MSc Global Development (Development Management) / Course details

MSc Global Development with Development Management analyses the management, planning and policy-making aspects of the development process.

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

It is designed for social science graduates, or for those working in institutions involved in the management of development activities in developing countries, such as central and local government, parastatal organisations, NGOs and multilateral or bilateral aid agencies.

The course is ideal if you're looking to acquire the practical skills to manage development interventions in an increasingly challenging field.

• Provide an opportunity for you to deepen your understanding of management, planning and policymaking in economic, social and political spheres of development. 
• Provide you with a thorough conceptual framework and the skills necessary to analyse effectively the relationships between development management and development processes. 
• Develop professionally oriented skills related to formulating, investigating and implementing different forms of development management. 
• Provide a wide range of options for advanced training in areas of specialist expertise relevant to development and management. 
• 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. 
• Assist you in developing your specialist area of expertise within development management and applying your 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 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 (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.