Compare 42 Master of Science Programs in Development Studies

Do you want to learn more about this programme, visit our campus and meet current students and staff? Join us for the Master's Open Day on 16 November 2019!

Drawing from a long history and extensive research on the practice of development communication, this program is designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century in areas such as food security, human rights, gender equality, peace and conflict, public health, and sustainability. Our master’s degree program focuses on teaching students how to use digital and traditional communications to promote social change with an emphasis on communication for development, participatory research methods, and strategic communication.

There is a pressing need for development communication experts—specialists in communicating within local communities and governments, and nongovernmental and civil society organizations. Many specific skills are required, but the key and common goal is practically oriented social and behavioral change. Development communication specialists can help build consensus, raise public understanding and generate change by effectively using the range of communication alternatives available, whether through facilitating dialogue or producing media campaigns.... [-]

Emerging and developing economies are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with in the global arena. Formal and technical analysis of these economies is an essential part of continuing Third World development. Specialised courses in development theory, development policy and econometrics will hone your analytic, technical and research skills as you prepare for your career in the industry.

The MSc in Development Economics is one of the Department’s newer taught MSc programmes and reflects our growing strength in both theoretical and applied policy areas, particularly as they relate to developing countries.

Studying on one of the Department’s MSc programmes will provide you with an excellent set of specialist and transferable skills. You will be given an advanced training in core areas of economics that are widely used in economics-based professions and, depending on which degree programme you are studying on, you will also receive specialist training in areas relevant to your programme and take options in other areas that interest you.... [-]

The MSc in Sustainable Engineering Management For International Development is a highly applied course with taught elements and a substantial project deliverable.

You will learn to think rapidly and flexibly, acting decisively in the absence of complete information in order to improve the quality of life through engineering solutions.

Most of the world’s construction is located in “developing countries, primarily in the Southern Hemisphere” (UNDP). These environments face challenges from extreme poverty and food shortages to manmade climate change and irreversible loss of biodiversity.

This course aims to make you part of a new generation of practitioners who can address such challenges through practical engineering solutions, building resilience for local communities in the face of rapid urbanisation.... [-]

Although much progress has been made over the last three decades, still more than one billion people lack access to a safe, reliable and affordable water supply; and more than twice that number still lack access to basic sanitation. This course provides the essential skills and knowledge required to plan and implement water supply and sanitation projects and programmes in any part of the world, particularly in low-income countries.

This course is ideal for graduates who wish to progress their career in the planning, implementation and management of sustainable water supply and sanitation projects to low-income countries. The course comprises of assessed modules, group projects and an individual project. The modules include lectures and tutorials with an emphasis on analysis of real problems, with practical fieldwork to reinforce learning.... [-]

Become a policy-oriented development economist in government, financial institutions, international organisations or university. Learn how to:

You’ll explore microeconomic development issues such as poverty, inequality, health, education and labour. We also cover macroeconomic themes relating to economic growth, management of resource wealth, trade and aid.

You have the opportunity to go on a three-month internship at an international organisation or as a research assistant at a university.... [-]

This degree course is held entirely in English, and provides a thorough understanding of specific forms and social, economic, regional and institutional dynamics that characterize the processes of local development in different contexts and at different levels of development, and knowledge aimed at promoting the implementation of a sustainability process (policies, operational practices).In particular, this degree course objective seeks to provide an in-depth application of the different methodologies used for the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programs and projects for local development.

This degree course includes activities dedicated to acquiring advanced knowledge in the fields of political, economic, regional and social organization, statistics for the measurement of local and sustainable development, intercultural learnings, design and development of group dynamics.... [-]

This Master offers insight into the nature of development evaluation, as well as its relevance and challenges, at both a methodological and an institutional level. Students are familiarised with multidisciplinary tools that will improve their capacity to understand interactions among actors involved and to contribute to an enhanced conceptualisation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development policies and programmes. The programme offers two tracks with specific objectives and courses:

Track 1: National Institutions, Poverty Reduction Strategies and Aid


Track 2: Development Interventions and Local Institutional Chang

This course will provide you with a systematic understanding of economic approaches to development and in particular, the role of finance and financial institutions. Students will be able to evaluate the merits of the various mechanisms of financing development and to understand the bases for fiscal policy.

During the course, you will develop the skills required for the analysis of development issues, and to understand the interlinkages between statistics and econometrics, and develop expertise in international trade and exchange rate policies and related economic matters. Additionally, students have the opportunity to study a range of options covering project and programme management, public policy, and development policy.... [-]

Overview

With a focus on infant and child development, the course addresses a comprehensive range of topics surrounding typical and atypical development. Different theoretical approaches to development will be explored together with consideration of comparative and cross-cultural approaches. You will be taught by academic staff at the forefront of psychological research and conduct a dissertation under their supervision.

A distinctive feature of our course is the opportunity to participate in ongoing research that the University is conducting in partnership with local Education Services for the Research in Practice module. This provides practical experience of conducting psychological research with young children. It also provides the chance to experience psychological work in 'real world' settings and in collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams of professionals.... [-]

The world is rapidly changing; so is International Development Studies. After 15 years, the MDG-era (Millennium Development Goals) came to an end in 2015. A larger set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were introduced to guide long-term development policies and end global poverty. Development is no longer considered as a problem ‘out there’ in the global south. Our contemporary world faces new global concerns, such as the 'migration crisis', food security, climate change, and energy crises.

We also witness massive changes in the relative power structure in our world system. Africa, Asia, and Latin America are experiencing rapid transformations, turning traditional North-South relations upside down. Giants like India and China are strengthening their role in international development cooperation. These ‘new’ donors emphasize that ‘South-South cooperation’ is different from the Western notion of donors helping clients. While development has been traditionally defined by the donor community in the North/West, governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have come up with their own versions of ‘development’.... [-]

The program provides an understanding of global social, political and economic change. The degree provides a critical understanding of the history and current dynamics of globalization, and its impact on societies and environments.

The degree is distinguished by its combined use of research-based pedagogy and real-world study and practice as the foundation to understand what development means, and how it is practiced in a complex and changing global context. Students will gain a solid grounding in the concepts, theory, and practice of international development, and will learn about conditions for human development at the local and global levels, as well as the relationships between development and ecological processes.... [-]

LUMID is a two-year interdisciplinary programme focusing on international development and management. In recognition of the complexity of development issues at hand, the programme welcomes lecturers and students from various disciplines (including engineering, natural sciences, medicine and humanities in addition to social science).

The programme offers students a unique combination of theoretical knowledge, applied research methods and management tools and skills pertaining to a range of current development areas and challenges. These different aspects of international development research and practice are being integrated through programme courses, internships, fieldwork research and complementary initiatives, such as the Development Practitioners Seminar and the alumni network, giving LUMID an edge over other Master’s programmes in the same field.... [-]

Essential to understanding population dynamics is the study of people’s demographic behavior, such as birth, health, migration, and death. The master program focuses on these demographic events, on how decision-making regarding these life events is influenced by the economic, societal, cultural, and geographical context, and on how these demographic events have an impact on population-level trends.

You will learn about:

In Peace and Development Work, you study the relationship between poverty, conflicts and sustainable development as well as political room for maneuver for change.

Peace and Development Work is for students who are looking for a specialization in issues linked to peace, development and international development co-operation. We focus on current research concerning development as well as the practical work carried out by international institutions, non-governmental organizations, and social movements.

As a Master student, and in writing your final thesis, you have the possibility to work together with an organization or to conduct a field study in a developing country. The interdisciplinary approach of the programme - where we also discuss how development issues can be solved in real politics - allows us to keep a close connection with people who are employed within our field and to learn from them. Moreover, most of our teachers have long experience of working with peace and development in developing countries.... [-]