MSc Research Methods with International Development

Fees for entry in 2027 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2026 were as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £13,700
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £26,300

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

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).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

• Learn more about - student finance options for UK students .
• Learn more about - fees and finance for international students .

• Graduates of The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University can receive a 10% discount on their master's degree tuition fees as part of our Manchester Alumni Loyalty Discount scheme.

MSc Research Methods complies with the research training requirements for ESRC scholarships for a PhD scholarship (commonly termed +3).

It is also suitable as the master's year as part of an ESRC scholarship award that covers both the master's and PhD (commonly termed a 1+3 award).

It is ideal if you want to apply for an ESRC scholarship or School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) scholarship, as 70% of the ESRC Core Training can be demonstrated prior to commencing a PhD.

The Lecture Programme will include:
1: Analytical Approaches to Global Institutions (Public and Private) and Trade Policy
2: The 'Washington Consensus': Trade Liberalisation and the IMF and World Bank
3: The Multilateral Trading System: GATT to the WTO to the Doha Round
4: WTO: Intellectual Property, the TRIPs Agreement and Dispute Settlement issues
5: EU and Regional Trade Agreements
6: International Labour Organisation, Labour Standards and the 'Social Clause'
7: Global Standards and Voluntary Certification
8: Corporate Social Accountability, Fair Trade and Ethical Trade
9: Rising Powers in Global Institutions and the Governance of Trade Rules
10: The Ethica Game: A role play game on Trade Rules, Global Competitiveness and International Development

- support students to analyse key theories and policy debates concerning global trade governance and development  

- enable students to critically appraise the interactions between public governance institutions (i.e. WTO), private actors and gloval trade rules  

- develop students’ understanding of how these institutions and rules shape development strategies, industrialisation processes and policy space in the global South  

- encourage critical engagement with contemporary shifts in the gloval economy, including South-South trade, trade wars, and the resurgence of bilateral and regional trade agreements  

- provide conceptual and empirical tools to assess the role of multilateral coroporations, global production networks, gloval standards, and emerging powers in shaping development outcomes

- foster the ability to evaluate competing perspectives on the opportunities and challages that global trade governance presents for development and development policy 

Through engagement with key debates on global trade, development, and global institutions, students develop the ability to analyse complex policy environments, understand interactions between public and private actors, and critically assess how global rules shape development outcomes in the Global South. These skills are directly relevant to careers in international organisations, government and policy roles, NGOs, consultancy, international business, and development-related professions. 

The individual video-recorded presentation develops students’ abilities to communicate complex ideas clearly, while the essay supports students in developing their writing skills, independent research skills, and ability to summarise and put different debates in conversation with each other.  

Syllabus:

1: Analytical Approaches to Global Institutions (Public and Private) and Trade Policy 

2: The 'Washington Consensus': Trade Liberalisation and the IMF and World Bank 

3: The Multilateral Trading System: GATT to the WTO to the Doha Round  

4: WTO: Intellectual Property, the TRIPs Agreement and Dispute Settlement issues 

5: EU and Regional Trade Agreements  

6: International Labour Organisation, Labour Standards and the 'Social Clause' 

7: Global Standards and Voluntary Certification  

8: Corporate Social Accountability, Fair Trade and Ethical Trade  

9: Rising Powers in Global Institutions and the Governance of Trade Rules  

10: The Ethical Game: A role play game on Trade Rules, Global Competitiveness and International Development 

The course is divided into ten weekly lectures. Each lecture will introduce the topic of the week and involve a discussion of a range of concepts and issues. It is important that students read the key readings before each lecture. In addition to the lectures, there are tutorial sessions to discuss specific readings and topics in a smaller group format.  

Lectures are designed to be interactive, including components that classes/seminars will build on. This is in line with lecturing approach guided by the pursuit of capturing students’ situational interest by introducing puzzles and questions to the class (Quinlan, 2019).  

• Summarise and explain key theoretical approaches to global trade governance, including the role of public and private actors.
• Analyse how global trade rules and institutions interact with national development strategies and industrial policy in the Global South.
• Evaluate the role of multinational corporations, institutions, and standards of global trade in shaping development outcomes.

• Critically compare competing theoretical approaches to trade, development, and global governance.
• Apply conceptual frameworks to analyse contemporary issues such as South–South trade, trade wars, and regional trade agreements.
• Synthesise empirical evidence and policy debates to construct coherent arguments.

• Locate critical academic and policy sources relevant to global trade and development.  
• Analyse empirical materials, such as reports, case studies, and trade data, to assess development implications.  
• Communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively.

• Analytical abilities and engagement with key bodies of critical literatures
• Develop practical understanding of key debates in trade policy and their implications for international development
• Acquire presentation skills though seminars and case study presentations
• Develop capacity to undertake group-based work

• Individual Recorded presentation (5 minutes)
• Written assignment (2,000 words)

Feedback provided through VLE within standard turnaround time

There are no standard textbooks for this module however the following general references are useful readings:  

Rodrik, D (2018) Straight Talk on Trade. Princeton University Press.

Roberts, A. and Lamp, N. (2021) Six Faces of Globalisation. Harvard University Press.

Mwencha, E. (2025) Rising Together: How African Nations can prosper through integration. Action Wealth Publishing.

Barrientos, S and Dolan, C (2006) Ethical Sourcing in the Global Food System, Earthscan, London.  

Chang, H.J. (ed.) (2003) Rethinking Development Economics, Anthem Press  

Dicken, P. (2011) Global Shift: Mapping the Changing Contours of the World Economy, 6 th ed., Sage.  

Gruber, L. (2000) Ruling the world: Power politics and the rise of supranational Institutions, Princeton University Press.  

Hoekman, B. and Mavroidis, P (2007) World Trade Organisation: Law, Economics and Politics, Routledge.  

Peet, R. (2009) Unholy Trinity: the IMF, World Bank and WTO, Zed: London.  

Wilkinson, R. (2014) What's wrong with the WTO and how to fix it, Polity Press.