MSc International Development: Globalisation, Trade and Industry / Course details

MSc International Development: Globalisation, Trade and Industry is a coherent, interdisciplinary and applied course that analyses industrial development strategies and international trade policies and their implications for developmental processes.

The changing dynamics of cross-border trade, finance and labour are fundamentally affecting how developed and developing  countries relate to each other. This course will convey to you a variety of analytic perspectives on contemporary issues relating to globalisation, international trade policy, industrial development, and their development consequences.

You will benefit from exposure to world-renowned and innovate research at The University of Manchester, plus extensive interactions with policy actors and practitioners, factory visits and an international field trip.

You will:

• gain critical insights into different theoretical and inter-disciplinary perspectives on the political economy of globalisation, trade policy dynamics, and industrial development within the wider context of global development strategies;
• develop your analytical skills in critically evaluating and engaging with distinct and cutting-edge theoretical frameworks that help shape understanding of global value chains and global production networks and their implications for trade dynamics, industrial and trade policies, firm strategies and labour, social and environmental outcomes;
• gain an understanding of the relationship of globalisation to economic, political and social asymmetries of development at global, regional, national and local scales;
• gain an appreciation of the policy issues associated with globalisation, trade and industry and their impacts including insights into the key strategies, policies and practices currently employed by leading public and private policy actors in the global South, prominent international agencies as well as private sector and civil society actors.

• We're the largest development-focused teaching and research institute in Europe, and have been at the forefront of development studies for more than 60 years.
• We're ranked 6th in the UK and 10th in the world for development studies (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019).
• We're dedicated to addressing global poverty and inequality.
• Our research was ranked first in the UK for impact and second in the UK for quality in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014).
• We're home to a multicultural community of 450 students from 30 countries.
• We have numerous scholarship opportunities for outstanding applicants.
• Our alumni are recognised for their contribution to global development across the globe.
• The combined field experience of our staff covers 60 countries.
• We've trained almost 10,000 individuals from more than 170 countries.
• Many of our master's include fieldwork, giving you the opportunity to observe development interventions in situ and to reflect on how theoretical explorations of development are operationalised in the real world. Recent destinations include Uganda, South Africa and Cyprus. Find out more at  Fieldwork

An overseas field visit is an integral part of the course. Recent fieldtrip locations have included Uganda, Ghana, Sri Lanka and India.

Please note that field visits may be scheduled at any point during the course, including during University vacations. You are expected to be available to attend.

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.

The taught elements of the course, carrying 120 credits overall, is continuously assessed by a variety of methods (eg 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.