MSc Global Development / Course details

MSc Global Development offers a coherent and interdisciplinary grounding in the core aspects of development theory, policy and practice. 

The course is designed for social science graduates, or for those working in a wide range of development organisations both internationally and in the Global South. 

It aims to blend theory and practice and seeks to explain policy behaviour through an integrated approach, drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives. 

MSc Global Development is both a course in its own right and an umbrella structure that houses a range of more specialised master's courses, each of which explores a key dimension of global development under four broad thematic headings: 

• global political economy;  
• governance and management;  
• poverty and inequality;  
• the environment.

The course is ideal if you're looking to learn more about low- and middle-income countries, would like to gain the skills and capacity to think critically about development, and/or are interested in studying a truly interdisciplinary course. 

• This programme provides critical insights into the key strategies, policies and practices currently employed to shape global development and to tackle contemporary global challenges and a wide range of options for advanced training in areas of specialist expertise relevant to global development. 
• The programme aims to provide critical insights into different theoretical and disciplinary perspectives on how global development can be understood, measured and explained. 
• Students will deepen their understanding of how ideas and assumptions about global development are being embedded into the formulation and implementation of development policy and develop advanced competencies in transferable areas, including developing reasoned arguments, gathering, organising and using evidence and information from a wide variety of sources, undertaking both team-based and independent work to deadlines, and both written and verbal forms of communication. 
• The programme assists students in developing their specialist area of expertise in the broad field of global development, and in applying their understanding and skills through supervised individual research culminating in a dissertation.

• 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 seventh in the world for development studies (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022).  
• We were ranked first for research environment and second overall in the UK in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). 
• 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.

This course has normally included a field trip. Past locations include Uganda, Ghana, Sri Lanka and India. 

Please note that field trips may be scheduled at any point during the course, including during University vacations. 

You are expected to be available to attend. 

Part-time students 

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. 

Important notice 

The School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) recognises the value of fieldwork. However, the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remains our priority. The School will assess on a regular basis the viability of any travel and fieldwork and communicate any significant changes to our students at the earliest possible opportunity. 

The ability of fieldwork and travel to proceed, and whether any changes to proposed fieldwork and travel might be necessary, will remain subject to factors such as the: 

• rules and guidance on travel and activities implemented and published by the UK and overseas governments; 
• outcome of any risk assessments conducted by the University; 
• educational value and student experience of the fieldwork, if significant changes to the proposed fieldwork would be necessary; 
• availability of appropriate insurance cover; 
• availability of appropriate travel and accommodation and any significant changes to their financial costs.

All fieldwork and travel will be subject to a rigorous risk assessment process and the implementation of any protective measures identified by the risk assessment to ensure the health and safety of all our students and staff. 

In some circumstances, it may become necessary to make changes to fieldwork or programme related travel. The University will notify you of those changes at the earliest opportunity. If any fieldwork does not go ahead as planned, then the School's focus will be on seeking to offer a suitable alternative and ensure that the Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) of the programme are met.

Please note that Countries may change their immigration and visa regulations at short notice. The School cannot guarantee that where visas are required for fieldwork, they will be granted but we will take steps so that if a visa is refused, affected students are not academically disadvantaged.

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

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