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Global Development at UEA
Find out more about studying Global Development at UEA, and browse our other courses.
Find out moreMA Global Social Development with a Placement Year
Key details
- Attendance
- Full Time
- Award
- Degree of Master of Arts
- Course Length
- 2 years
- Course Start Date
- January 2028
Course options
Other Start Dates
Gain a competitive edge with a placement year
This course is also available with an integrated placement year, giving you the opportunity to gain valuable UK industry experience alongside your master's degree
Other Start Dates
1st
UEA is ranked 1st overall for research quality in Development Studies
Times Higher Education REF 2021Course Overview
Why MA Global Social Development with a Placement Year at UEA?
This forward-thinking MA course empowers you to explore and tackle the world’s most pressing social development challenges. You’ll study social development issues such as vulnerability, cultural complexity, resilience, gender inequality, social exclusion, justice, and education policies for development.
Why choose UEA
- Leading development studies: Graduate with a degree from the UK’s top-ranked Development Studies department (THE REF Analysis 2021)
- Global Impact: Gain specialist gender analysis expertise aligned with policy and practice priorities
- Specialist community: Join a unique, world-leading community of social development specialists and build connections with a powerful alumni network
What is MA Global Social Development with a Placement Year?
This dynamic programme offers a specific focus on gender analysis as embedded within an understanding of wider social relations. You’ll study the relationship between economic growth and gender equity, household dynamics, and empowerment. These critical topics are at the forefront of the global development goals, and on the agendas of key international development agencies such as Oxfam, the UN and the World Bank.
You'll explore issues like the impact of micro-credit interventions on social inequality and the gendered dynamics of climate change politics. You'll study the significance of gender divisions of labour in development practices and how income generation programmes can empower women. You'll delve into complex cultural topics, such as religious fundamentalism and honour-based violence against women, analysing how social development practitioners can design effective interventions to support community wellbeing.
This course equips you to tackle local and global wellbeing challenges by examining successful development processes. You'll focus on community-level analysis, gaining insights into how people on the ground respond to interventions, which is crucial for assessing impact.
Alongside academic study, this two-year programme builds career readiness directly into your degree through an integrated placement phase. You'll put theory into practice by securing an 8-to-10-month UK placement or undertaking three structured consultancy projects, ensuring you graduate with real-world industry experience to launch your career in global development.
At UEA, you'll learn from world-class academics who incorporate cutting-edge research into their teaching, ensuring your education will be both current and relevant. With a wide range of optional modules, you can tailor your degree to your specific interests and career aspirations, equipping you to make a unique impact on global social development.
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What is Global Development?
Learn how global development is understood and its effects on communities, with a focus on Nairobi, Kenya, in this free, online course. Thro...
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Our Research - 1st in the UK for Development Studies
The School of Global Development is globally recognized for research excellence and ranked first in development studies (Times Higher REF An...
Placement Year
This two-year Master’s programme builds career readiness directly into your studies through an integrated placement phase.
Following your initial core modules, you'll engage in an intensive employability development programme tailored to sharpen your job search strategy. To give you the best advantage in landing an 8-to-10-month paid role with a UK employer, UEA partners with an award-winning placement specialist to deliver expert coaching.
While securing a competitive position is ultimately your responsibility, you are fully supported throughout the process. Should you not land a traditional placement, UEA guarantees an alternative path: completing three structured consultancy projects across different UK organisations.
Whichever route you follow, you will graduate with practical, real-world industry experience that sets your CV apart from the competition.
Explore the Postgraduate Placement Year.
Careers
Career Pathways
With an MA Global Social Development with a Placement Year, you could launch a career in:
- Local, national and international non-governmental organisations: working for development organisations and charities. Recent graduates have gone onto work for international organisations ranging from traditional actors such as OXFAM to start-ups and activist networks
- Private sector companies: innovative enterprises which play a major role in global development. We’re particularly proud of graduates who have gone onto work in private sector organisations with a development focus, included in this are companies providing health care and education support to poorer communities globally
- Bilateral and multi-lateral agencies: working in organisations like UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), WHO (World Health Organisation), WFP (World Food Programme) or the World Bank
- Government or public sector: working in local national government agencies including JICA (Japan) the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (UK), national civil service systems across Asia, Africa and Europe
Career Support
Our course offers exceptional careers support, including events tailored to the School of Global Development, guidance on volunteering and internships to strengthen your CV. The School of Global Development also offers a dedicated extracurricular professional skills programme, designed to enhance your employability on graduation. Responsive to the ever-changing demands of the development sector, the programme evolves continuously to ensure you graduate with the most relevant and sought-after skills.
Our specialist team at Career Central will also support you by offering personal advice, career events, internships, opportunities and mentoring.
After the Course
Previous graduates from the School of Global Development have gone on to work for the British High Commission in Ghana, British Civil Service, CARE International, European Union, Overseas Development Institute, Oxfam, Save the Children International, UNITAR in Japan, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF and WaterAid.
Depending on your degree outcome, you'll also be well qualified to enter a PhD programme with a view to continuing an academic career both in the UK and overseas.
Study and Modules
Structure
Over the course of this Master’s programme, you’ll become familiar with key concepts from social and gender theory, notably from anthropology, sociology and political science, and how these are applied to broader development challenges, policies and practices. Examples you might examine include poverty and micro-finance interventions and their implications for women’s empowerment, environmental disaster and responsibility, the impacts of religious fundamentalism on women’s sexual and reproductive health, divisions of labour and gendered wellbeing or youth aspirations. Concepts of social structure, power and people’s agency are applied to all these key development issues.
You’ll explore relations between public policy, social development, and various forms of diversity and difference, including gender, race, ethnicity, and disability. Taking both a practical and theoretical perspective, you’ll analyse the importance of understanding intersecting identities and its relevance to social policy and practice at the local, national, and international levels. You’ll explore a range of different approaches for addressing diversity and difference, for example targeting and rights-based approaches.
You’ll also have the opportunity to develop your own profile of learning and expertise by choosing elective modules. You can choose from many modules, taught in-house, which help you build more applied and professional skills, research skills (especially if you're thinking of moving on to a PhD) as well as those offering further learning in the fields of politics, gender analysis, climate change, education or the use of media in global development.
In the summer period, you’ll work on your dissertation or development work placement. The dissertation is a substantial piece of independent work undertaken with a supervisor's guidance. The development work placement is similar except that you'll gain work experience in a development organisation and then reflect on the experience in an extended essay in reference to academic debates.
During your first year of your Master's degree at UEA, you’ll undertake a year-long Employability Skills module. During this module you’ll work on the skills you need to seek, secure, and undertake your placement in year two of your Master’s degree. You’ll benefit from workshops on CV writing, interview practice, and use of LinkedIn. You’ll have one-to-one meetings that will help you plan your application strategy and give you opportunities for mock interviews. Sessions will be a mixture of online and in-person. This is a pass/fail module, and you need to ensure you attend 75% or more of the sessions in order to pass and progress to the placement year in your second year.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 40)Optional B Modules
(Credits: 40)Optional C Modules
(Credits: 40)Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Structure
In your second year, you’ll take your placement module. It’s designed as a single 60 credit bearing module, providing you with the opportunity to undertake a placement aligned to your discipline.
In the first semester of your second year, you'll undertake an intensive period to search for a placement. You’ll have dedicated support for this search, along with six broader workshops held in-person at UEA to give you the opportunity for critical reflection on your placement search. At the end of your placement search, if you haven’t managed to secure an industry work placement, you’ll undertake a series of three industry projects.
At the end of the module, you'll be required to submit the assessment. This will consist of the portfolio of materials relating to your job search (in the first semester) and a reflective report on your placement. You’ll highlight skills learnt, increased sector awareness, and development needs for the future. This will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. By the time you complete your placement module, you'll be equipped with enhanced career confidence and strengthened professional network. This course will prepare you for the next stage of your career, whether in the UK or elsewhere.
Compulsory Modules
Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
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Teaching and Learning, and Assessment
Teaching and Learning
In the School of Global Development, we excel at sharing our enthusiasm and subject knowledge in the classroom with our amazing and diverse postgraduate students from over 40 countries.
You’ll be taught by leading academics in the field of social development. These academics are active in research, with disciplinary or inter-disciplinary specialist expertise from anthropology, sociology, politics, and social geography, and with research expertise in various social development issues such as health, education, conflict, urban livelihoods and migration.
Your learning will be through lectures and participatory workshops and smaller group sessions. We encourage small group work, discussion, and active student-led sessions because these are often the most effective learning methods.
In some modules, there are key reading workshops each week, which help you build a deeper understanding of the most important materials. We also have pre-assessment workshops to help you think through and prepare your essays or policy papers.
Assessment
The modules you complete will be assessed through coursework, such as an essay, a seminar presentation, or a policy brief. In some of these modules, you might also take a test upon completion.
For each module, you’ll have the chance to practice your skills and ideas for the coursework with a ‘formative’ piece of work, for example the chance to get feedback on your essay plan or a mock test. The course exam is at the start of the summer semester and is based on the two main core modules.
You’ll get feedback on your assignments from the academic staff, who will explain the marks you receive and support you to develop your skills for subsequent work.
Entry Requirements
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
Degree classification
Bachelors degree - 2.2
Degree Subject
Social Science preferred
- Additional Entry Requirements
Applicants should normally have a good undergraduate degree from a recognised higher education institution. The University will also take into account the employment experience of applicants where relevant.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
- Typical International Entry Requirements
Degree classification
UK Bachelors degree - 2.2 or equivalent
Degree Subject
Social Science preferred
- Additional Entry Requirements
Applicants should normally have a good undergraduate degree from a recognised higher education institution. The University will also take into account the employment experience of applicants where relevant.
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
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IELTS: 6.0 overall (minimum 5.5 in each component).
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies(opens in a new window) for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.
If you do not meet the English language requirements for this course, our UEA International Study Centre offers a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the required English skills.
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- UEA International Study Centre
If you do not meet the academic requirements for this course, you may be able to study the International Pre-Masters programme offered by our partner UEA International Study Centre. This programme guarantees progression to selected Master's degrees if students achieve the appropriate grade. For more details, please click here:
International Pre-Masters in Business, Economics and Social Sciences
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
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Fees and Funding
Tuition fees for the Academic Year 2027/28 are:
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UK Students: £11,950
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International Students: £25,000
We estimate living expenses at £1,171 per month.
If you choose to take this course with a placement year, your tuition fees for the first year will be as shown above. An additional fee of £3,500 will apply for the placement year (see our FAQs page for further details).
Further Information on tuition fees can be found here(opens in a new window).
Scholarships and Bursaries
The University of East Anglia offers a range of Scholarships(opens in a new window); please click the link for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
Please see Additional Course Fees for details of additional course-related costs.
How to Apply
How to apply
Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.
To apply please use our online application form(opens in a new window).
Further information
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying, please do contact us:
Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk(opens in a new window)
International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students(opens in a new window) section of our website.