MA International Education

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

• MA (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £13,700
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £29,400

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.

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.

This module critically examines contemporary theories and practice of leadership and its implications for the development agenda in an increasingly interconnected and complex world. It critically explores global agendas pertinent to the understanding of the dynamics of leaders and followers behaviours in diverse cultural and geopolitical contexts.

This course unit aims to empower students with critical insights into leadership's transformative role in global development from an HRD perspective. The unit critically examines contemporary leadership theories, assessing their implications for capacity enhancement in diverse organizational, cultural, and geopolitical landscapes. Our focus will be on challenging dominant leadership models, especially those from the Global North, and re-envisioning them in the context of global development. This course is designed to empower students with nuanced perspective and critical insights into leadership's role in contemporary development contexts and its capacity to drive transformative change in a complex, globalizing world.

Upon completing this course, students will have honed a suite of employability skills crucial for the global development sector. They will possess strategic leadership abilities, cross-cultural communication skills, and a strong ethical framework, aligning with industry needs. Analytical acumen and project management capabilities developed through the course will further prepare students for complex challenges in the workplace. The course's outcomes are strategically designed to enhance students' professional profiles, equipping them for leadership roles that demand innovation, adaptability, and collaborative expertise. outcomes are strategically designed to enhance students' professional profiles, equipping them for leadership roles that demand innovation, adaptability, and collaborative expertise. strategically designed to enhance students' professional profiles, equipping them for leadership roles that demand innovation, adaptability, and collaborative expertise. al profiles, equipping them for leadership roles that demand innovation, adaptability, and collaborative expertise.

Week 1: Introduction and Theoretical Foundations of Leadership in Development

Week 2: Contexts and Challenges of Leading Change and Sustainable Development

Week 3: Strategic Leadership and Organizational Change

week 4: Capacity Building and Global Leadership: Theory and Practice

week 5: Ethics, Emotional Intelligence, and Values-Driven Leadership: Advancing Responsible Leadership

week 6: Leading Development Organizations: Strategies and Case Studies

Week 7: Leading Social Change and Reform Projects: Power and The Politics of Leadership

Week 8: Public Leadership: Theory, International Challenges and Emerging Themes

Week 9: Leadership Development and Capability Building for Individuals and Teams

Week 10: Emerging Themes in Leading Development Work: Insights on the Way Forward

The following four workshops will accompany the weekly sessions:

· Leadership in Development Contexts Simulation Workshop (Covers Weeks 1-3 topics).

· Ethical Leadership and Organizational Dynamics Workshop (Covers Weeks 4-6 topics).

· Sustainability, Innovation and Climate Leadership Workshop (Covers Weeks 4,5,7 and 10).

· Adaptive Leadership and Capacity Building Techniques Workshop (Covers Weeks 7-10)

• Discuss the interplay between HRD, leadership, and change within global development contexts All assessment tasks 

• Understand and critically evaluate contemporary leadership theories and their application in HRD and global development contexts All assessment tasks 

• Comprehend the complexities of ethical decision-making and values-driven leadership in diverse socio-economic environments. Digital Leadership Simulation 

• Develop knowledge about HRD strategic interventions that focus on leadership and capacity development in international organizations, including the UN and INGOs. All assessment tasks

• Grasp the strategic approaches to organizational change and capacity building in international development. Digital Leadership Simulation; Group Case Study Analysis and Presentation

• Acquire a deep knowledge of the challenges and strategies for leading sustainable development and social change initiatives.

• Evaluate empirical research and apply theoretical frameworks to analyze the effectiveness of leadership in various cultural contexts. Group Case Study Analysis and Presentation 

• Expand their knowledge about strategies for developing leadership in different geopolitical contexts. Group Case Study Analysis and Presentation 

• Conduct a critical reassessment of leadership strategies to determine their suitability in different geopolitical environments.

• Design and implement evidence-based evaluations of Digital skills leadership practices in HRD and global development. Leadership Simulation 

• Design and implement strategic leadership and capacity-building programmes relevant to global development. Group Case Study Analysis and Presentation 

• Utilize leadership and HRD theories to facilitate policy development and organizational adaptability Group Case Study Analysis and Presentation

• Prepare leadership plans for specific organization or country’s contexts. All Assessment Tasks

• Prepare leadership plan for own personal and professional development

• Demonstrate leadership and teamwork abilities in complex and dynamic environments, demonstrating cultural sensitivity and adaptability. Group Activity Preparation 

• Develop enhanced communication skills for diverse and multicultural settings across various platforms and audiences. All Assessment Tasks 

• Demonstrate ethical reasoning and decision-making in the analysis of development and leadership challenges, focusing on inclusiveness, diversity, change, and social justice. All Assessment Tasks

• Exhibit adaptability and lifelong learning through engagement with new and emerging themes in leadership

Group Report and Presentation 20%

Individual Portfolio Assessment 80%
Format: 2,000 words maximum 
Components:
Personal reflective report on group activity (500 words),
Case study analysis: (1,000 words)
Personal leadership development plan (500 words)
 

Feedback will be provided, using a mix of face-to-face oral and written methods.

Books:

Antonakis, J., & Day, D. V. (Eds.). (2017). The nature of leadership. Sage Publications. 

Clarke, N. (2018). Relational Leadership: Theory, Practice and Development. Routledge. Gill, R. (2012). Theory and practice of leadership. 2nd ed. London: Sage. 

Hickman, G. R. (2010). Leading change in multiple contexts. London: Sage. 

James, K. T (2011) Leadership in context: Lessons from new leadership theory and current leadership development practice. London: The King’s Fund. 

Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice, 6th ed. London: Sage 

Thorpe, R. Gold, J, Mumford, A. (2010). Leadership and management development. London: Gower Publishing. 

Articles and monographs: 

Ardichvili, A., Nattoch Dag, K., & Manderscheid, S. (2016). Leadership development: Current and emerging models and practices. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 18(3), 275-285.

Bass, B. (2000). The future of leadership in learning organizations. Journal of Leadership Studies, 7(3), pp.18-40. 

Ciulla, J. B. (2005). The state of leadership ethics and the work that lies before us. Business Ethics: A European Review, 14(4), 323-335. 

Collinson, M. (2018). So what is new about leadership-as-practice? Leadership, Vol. 14(3) 384–390 Day, D.V. (2000). Leadership development: A review in context. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(4), 581-613. 

Di Fabio, A., & Saklofske, D. H. (2019). Positive relational management for sustainable development: Beyond personality traits – the contribution of emotional intelligence. Sustainability, 11(2), 330. 

Döös, M., Johansson, P. and Wilhelmson, L. (2015). Beyond being present: learning-oriented leadership in the daily work of middle managers. Journal of Workplace Learning, 27(6), pp.408-425.

Foote, M. F., & Ruona, W. E. (2008). Institutionalizing ethics: A synthesis of frameworks and the implications for HRD. Human Resource Development Review, 7(3), 292-308. 

Head, B. and Alford, J. (2013). Wicked problems: Implications for public policy and management. Administration & Society, 47(6), pp.711-739. 

Kim, J., & McLean, G. N. (2015). An integrative framework for global leadership competency: Levels and dimensions. Human Resource Development International, 18(3), 235-258. 

Leftwich, A., & De Ver, H. L. (2018). Leadership and the politics of development. The Oxford Handbook of the Politics of Development, 276. 

Mendenhall, M. E., Osland, J., Bird, A., Oddou, G. R., Stevens, M. J., Maznevski, M., & Stahl, G. K. (Eds.). (2017). Global leadership: Research, practice, and development. Routledge. 

Osland, J. S., Mendenhall, M. E., & Li, M. (Eds.). (2018). Advances in global leadership. Emerald Group Publishing. 

Pattnaik, R. P., Beharay, A., & Yogitha, L. J. (2022). Leadership in the Age of Digitalization. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(3), 5672-5683. 

Riggio, R.E. & Reichard, R.J. (2008). The emotional and social intelligences of effective leadership. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(2),169-185. 

Roy, J. (2022). Covid-19, digitization and hybrid workspaces. Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University.&

The module is delivered via series of ten 2hr lectures and four tutorials sessions, using a mix of case studies, discussion groups and other classroom based activities. VLE will be used for the distribution of teaching and learning materials. It will also be used as an interactive mechanism between students and tutors, for example, to direct students to particular readings or to provide news about the module or the module content.