MSc Development Economics and Policy

Year of entry: 2024

Overview

Degree awarded
Master of Science (MSc)
Duration
1 year
Entry requirements

We require a UK Honours degree with a First or Upper Second (2.1) classification or the overseas equivalent in a Economics or a related discipline. Candidates should demonstrate a background in microeconomics, macroeconomics and statistics (up to at least intermediate level) and achieve scores of 2.1 or above in relevant modules.  

When assessing your academic record we take into account the grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.

Full entry requirements

How to apply
Apply online

Course options

Full-time Part-time Full-time distance learning Part-time distance learning
MSc Y Y N N

Course overview

  • Join a university ranked second in the UK and 7th in the world for development studies (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022).
  • Gain a thorough training in both contemporary macro- and micro-development theory. 
  • Understand the main economic models and key indicators from which development policies are derived. 
  • Tailor the course to your interests and career aspirations by choosing from a wide range of optional units.
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Professor Diana Mitlin on how Manchester is leading the world in addressing global inequalities

Open days

The University holds regular open days, where you will have the opportunity to tour the campus and find out more about our facilities and courses. 

On this day, you will find out more about the School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED), and meet academic and admissions staff who will be able to answer any questions you have. 

For more information, see Open days .

Fees

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2024, the tuition fees are as follows:

  • MSc (full-time)
    UK students (per annum): £13,500
    International, including EU, students (per annum): £28,000
  • MSc (part-time)
    UK students (per annum): £6,750
    International, including EU, students (per annum): £14,000

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.

All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for international students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit postgraduate fees

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1,000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships

There are many internal and external funding opportunities for postgraduate study.

We offer several postgraduate taught scholarships and merit awards to outstanding applicants and international students.

We also regularly welcome students on the University's Equity and Merit scholarship  scheme. 

In addition, the Manchester Alumni Scholarship Scheme offers a £3,000 reduction in tuition fees to University of Manchester alumni who achieved a first-class bachelor's degree and are progressing to a postgraduate taught master's course.

Many of our students have gained British Chevening, British Council or Commonwealth scholarships, as well as country-specific awards.

For more information, see our fees and funding webpages or search the University's postgraduate funding database .

Contact details

School/Faculty
School of Environment, Education and Development
Contact name
School of Environment, Education and Development +44 (0)161 275 2814
Telephone
+44 (0)161 275 2814
Email
Website
http://www.seed.manchester.ac.uk/
School/Faculty
See: The School .

Courses in related subject areas

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview

We require a UK Honours degree with a First or Upper Second (2.1) classification or the overseas equivalent in a Economics or a related discipline. Candidates should demonstrate a background in microeconomics, macroeconomics and statistics (up to at least intermediate level) and achieve scores of 2.1 or above in relevant modules.  

When assessing your academic record we take into account the grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.

English language

For the latest information on demonstrating your English proficiency for those whose first language is not English, please see our language requirements .

This course also accepts successful completion of the 6 and 10 Week Pre-sessional English Language course. We accept the following qualifications which must be valid on the start date of the Pre-sessional course:

6 week: IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.5 in writing and speaking, and 6.0 in listening and reading OR IELTS 7.0 overall with 6.5 in writing or speaking, and 6.0 in the other sub-skills

10 week: IELTS 6.5 with no sub-skill below 6.0  

English language test validity

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Other international entry requirements

We accept a range of qualifications from across the globe. To help international students the university provides specific information for many individual countries. Please see our country-specific information page for guidance on the academic qualifications which may be accepted from your country.

Professional entry qualification

If you do not meet our academic entry qualification criterion, your admission may still be approved if satisfactory evidence of postgraduate study, research or substantial relevant professional experience can be provided.

Application and selection

How to apply

Advice to applicants

Please submit the following documents with your completed application form:

  • copies of official degree certificates and transcripts of your previous study, showing the subjects taken and grades obtained. If these documents are in languages other than English please provide official translations; 
  • your CV; 
  • copies of English Language Certification, e.g. IELTS, TOEFL or Pearson test score report.

Ensure that you enclose all the necessary documents to avoid any delays.

Staged admissions process

As there is a high demand for our courses, we operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year.

Due to the competition for places and high quality of applications that we receive, we give preference to students from high-ranking institutions and with grades above our minimum entry requirements.

Please ensure you submit all supporting documentation with your application before the application deadline to avoid a delay in processing.

• Stage 1: Application received by 08 December 2023 ; Application update by 22 February 2024

• Stage 2: Application received by 03 March 2024 ; Application update by 25 April 2024

• Stage 3: Application received by 05 May 2024 ; Application update by 08 June 2024

• Stage 4: Application received by 01 July 2024 ; Application update by 25 July 2024

While we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next deadline date.

Applications received after our final selection deadline will be considered at our discretion if places are still available.

Please note, all places are subject to availability and if you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be reaching capacity or be closed to further applications. We, therefore, recommend that you apply early in the cycle to avoid disappointment.

How your application is considered

Once your application has been received, our admissions team will contact you. We may ask you to submit additional information if necessary.

Applications for the MSc Development Economics and Policy are very competitive. Due to the high demand for the programme we may not be able to offer places to all applicants who have the entry qualifications that we require. If you meet our entry requirements but we are unable to make you an offer you may be placed on a waiting list. Candidates on a waiting list will receive an offer only if places become available.

Deferrals

Applications for deferred entry are not accepted for this course. If you receive an offer and wish to be considered for the following year of entry, you will need to place a new application. Please be aware, there is no guarantee of receiving another offer, and offer conditions are subject to change in line with entry requirements.

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. 

In your new application, you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

Course details

Course description

MSc Development Economics and Policy provides training in contemporary economic theory, applied economics and quantitative methods relevant to developing and transitional economies.

Run jointly by the Global Development Institute (School of Environment Education and Development) and the Department of Economics (School of Social Sciences), it is especially appropriate if you're seeking to practice as a development economist in government, the private sector, a multilateral organisation or an NGO.

In addition to studying four compulsory course units, you'll have the opportunity to specialise in particular areas of the subject via four optional course units and a dissertation.

The theory course units provide a thorough training in both contemporary macro- and micro-development theory.

Applied and optional course units offer you an opportunity to understand problems and policy prescriptions within both global and national economic contexts.

The quantitative course units, which include an applied development project, enable you to test theories using data sets and provide training in standard econometrics techniques and up-to-date econometrics software packages.

You'll also undertake independent research between June and September in the form of an approved dissertation.

Aims

You will: 

  • understand the leading applied economics and development economics journals; 
  • understand the main economic models and key indicators from which development policies are derived and offer a critique of underlying theories; 
  • through the preparation of a dissertation and/or the applied development economics project, explore the relationship between theory and practice, test theories through the use of actual data sets, and demonstrate familiarity with standard econometric techniques and appropriate econometric software packages; 
  • demonstrate the skills demanded of an academic researcher in development economics or a staff advisor in a government department, non-government organisation or commercial organisation; 
  • undertake independent research, as evidenced by the completion of a dissertation.

Special features

We're Europe's largest dedicated development research and teaching institute and have been at the  forefront of development studies for over 60 years .  

We're ranked second in the UK and 7th in the world for development studies (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022).  

We bring cutting-edge insights from our research into all our postgraduate teaching. Our courses bring different development perspectives and voices to Manchester, from  activists from the Global South  to the leaders of multinational companies.  

We are home to the internationally recognised  African Cities Research Consortium ,  Effective States and Inclusive Development  and  FutureDAMS  research centres. 

Students are part of our vibrant research community, including our public lecture series , which brings world experts, former heads of state, and leading development thinkers, to discuss current issues in development.

Teaching and learning

Part-time students complete the course over 24 months. There are no evening or weekend course units available; you should, therefore, discuss course requirements with the Programme Director and seek approval from your employer. Timetabling information is usually available from late August. You can discuss course unit choices during induction week with the Programme Director.

Coursework and assessment

The taught elements of the course, carrying 120 credits overall, is continuously assessed by a variety of methods (e.g., project-based reports, essays), involving largely individual submissions, but also elements of group work.

You must also complete a 12,000-15,000-word dissertation on a topic of your choice approved by the Programme Directors.

You are encouraged to base your dissertation on topics of direct professional concern.

Course unit list

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Applied Development Economics Project (ADEP) ECON60552 15 Mandatory
Econometric Methods for Development MGDI60031 15 Mandatory
Development Macroeconomics MGDI60581 15 Mandatory
Development Microeconomics ECON60022 15 Optional
Poverty, Inequality and Government Policy in Less Developed Countries ECON60212 15 Optional
Further Econometrics ECON60622 15 Optional
Economics of Environmental Policy ECON60782 15 Optional
Industrial Competitiveness and Global Transformation MGDI60002 15 Optional
Global Political Economy MGDI60072 15 Optional
Public Sector Reform and Management MGDI60081 15 Optional
Behavioural Experiments, Quantitative Field Research and Development Policy MGDI60191 15 Optional
Gender Inequality: Theory and Evidence MGDI60202 15 Optional
Globalisation, Trade and Development MGDI60271 15 Optional
Trade Theory and Development MGDI60291 15 Optional
Financing Social Protection MGDI60372 15 Optional
Commodity Dependence and Economic Development MGDI60441 15 Optional
Economic Analysis of Social Norms and Development MGDI60462 15 Optional
Global Health Inequalities MGDI60542 15 Optional
Political Economics for Development MGDI60611 15 Optional
Economic Development MGDI60711 15 Optional
Economic Analysis of the Public Sector MGDI61091 15 Optional
Anti-Poverty Transfers MGDI61512 15 Optional
International Finance for Development MGDI72121 15 Optional
Economics of Governance and Development MGDI72152 15 Optional
Contemporary Issues in Development Finance MGDI72162 15 Optional
Quantitative Evaluation of Policies, Interventions and Experiments. SOST70172 15 Optional
Displaying 10 of 26 course units

What our students say

Find out how our students feel about studying at The University of Manchester by visiting Student Spotlights

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service.

For more information, email  dass@manchester.ac.uk

Careers

Career opportunities

Teaching and research at the Global Development Institute covers a wide variety of topics and as a result our students can be found in a range of jobs and careers.

Our teaching aims to support students from all backgrounds to acquire valuable knowledge, skills and attributes to achieve their educational and professional goals.

It includes regular contributions from researchers and practitioners with a view to equip our students to make a positive difference in their chosen sphere.

NGOs and third-sector organisations

Our teaching and research aims are suited to work in non-government and civil society organisations where you take on a range of roles from policy advisors, project managers, HR and communications staff.

Our alumni can be found at large international NGOs like Oxfam as well as in many smaller organisations.

Government and policy

Graduates can be found in national governments, multilateral organisations and policy influencing positions around the world, in organisations including DFID, the World Bank, African Union, United Nations and as civil servants around the world.

Private sector

Our focus on how businesses and the private sector can play a role in development enables you to gain employment in multinational organisations, private sector firms or to start your own organisations addressing some of the biggest global challenges.

Research and teaching 

Our master's courses provide you with a strong theoretical foundation for further study.

Alumni find employment in research and teaching positions at universities and research institutes around the world. Top employers include:  

  • African Union;  
  • Oxfam;  
  • Inter-American Development Bank;  
  • Care;  
  • Mercy Corps;  
  • The British Council;  
  • the World Bank;  
  • the Department for International Development;  
  • United Nations;  
  • USAID.

Find out more about our alumni and some of our notable former students

Careers support 

The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. 

At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .

Careers support for international students 

The Careers Service provides specialist resources, advice and events to help with career planning and making the most of your time while studying in Manchester. 

  • Working in the UK after study 
  • Working during study 
  • Professional and alumni networks for international students 

Global networks 

The University of Manchester is proud to have the largest global alumni community of any campus-based university in the UK.

After your course, you'll join our 10,000 strong alumni network

We'll keep you up to date with all the new insights and implications from our research. 

International alumni groups are a great way to keep in touch with fellow Manchester graduates in your country. 

It is an opportunity to build professional and social networks. 

You can view the alumni networks already operating across the globe here .