Maastricht University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

MA Globalization and Development Studies

Why this program?

The master’s program in Globalization & Development Studies is a social science program that focuses on how globalization affects and interconnects communities around the world. While we acknowledge the macro-level roles of states and commerce in processes of globalization and development, we focus on how they are experienced ‘from the ground up' in the everyday lives of families, indigenous communities, migrant diasporas, grassroots organizations, individual policymakers, and NGOs. In this program, you will study diverse local responses to globalization and development by actors who are central to these processes and those who are marginalized by them.

This program builds on 20 years of globalization and development teaching at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. It has a pronounced global and transnational orientation: from the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion to emancipation and empowerment, hybrid identities, transnational social and political formations, and new possibilities for transforming society. You will develop a sound knowledge basis in the concepts, theories, and issues relating to globalization and development. Using Problem-Based Learning (PBL), which is very well suited for Globalization and Development Studies, your learning is problem-driven and theory-driven and requires students to be active rather than passive.

Freedom to choose

You will have a great deal of scope to tailor the program to your needs. For example, you can take elective courses that suit your own goals and interests, such as:

• Citizenship and migration from a comparative perspective
• Brokers and translators in development: A focus on civil society
• International trade law

For your thesis, you will be able to choose between doing a research internship, conducting fieldwork research abroad, and a desk study.

International classroom

From day one, you will be challenged with differing viewpoints and experiences as you interact with staff and students from all over the world. Your worldview will be enhanced by this interaction, bringing you closer to the program’s goal of teaching not only theory and methodology but also international accessibility and understanding. Globalization & Development Studies have always enjoyed great diversity. In 2019/20, 39 students in this program came from 16 different countries. The international character of the program is further ensured by the international composition of its staff—originating, for instance, from Germany, the US, South Africa, and Ethiopia. The program also enjoys close contact with organizations and universities in the Global South, South Korea, Ghana, South Africa, India, etc. Such diversity creates an international atmosphere that is strengthened by the international orientation of the program.

Problem-Based Learning

As with many Maastricht University programs, the Globalization & Development Studies program is taught using Problem-Based Learning (PBL). In tutorial groups of 12 to 15 students, you'll learn to conduct academic research and seek solutions to concrete ‘problems’ taken from situations involving current issues in globalization and development. Instructors act as facilitators, giving help as it’s needed. This teaches you to think like an academic and helps you develop the independence and problem-solving skills that you’ll need in the field.

Academic skills

You will be trained in research skills, including:

• Defining the problem
• Formulating research questions
• Selecting a methodology
• Setting milestones
• Presenting results

A focus on research

You will develop a sound understanding of the theories, concepts, and research methods pertaining to globalization and development while exploring contemporary global issues that are relevant for countries in the Global South. You will examine problems of inequality, poverty, and vulnerability and explore the potential roles of contemporary global actors such as emerging economies, migrant diasporas, and transnational activist groups.

You will gain in-depth knowledge of perspectives that emphasize micro-level linkages between actors on a global scale, showing how linkages connecting the Global North to the South — as well as within the Global South — give rise to global phenomena. You will be familiarised with two research perspectives strongly represented by cutting-edge research at Maastricht University: ‘transnationalism’ and ‘science, technology and society studies for development’.

Research methodology

You will learn various research methods such as:

• Case study
• Ethnography
• Interviewing
• Discourse analysis
• Descriptive statistics
• Correlation

Internship, fieldwork, or desk study

During your second semester, you will combine academic research with the analysis of ‘real world’ problems, either through an academic internship, fieldwork, or a desk study. Your master’s thesis will be based on this work.

Fieldwork example

Jana Echterhoff, a master’s student in Globalization and Development Studies (GDS) at FASoS is currently collecting data for her thesis at the US border crossing in the Mexican city of Nogales. Her experience was featured in a Deutsche Welle article titled ‘The human tragedies at the Mexican wall’.

Academic internship

You can conduct research within national and international knowledge institutes or organizations such as:

• Goethe-Institut, Dakar, Senegal
• Institute of Migration, Finland
• European Women's Lobby, Belgium
• Transnational Institute, Amsterdam

Fieldwork

You can also gain field experience by executing research in diverse locations and analyzing data gathered in the field. Students have done projects on:

• Migration and development, Ghana
• Nanotechnology, India
• Rural development, South Africa
• Refugee political activism

Desk study

You can choose to conduct research as a desk study, which will be largely based on literature research. Topics students have covered include:

• Fairtrade issues
• China’s role in the world
• Social welfare and the child in development cooperation

Premium honors program

Want to gain that extra edge by getting real-world experience during your studies? The Premium honors program will help you gain the experience and develop the skills employers are looking for. As part of a team of students and under the guidance of our academic staff, you’ll spend about three months working on a real-world assignment for a company, NGO, or educational institution. You'll also work on a personal development plan, receive intensive individual coaching, and attend masterclasses and workshops. All of this will take about 250 hours, but it will give you a lifetime of benefits.

Program highlights

The master's program in Globalization and Development Studies gives you the opportunity to:

• Learn from a curriculum based on a transnational perspective;
• Participate in a truly international classroom: 39 students in the 2019/20 program came from 16 different countries;
• Choose to write your thesis based on an internship, desk study, or fieldwork;
• Custom design your program by choosing electives from other master’s programs at Maastricht University (e.g. International Trade Law, Global Health).

Courses & curriculum

The master’s program in Globalization & Development Studies focuses on how globalization dynamics affect developing areas. You will gain a sound understanding of the theory, issues, and research methods pertaining to globalization and development. This will prepare you to work for universities, NGOs, or governmental organizations.

Semester 1

• Research methods in Globalization and Development
• Theories and Histories of Globalization and Development
• Globalization and Poverty: a Connected World
• Science and Technology Studies (STS) for Development in a Global Context
• Transnational Migrant Networks and Flows
• Research in Practice

Semester 2: option internship

• Brokers and Translators in Development: a focus on civil society
• Global Connections: non-Eurocentric historical narratives
• Internship Evaluation Report
• Internship Thesis
• Thesis Writing and Presenting

Semester 2: option desk study

• Brokers and Translators in Development: a focus on civil society
• Global Connections: non-Eurocentric historical narratives
• Desk Study Thesis
• Thesis Writing and Presenting

Semester 2: option fieldwork

• Fieldwork Thesis
• Thesis Writing and Presenting

68% of the Globalisation and Development Studies students would recommend this programme: Elsevier 2019

Here are some of the highlights from the Globalisation and Development Studies programme.

• 79% of the students are satisfied or very satisfied with the examination
• 70% of the students are satisfied or very satisfied with the facilities
• 65% of the students are satisfied or very satisfied with the study programme

For more information, visit the Elsevier website.

Your future

As a Globalisation and Development Studies graduate, your thorough academic training prepares you for both a professional and an academic career.

Career prospects

You will have a wide array of career paths to choose from, including:

• Working in the development sector in NGOs, and other similar organizations, as a researcher, project manager, board member, strategist, awareness campaigner, fundraiser, or lobbyist;
• Joining the public sector in government agencies as a policymaker, analyst, researcher, or project developer;
• Entering the private sector as a consultant on developmental impacts;
• Working in the media, as a reporter, copywriter, or press officer, a think tank;
• Entering a think tank or into academia, as a researcher or Ph.D. candidate.

Some of the companies and institutes where our alumni work:

• German American Chamber of Commerce
• United Nations
• European Center for Development
• Africa Clean Energy
• European Parliament
• Amnesty International
• Green Climate Fund
• Olympic Committee

More than 80% of our graduates are employed, 10% is doing an internship and 10% work as Ph.D. Candidate or is studying a second master's.

Some examples of positions our graduates ended up in:

• Journalist, Axel Springer;
• Marketing and Communications Officer, Africa Clean Energy;
• Policy Officer, European Centre for Development;
• Project Coordinator, Hand in Hand International;
• Independent Consultant, RAIN Foundation;
• Communications Trainee, Global Off-Grid Lighting Association;
• Research Intern, Institute for Development and Peace.

Why this programnme?

The master’s programme in Globalisation and Development Studies is a social science programme that focuses on how globalisation affects and interconnects communities around the world. While we acknowledge the macro-level roles of states and commerce in processes of globalisation and development, we focus on how they are experienced ‘from the ground up’ in the everyday lives of families, indigenous communities, migrant diasporas, grassroots organisations, individual policymakers and NGOs. In this programme, you will study diverse local responses to globalisation and development by actors who are central to these processes and those who are marginalised by them.

This programme builds on 20 years of globalisation and development teaching at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. It has a pronounced global and transnational orientation: from the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion, to emancipation and empowerment, hybrid identities, transnational social and political formations, and new possibilities for transforming society. You will develop a sound knowledge basis in the concepts, theories and issues relating to globalisation and development. Using Problem-Based Learning (PBL), which is very well suited for Globalisation and Development Studies, your learning is problem-driven and theory-driven and requires students to be active rather than passive.

Freedom to choose

You will have a great deal of scope to tailor the programme to your needs. For example, you can take elective courses that suit your own goals and interests, such as:

• Citizenship and migration from a comparative perspective
• Brokers and translators in development: A focus on civil society
• International trade law

For your thesis, you will be able to choose between doing a research internship, conducting fieldwork research abroad and a desk study.

Teaching staff

• Lauren Wagner
• Elsje Fourie
• Bilisuma Dito
• Adam Dixon
• Wiebe Nauta
• Valentina Mazzucato

International Classroom

From day one, you will be challenged with differing viewpoints and experiences as you interact with staff and students from all over the world. Your worldview will be enhanced by this interaction, bringing you closer to the programme’s goal of teaching not only theory and methodology but also international accessibility and understanding. Globalisation & Development Studies has always enjoyed a great diversity. In 2021/2022, 35 students in this programme came from 14 different countries. The international character of the programme is further ensured by the international composition of its staff—originating, for instance, from Germany, US, South Africa and Ethiopia. The programme also enjoys close contacts with organisations and universities in the Global South, in South Korea, Ghana, South Africa, India, etc. Such diversity creates an international atmosphere that is strengthened by the international orientation of the programme.

Academic skills

You will be trained in research skills, including:

1. Defining the problem
2. Formulating research questions
3. Selecting a methodology
4. Setting milestones
5. Presenting results

Research methodology

You will learn various research methods such as:

1. Case study
2. Ethnography
3. Interviewing
4. Discourse analysis
5. Descriptive statistics
6. Correlation

Internship, fieldwork or desk study

During your second semester, you will combine academic research with the analysis of ‘real world’ problems, either through an academic internship, fieldwork or a desk study. Your master’s thesis will be based on this work.

Academic internship

You can conduct research within national and international knowledge institutes or organisations such as:

• Goethe-Institut, Dakar, Senegal
• Institute of Migration, Finland
• European Women's Lobby, Belgium
• Transnational Institute, Amsterdam

Fieldwork

You can also gain field experience by executing research in diverse locations and analysing data gathered in the field. Students have done projects on:

• Migration and development, Ghana
• Nanotechnology, India
• Rural development, South Africa
• Refugee political activism

Desk study

You can choose to conduct research as a desk study, which will be largely based on literature research. Topics students have covered include:

• Fair trade issues
• China’s role in the world
• Social welfare and the child in development cooperation

Programme highlights

The master's programme in Globalisation and Development Studies gives you the opportunity to:

• Learn from a curriculum based on a transnational perspective
• Participate in a truly international classroom: 35 students in the 2020/21 programme came from 14 different countries
• Choose to write your thesis based on an internship, desk study or fieldwork
• Custom design your programme by choosing electives from other master’s programmes at Maastricht University (e.g. International Trade Law, Global Health)