30 Development Studies MA Degree Programs

Improve the human condition in vulnerable communities. Many communities around the world have been left behind — as evidenced by disparities in per capita earnings, health and life expectancy, political and human rights, personal security, and other measures of the human condition. This program emphasizes economic growth that is both environmentally sound and socially inclusive.

The Master of Arts Degree in Environment, Development, and Peace (EDP) provides comprehensive training in issues of sustainable development, environmental governance, natural resource management, and environmental conflict management from both ecological and social perspectives. It encompasses a broad range of subjects and themes, including Food Systems, Water Management, Forestry, Coastal Resources, Climate Change, Urban Ecology, and Social Movements. The program focuses on the human dimensions of the environment-development nexus, highlighting the connections between local perspectives and broader processes at the national, regional and global levels and emphasizing the importance of political, economic structures and inequality in access to resources as key drivers in environmental conflict and global environmental change. The program prepares students for a wide range of careers in both environmental and development policy and programming in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

The Master’s degree in Local Development provides a thorough understanding of the specific social, organizational, economic, territorial, and institutional forms and dynamics that characterize local development processes in different geographical contexts. It offers an in-depth knowledge of the different methodologies used for the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes for local development and promotes the implementation of sustainability process. Its intrinsic multicultural and multilingual dimension is reinforced by international partnerships and mobility agreements.

With this Development Studies MA you will be encouraged to reflect directly on how questions of social justice should be connected to the theory and practice of development, and about race, class, gender and other identities. You’ll use this concept of social justice to investigate the legitimacy of power relations that shape social, political, and economic inequalities between different regions, states, groups and individuals.

This course focuses on social issues with an international dimension such as humanitarian aid, forced migration, human rights, social justice and social enterprise. In addition to gaining theoretical knowledge, you develop practical skills – such as advocacy and intercultural competence – so you can work effectively with communities and individuals from diverse cultural and social backgrounds, in the UK and abroad. The course also exposes you to innovative approaches to enhancing and decolonising international social welfare and development, with case studies from across the globe.

The MA in Development and Human Rights blends modern insights from the fields of development studies, politics, political theory and international law.

The Media and Development MA is an interdisciplinary course that teaches main theories, concepts, case studies and practical media skills around the theme of media and development and its implications for less developed countries. The course will provide you with a unique blend of theory and practice teaching, aimed at deepening your knowledge of the history of communications within the development process of emerging economies.

The Global Development MA offers you an interdisciplinary, practical, skill-based training to become a competent, ethical development practitioner upon graduation.

The International Development Studies program grounds international development practitioners in the theories, policies, and skills necessary for operating at the forefront of the field. The curriculum leverages a combination of field-based research, studies in cultural contexts and ethics, and innovative practices to develop your marketable skills and experience.

The MA in International Security and Development introduces you to the major issues and critical debates within a profoundly serious field.

Development and security are inextricably linked, yet all too often, these topics are addressed separately by both academics and policymakers. This Conflict, Security and Development MA is a unique, globally recognised course that does the opposite. It takes a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to teach you the dynamic ways in which conflict, insecurity and development interact, and help you develop a full understanding of these issues.

Explore how globalisation dynamics shape lives in resource poor settings and how local actors tackle global challenges. Get a better understanding of how globalisation and development are linked and how this plays out on the ground.

The program offers an MA via research leading to a dissertation of around 44 000 words plus a research article prepared for publication. The dissertation is prepared for examination under the guidance of a supervisor with expertise in your choice of topic.

Glocal International Development is an innovative, interdisciplinary 18-month M.A. program that aims to effectively translate academic research into practical understanding conducive to work with communities and development organizations across the globe.

The M.A. Development has a specific focus on issues around global justice. Students learn about relevant theories as well as the practical realities of the development/aid industry. Everyone is required to do an internship and can choose a field of concentration such as gender, sustainability and migration.

This master's program aims to train leaders with the elements of an integral human development for the 21st century. The essential nucleus of this formation will make it possible to understand that the conflicts we face must be transformed and solved peacefully, because that is the only way to lay the foundations for peace. The combination of these elements allows access to development in all its facets: human development, sustainable and sustainable. For this, our vision supports the notions of the United Nations that peace, human development and the transformation and resolution of conflicts must contain transversally elements related to gender equity and the principle of non-discrimination, be this racial , social, conscience, cult, or other.