Interventions*
• Complex Emergencies*
• Emerging Health Threats and Development*
• Gender and Development: Geographical Perspectives*
• The Social Psychology of Health Communication*
• Urbanisation and Social Policy in the Global South*
• Planning for Population and Development*
• Reproductive Health Programmes: Design, Implementation and Evaluation*
• Health and Population in Developing and Transitional Societies*
• Health Systems and Policies in Developing Countries*
• Migration: Population Trends and Policies*
• Gender and Social Policy: Theory and Practice*
• Cities, People and Poverty in the South*
• Key Issues in Development Studies* 
• An option not taken above 
• Any other course approved by your tutor (with special permission)