University College London (UCL)

Social Development Practice MSc

Teaching and learning

The Social Development Practice MSc is delivered both inside and outside of the classroom so you can discover methodologies and frameworks for a critical participatory, community-based approach to socially sensitive development practice. On campus, the course will be taught through a wide range of teaching techniques including lectures and seminars that are delivered by academics and development professionals held in high esteem by their peers internationally and renowned for their contribution to academic thinking and development practice, and through tutorials, debates, discussions, presentations, and individual and group project work. We also encourage you to take an active approach to your own learning through wider reading.

In partnership with communities and social development practitioners, we take learning one step further in our annual overseas practice engagements. Here, our students explore different tools, concepts and ideas in urban design in a Global South context.

To equip you with the necessary research design, analytical thinking and project management skills required to move into your future career in the development field addressing the urban social injustices of the 21st century, the Social Development Practice MSc is assessed through coursework, written examinations, a written report focusing on the overseas practice engagement, and the 10,000-word dissertation report.

In terms 1 and 2, as a full-time student you can typically expect between 9-12 contact hours per teaching week through a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. Each teaching week, you will have two-hour face-to-face encounters on campus in all core and optional modules. Each teaching week, you will also have one three-hour practice module encounter on campus.

Outside of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, as a full-time student you will typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using your remaining time for self-directed study and completing assignments. We expect full-time students to commit an average of 40 to 45 hours of study per week reviewing online resources, completing module activities, engaging in wider reading and working on their assignments.

In term 3, you will complete the overseas practice engagement. The duration of this engagement will depend upon travel arrangements with partner organisations but is typically around two weeks overseas. In term 3 and the summer period, you will complete your own dissertation research, keeping regular contact with your dissertation supervisor.

Modules

Full-time

The Social Development Practice MSc is delivered over four terms when taken in one academic year. In terms 1 and 2 you will study compulsory modules which make up 75% of the taught component of the course (equivalent to 90 credits) and provide you with the theoretical and methodological foundations to become a social development practitioner. The remaining 25% of the taught component of the course is dedicated to a range of optional modules on offer, allowing you to combine your learnings with your personal interests in terms 1 and 2. The practice module, where we complete the overseas practice engagement, runs across terms 1, 2 and 3.

In term 4, you will focus on your dissertation which is a research project you will conduct independently, complemented by support from a dedicated dissertation tutor. The dissertation gives you the opportunity to focus on an area of the course that most interests you. The research that supports the production of your dissertation should rely on secondary sources of data and/or primary sources of data that can be accessed without field survey work (for example internet or archival data sources). Conducting this independent research builds your skills in planning a research project, reviewing literature, and using the knowledge acquired during the taught component of the course to review evidence, develop an argument and communicate and justify your findings. The dissertation is submitted at the end of term 4.

Part-time

The Social Development Practice MSc is delivered over two years when taken part-time.

In year 1, the taught modules are delivered in terms 1 and 2 and you will study:

• Social Policy and Citizenship
• Social Diversity, Inequality and Poverty.

In year 2, the taught modules are delivered in terms 1, 2 and 3 and you will study:

• Social Development in Practice
• Dissertation Report.

In year 2, you will also have a choice of optional modules which can either be:

• 1 x 30 credit optional module, or
• 2 x 15 credit optional modules.

In term 4 of year 2, you will focus on your dissertation which is a research project you will conduct independently, complemented by support from a dedicated dissertation tutor. The dissertation gives you the opportunity to focus on an area of the course that most interests you. The research that supports the production of your dissertation should rely on secondary sources of data and/or primary sources of data that can be accessed without field survey work (for example internet or archival data sources). Conducting this independent research builds your skills in planning a research project, reviewing literature, and using the knowledge acquired during the taught component of the course to review evidence, develop an argument and communicate and justify your findings. The dissertation is submitted at the end of term 4.

Flexible

The Social Development Practice MSc is delivered over a period of two to five years when taken on a flexible basis. You may structure your core and optional modules in any format you wish, noting that the practice module and dissertation must be taken in your final years of study.

The dissertation is a research project which you will conduct independently, complemented by support from a dedicated dissertation tutor. The dissertation gives you the opportunity to focus on an area of the course that most interests you. The research that supports the production of your dissertation should rely on secondary sources of data and/or primary sources of data that can be accessed without field survey work (for example internet or archival data sources). Conducting this independent research builds your skills in planning a research project, reviewing literature, and using the knowledge acquired during the taught component of the course to review evidence, develop an argument and communicate and justify your findings. The dissertation is submitted at the end of Term 4.

Compulsory Modules

• Social Policy and Citizenship 
• Social Diversity, Inequality and Poverty 
• Social Development in Practice 
• Development and Planning Dissertation

Optional modules

• Post Disaster Recovery: Policies, Practices and Alternatives 
• Transforming Local Areas: Urban Design for Development 
• Participatory Processes: Building for Development 
• Disaster Risk Reduction in Cities 
• Housing Policies: Practical Dimensions and Alternative Options 
• Society and Market: Private Agency for Development 
• Critical Ideas of Development: Conceptions and Realities 
• Contemporary Approaches to Development Management 
• Managing the City Economy 
• The Political Ecology of Environmental Change 
• Urban Environmental Planning and Management in Development 
• Adapting Cities to Climate Change in the Global South 
• Sustainable Infrastructure and Services in Development 
• Food and the City 
• Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture: Knowledge Systems in the Global South 
• The City and its Relations: Context, Institutions and Actors in Urban Development Planning 
• Urban Development Policy, Planning and Management: Strategic Action in Theory and Practice 
• Transport Equity and Urban Mobility 
• Urbanisation and Development 
• An Introduction to Public Economics and Public Policy 
• Housing as Urbanism: Housing Policy and the Search for Scale

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Social Development Practice.

Fieldwork

Each year, our Social Development Practice MSc students engage with issues raised by communities and social development practitioners in a local context. In Term 3 you will carry out an overseas practice engagement as part of the practice module where you will be immersed in social change processes within real cities by working with communities in action-research projects with global partners. Thus, you will gain hands-on experience in a Global South context to become better development practitioners.

You will critically assess two major issues related to social development practice: 1) How women, men and children can become actively engaged in policy and planning processes, both at the programme and project level and beyond, to ensure more equitable and transformative development outcomes; and 2) The roles of the social development practitioner as both a social planner and as a catalyst of social change.

To date, we have engaged with partners and communities in Indonesia, Brazil, Kenya and Tanzania on themes spanning urban food systems and food security in cities, inclusive planning and design in low-income neighbourhoods and for people with disabilities, inclusive citizenship, urban poverty, collective action, sustainable technologies, housing, infrastructure, markets, participatory informal settlement upgrading and wellbeing, and the effectiveness of NGOs.

What this course will give you

UCL has been ranked ninth best university in the world for the second year in a row, marking UCL’s 13th year among the top 10 universities worldwide (QS World University Rankings 2025), and situated within London, the best student city in the world (QS Best Student Cities Ranking 2025). Across the university, UCL’s students and faculty are tackling grand challenges, ranging from climate change to healthcare for ageing populations.

The Bartlett Development Planning Unit’s postgraduate courses are supported by international agencies, and national and provincial governments, and the Unit sits within The Bartlett, UCL's Faculty of the Built Environment, which is ranked #1 in the world for Architecture and the Built Environment, and remains #1 in the UK for the tenth year in a row (QS World University Subject Rankings 2024).

The Bartlett Development Planning Unit is an international centre concerned with promoting sustainable forms of development, understanding rapid urbanisation and encouraging innovation in the policy, planning and management responses to the economic, social and environmental development of cities and regions, especially in urban cities of the Global South.

Through the core modules of the course, you will be introduced to frameworks for analysing the social content of development policy, explore the diversity of people within various contexts and how their identities shift, intersect and create implications for inequalities and poverty, and discover how socially sensitive approaches to development interventions can be created in practice through an engagement with professional practice and overseas fieldwork.

Through the optional modules on the Social Development Practice MSc, you can learn about how the creative industries and communication practices (such as participatory photography and video, theatre and social media) can support groups in the recognition and mobilisation of their rights to cities. You can also tap into the expertise from across The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment and wider UCL through a wide range of optional modules on offer.

Not only will you be studying course content that matters both to your future career and to the social justice of urban contexts in the Global South, but you will also gain access to an active and growing alumni network, exchanging knowledge and skills with like-minded individuals from across the globe who are experienced in the realms of development planning.

The foundation of your career

94% of graduates from The Bartlett Development Planning Unit were in work or further study 15 months after graduation and are working in 52 countries around the world.

The Social Development Practice MSc draws strong connections to professional networks through our teaching and research activities, including our overseas practice engagements where we partner with communities and organisations in international contexts to address social development issues and opportunities, and through involvement in ongoing research projects led by academics of The Bartlett Development Planning Unit.

The critical thinking, social analysis, action-research, project management and stakeholder management skills nurtured in our students on the course are in demand in a variety of sectors around the world including:

• International NGOs, in both specialised social NGOs (for example NGOs concerned with gender equality, youth, or disability) and social roles in mainstream development NGOs
• Bilateral development agencies as social development specialists
• National government in positions related to social policy
• Private sector companies engaged in social appraisal, social research and consultancy.

Our course also inspires graduates of the Social Development Practice MSc to pursue further research at PhD level.

Employability

To work within international NGOs, international organisations, bilateral development agencies, in government, and in social roles across various industries, we will equip you with critical thinking, action-research, project management and stakeholder management skills through core learning on the Social Development Practice MSc and through department-level workshops that will integrate you with students from other master’s courses at The Bartlett Development Planning Unit.

Explore current debates and issues in international development and planning
The Development Workshops will introduce you to the current debates and issues surrounding international development and planning. Through lectures, short films, and group discussions you will discuss key topics in urban development, urban equality, drawing on post- and de-colonial insights. Through a roleplay methodology in the Development Workshops, we will encourage you to mix with your peers across our seven master’s courses across The Bartlett Development Planning Unit and “step into the shoes” of a multiplicity of stakeholders involved in planning and decision-making. This will help you and your peers explore the intersecting identities and interests of development stakeholders whilst fostering empathy with their narratives, helping you acknowledge the complexity of real-world planning processes.

Partner with international development organisations in a dissertation fellowship

The Development Planning Unit Dissertation Fellowship Scheme offers important opportunities for professional development and, in some cases, has led to research collaborations, internships, and employment.

The advantages of participating in this scheme for your employability include:

• Your dissertation will be relevant to the current work of an international development organisation.
• You will have access to a member of staff and relevant data, although no fieldwork and/or primary data collection is expected.
• A summary of your dissertation will be published in an appropriate form (eg policy brief, blog post), subject to agreement over edits to ensure that high standards are maintained with respect to the work itself and any pertinent copyright or other issues
• You will receive a letter stating that you have done this research with the partner organisation.

Networking

We offer you the opportunity to connect with alumni and academics of the course through our overseas practice engagements, through events open to all students at The Bartlett Development Planning Unit (including our flagship Dialogues in Development lecture series, film screenings, and talks with academics about their research projects), and through seminars and guest lectures with development practitioners.

As a student of The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, you will be connected with professionals, researchers and academics who have had long-standing careers in the development field and can share valuable and candid insights through events and networking. You will also benefit from our digital Alumni Networking Platform where you can discover the international reach of our alumni community on a map and connect with individuals by year of graduation, course of study and by city.

In addition to the above and to the core UCL Careers provision, as a student at The Bartlett you will have access to a mix of faculty-wide and department-specific support and activities to bolster your career development and develop your networking skills to successfully navigate the job markets. Open across the Faculty, this includes a programme of lively industry panel discussions and interactive workshops, spotlighting the key sectors graduates typically venture into such as construction, consultancy, commercial property and urban planning and development.

Additionally, The Bartlett’s Building a Better Future Consultancy Project will give you a unique opportunity to collaborate in a multidisciplinary team to tackle a real world challenge the built environment is grappling with, equipping you with the in-demand skills sought after by employers. Featured organisations in this programme include global consultancies (e.g. BuroHappold, Hoare Lea, AtkinsRealis), burgeoning start-ups, and SMEs as well as local councils and not-for-profit organisations such as C40 Cities, Greater London Authority and London authorities.