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.

The course will cover topics such as:

- International Financial Flows in a Historical Perspective
- Sovereign Debt, Sovereign Debt Crises and Crisis Resolution
- Foreign Direct Investments, Outsourcing and Off-shoring
- Financial globalisation and its impact on growth and poverty
- Migration and remittances as a form of finance for development
- Foreign Aid

The aim of this course is to develop critical understanding of the characteristics of various forms of international financial flows (sovereign debt, portfolio investments, foreign aid and foreign direct investments) that are used to assist the economic growth and poverty alleviation of low-income countries. It looks at both conventional theories and empirical analyses, as well as historical trends and positions topical current issues (for example the global financial meltdown and sovereign debt crisis) in a solid theoretical and historical framework. It assists students in further developing their analytical, writing and presentation skills, as well as their ability to work in a group.

Knowledge and understanding
(i) Understand the theoretical arguments for and against the different types of foreign capital inflows and financial globalisation
(ii) Evaluate the impact of international finance on the growth and broader development goals of less developed countries
(iii) Understand the anatomy and dynamics of financial and sovereign debt crises.
(iv) Assess the effectiveness of macroeconomic policy in a financially globalised world.

Intellectual skills
- Further develops students' ability to think critically and understand key contemporary financial economics issues

Practical skills
- Essay/report writing; understanding of the way economists think, data collection and processing/use of data to support points in essay writing

Transferable skills and personal qualities
- Academic writing, group projects, presentations

The learning process will include combination of lectures and seminars/tutorials, as well as group exercises and presentations. All relevant materials will be available on Canvas.

Visiting lectures by development practitioners, e.g. Lead Economist from the World Bank Samuel Maimbo; career session

Most of the reading list consists of academic articles, but here are some useful textbooks (or book chapters) on specific topics:

Caprio, G. , Atiyaz, Z. and Hansen, J. (1994). Financial Reform: Theory and Experience. Cambridge University. 

Herman, B. Ocampo, J and Spiegel, S. (2010). Overcoming Developing Country Debt Crises. Oxford University Press. 

Ocampo, J.A. (2025), Financing for Development: The Global Agenda, Cambridge University Press, WIDER Series in Development Economics,

https://www.wider.unu.edu/publication/financing-development,  available open access.

Information
While there are no preliminary requirements for attending this course, and tutorials will help students converge to a common level, some knowledge of Economics may be helpful. The course is best suited for students in the Development Economics, Development Finance and Political Economy programs, as well as for students from other programs who are eager to understand how Economists think and how Economics methodology is applied to understanding international finance for development.