MSc Global Development (Globalisation, Trade & Industry)

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): £14,700
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £30,500

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.

Will innovation inevitably lead to job losses? Why has there been a significant increase in female employment within export-oriented production in recent decades? Can social upgrading occur without economic upgrading? How have the rise of global value chains and global production networks affected the profile of work? Who builds infrastructure and what type of work is involved in infrastructure-led development?  Why have labour contractors come to play an important role in coordinating the recruitment of migrant workers?

In this course, students will engage with distinct yet inter-related dimensions of work and employment in the global economy, such as migration, gender, informality, and unfree labour. These will be explored in the context of changing dynamics of work, such as technological innovation and mobility, as well as precarisation and insecurity. 

The course first introduces conventional and critical theories of labour, work, and employment. Students are encouraged to engage with different perspectives to gain a nuanced understanding of the key concepts and debates in the field. These include, but are not limited to the role of supply and demand, global value chains and global production networks, and market embeddedness. Throughout the rest of the course, students will be asked to investigate how these different approaches relate to workers’ rights, organised labour, and labour market regulations. Students will then engage with distinct, yet inter-related dimensions of work and employment in the global economy, such as migration, gender, informality, and unfree labour.

The aim of this course is to examine issues of work and employment in the global economy. Students will be able to develop an appreciation for different conceptual approaches and be exposed to key debates and significant trends.

The course will cover conventional and critical theories of labour markets, work and employment. Specific dimensions of labour markets will be covered, such as economic migration, gender, informality and unfree labour.

These will be examined within the context of the changing dynamics of work in a global economy, including both rising mobility and increasing insecurity of work.

The course involves 2-hour lectures and seminars, three film screening, a virtual reality session and a museum visit. This module draws on a range of teaching and learning activities, from lectures, classroom discussions and independent learning by students. Students are encouraged to approach the subject with an open mind, questioning their own assumptions and engaging in collegial debates with their peers. This will support students in fostering critical thinking skills, including self-reflection, through small and large group discussions, case studies, group activities, simulations, and debates.

• Demonstrate a grounded understanding of conceptual approaches, empirical trends and issues concerning labour regulation
• Understand and be able to compare conceptual and analytical debates over work and employment in the development of the global economy
• Be able to critically evaluate empirical data, case studies and official reports on work and employment in the global economy

• Be informed of different paradigmatic approaches to analysis of the work and employment in a global economy
• Critically assess and compare a variety of analytical perspectives
• Apply different conceptual perspectives to analysis of work and employment across diverse development contexts and regions (including in Asia, Africa and Latin America)
   

• Develop critical, analytical, writing, communication and presentation skills

• Group presentation
• Written assignment (3,000 words)

Formal feedback on written assignments will be provided via VLE. Students can also submit an essay outline for comments and feedback. In class discussion and interaction is strongly encouraged.

• N. Castree, N. Coe, K. Ward and M. Samers (2003) Spaces of Work: Global Capitalism and the Geographies of Labour London, Sage

• S. Barrientos (2019) Gender and Work in Global Value Chains: Capturing the Gains? Cambridge University Press

• G. Gereffi (2006) The New Offshoring of Jobs, Geneva, International Labour Organisation

• G. LeBaron (2020) Combatting modern slavery: Why labour governance is failing and what we can do about it. London, John Wiley & Sons

•  W. Milberg (ed) (2004) Labor and the Globalization of Production Basingstoke, Palgrave