MSc Global Development Management

Key details

MSC GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT

Start Year

2023

Attendance

Full Time

Award

Degree of Master of Science

Duration (years)

The MSc Global Development Management offers you the chance to learn the key skills and to develop an informed and critical stance on the challenges facing the development sector.

Over the year, and across three core modules, you’ll develop a rigorous and deep critique of the ways NGOs and other agencies work, and the political contexts of development. 

If you are seeking to start or advance a career in development and humanitarian management, this course offers a comprehensive introduction to the way the sector works, from planning to critical issues affecting the sector. You will gain a strong conceptual understanding of key debates and issues in international development, together with technical skills in project design and management.

Please note we are changing our name to the School of Global Development from 1 August 2023, as we mark our 50th Anniversary.

About

Practical issues are at the heart of this MSc. You will consistently benefit from research-led teaching, ensuring you encounter the latest thinking in the field. Research in UEA’s School of International Development (Global Development from 1 August 2023) is focused on addressing contemporary challenges in developing and transitioning economies via disciplinary and multi-interdisciplinary approaches. Within the programme you will be supported to develop complementary specialist areas of interests, and choose module options from a range of disciplines including economics, agricultural policy, environmental justice, climate change, gender and education.

A Development Work Placement is a strongly recommended option in the summer semester, and an alternative to a dissertation. You’ll work with a relevant organisation, writing an extended analytical report on your experience. This will give you a chance to reflect on and apply the ideas and concepts you’ve learnt so far by looking at humanitarian issues, the results agenda, project management systems and key topics in your chosen placement organisation.

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Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.

Assessment for Year 1

You’ll be assessed by an exam in your summer term, and on your placement or dissertation.

Feedback:

Feedback is provided through module formative and summative assessments, and through supervision meetings with the course convener.

Structure

This course offers you a critical introduction to, and perspectives on, development interventions and development projects in particular. Our aim is to equip you with key development tools and techniques that are required in a professional setting. You will be provided with both a practical grounding in tools and techniques for project design and management, but also a critical awareness of the tools' limitations.

You will explore the ways development is changing, at the cutting edge of rapidly shifting geopolitical, social and economic realities. New actors are entering the fieldwork and disrupting the traditional ways aid has been seen and done. New funding models are emerging, from the power of philanthrocapitalism, to the financialisation of aid and the presence of private sector partnerships at the forefront of the Sustainable Development Goals.

You’ll explore the essential landmarks in development thinking from the post-war period up to present-day debates, exploring the range of approaches applied over the last 70 years. You will critically assess the various ways in which development has been conceptualised, from the end of the Second World War to the present day. You will cover topics including modernisation theory; dependency theory; the role of the state; neo-liberalism and the Washington Consensus, neo-institutionalism and the post-Washington Consensus; poverty and basic needs; human development and capabilities; equity and justice; rights and empowerment; and sustainable development.

Teaching and Learning

You’ll learn through lectures and seminars. Your lectures will go beyond the customary “chalk-and-talk” approach, and include a range of interactive tasks and activities. The use of technology is also widespread, for example through visual representation of empirical evidence in international development (e.g. through statistical programmes). Other examples include the use of online reading materials and lecture screencasts.

Through seminar group work and presentations, you’ll be able to develop essential transferable skills such as articulating an argument both orally and in writing and presenting academic information in a lucid and cogent manner.

Independent study

You’ll read suggested academic articles and books, submitting assignments as specified for each module. Your independent study gives you the chance to prepare for in-class sessions and assignments, and to concentrate on the areas that interest you most.

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Open Days

Assessment for Year 1

You’ll be assessed by an exam in your summer term, and on your placement or dissertation.

Feedback:

Feedback is provided through module formative and summative assessments, and through supervision meetings with the course convener.

Compulsory Modules

DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES

Code DEV-7001A

Credits 20

You will explore different theoretical ideas and debates about development, and place these in their historical and political contexts. You will critically assess the various ways in which development has been conceptualised, from the end of the Second World War to the present day. You will cover topics including modernisation theory; dependency theory; the role of the state; neo-liberalism and the Washington Consensus, neo-institutionalism and the post-Washington Consensus; poverty and basic needs; human development and capabilities; equity and justice; rights and empowerment; and sustainable development. A key point of the module is to show how ideas in development emerge and how they shape policies and practice in development in the present day.

PROJECT DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT

Code DEV-7058B

Credits 20

This module will provide the environment for the student to gain a strong practical and grounding in the key tools and analytical techniques needed for the design and management of development projects. It does this by providing an intensive introduction to a number of key development tools, from the analysis of evidence and context to the design of a theory of change and results framework that reacts to complexity, to the design of the appropriate monitoring, evaluation and learning architecture, to the proper resourcing. Students are supported to engage with worked examples of these tools themselves and will be assessed through their preparation of a fully-developed project proposal that they will prepare in a team. The module also encourages student to think critically about development projects, the role that they play – and their own roles in the sector.

GLOBALISATION, BUSINESS AND DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7047B

Credits 20

This module provides an analysis of the way in which global production is organized and the roles played by the state, business and civil society and the relations between them. It focuses on key business actors such as transnational and looks in depth at issues of resource extraction in developing countries. Various aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility including relations with local communities and workers, as well as the impacts on the environment and human rights, are discussed.

Optional A Modules

(60 credits)

DISSERTATION

Code DEV-7056X

Credits 60

Production of a short (8000-12000 words) dissertation on an approved topic.

DEVELOPMENT WORK PLACEMENT

Code DEV-7057X

Credits 60

This module gives you an opportunity to identify, apply for and do an internship or work placement, worth 60 credits, as an integral part of your Masters programme. You would take this module in the summer semester as an alternative to the Dissertation module, and it is open to most MA /MSc programmes. The placements are for a period of 8-10 weeks between May and, preferably, the end of July. In recent years, students have done placements across a range of United Nations institutions, in specialist consultancy and research Organisations, and non-governmental organisations both in the UK and across the world. You are responsible for finding a suitable placement but will be given a range of support from International Development which includes giving the students access to the International Development internship host data base compiled over nearly a decade; advice on identifying appropriate placements; advice on CV design, fund-raising (where necessary), health and safety, ethical considerations etc.; facilitate communication between student and potential host, in some cases acting as a mediator. Whilst we cannot guarantee a placement we are confident that most students who take this module and apply themselves to identifying an internship, will be successful. The module is assessed by the production of an Analytical Report based on the internship which allows you to reflect both on the content of the placement, and the personal expense of undertaking this work.

Optional B Modules

(20 credits)

RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND AGRARIAN CHANGE

Code DEV-7020A

Credits 20

Poverty and hunger remain key developmental challenges, driving poor health and ill-being on the one hand and conflict and violence on the other. This is the central question addressed by this module. In this module, you will explore different approaches to understanding rural livelihoods. You will be equipped with the tools and frameworks to critically assess different strategies for livelihoods-building and their implications for poverty and inequality, including those of class and gender, at the micro-level. Starting with an understanding of key concepts of poverty, food security, gender, capabilities, capitals and entitlements, you will apply these to a host of contexts and programmes through seminar discussions. This will enable a deeper understanding of the interconnections between the wider policy context, the social structure that shapes entitlements, the assets available to groups and individuals and their livelihood strategies. You will also explore the links between the rural and urban, and the changes over time. You will have an opportunity to experience some of the dilemmas confronting the rural poor through an experiential game.

WELFARE AND EVALUATION IN DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7038A

Credits 20

This module provides you with an introduction to the theory and practice of impact evaluation. The focus will be on issues around evidence-based policy making, approaches to wellbeing, and their practical application in terms of evaluating the effect of development interventions on the quality of people’s lives. The first part discusses the notion of evidence-based policy, introduces the students to the area of evaluation and reviews the role of programme theory in evaluation. The second part addresses the theory of welfare, with particular reference to poverty, inequality, and multi-dimensional ill-being as well as cost effectiveness. The third part considers policy and evaluation in practice looking at a range of sectors and contexts.

GENDER PERSPECTIVES IN GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7060A

Credits 20

The aim of this unit is to provide you with a solid grounding in gender analysis of development, and to enable you to understand the link between gender and key debates within development studies such as poverty, violence, religion and the role of men in gender and development. The module introduces and explains the range of ideas, debates and tools, which are the foundations of gender analysis, within a discussion of key issues in gender analysis of development: the nature of the household and kinship, gender roles, power and empowerment, and environmental change. The unit stands alone as a foundation for gender analysis of development, it also builds the necessary basis for the more applied units which follow in the spring semester, and for dissertations based on gender topics. If you are writing your dissertation on a gender topic you will need to have completed this module.

Optional C Modules

(40 credits)

EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND PRACTICE FOR DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7011B

Credits 20

The aim of this module is to help you understand and critically examine, policy-making processes and specific policies for educational development. You will discover the relationships between policy and practice in a range of international, national and local development contexts. Through this module you will explore different approaches to policy development and familiarise yourself with dominant global policy agendas in education - asking who makes or influences policy, and considering policies as socially situated documents, practices and processes. The module introduces you to educational policy-making to address a range of development challenges and how related strategies are enacted in practice; drawing on policy theory and ethnographic and school-based research, as well as practical sessions to critique policy-related writing, examine models of educational quality and curricula, and explore issues of school-related gender based violence.

APPLIED METHODS FOR IMPACT EVALUATION

Code DEV-7037B

Credits 20

This module will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the most important methods of impact evaluation. For that purpose, it will provide you with instruction in and hands-on experiences of the main quantitative and qualitative impact evaluation methods, with an emphasis on the quantitative.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT II: GOVERNANCE, POLICY AND SOCIETY

Code DEV-7051B

Credits 20

This module critically examines international/national climate change governance, policy and societal impacts from and responses to climate change and climate change policy. The first half of the semester will discuss the history and politics of the international climate change negotiations and then critically examine the way the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change operates. You’ll look in detail at several items under negotiation with significant implications for developing countries and we will discuss global carbon markets. The second half of the semester will turn to the interface of climate change and society. It will discuss participatory governance and urban responses to climate change as well as critically examining ethical/justice related debates, the role of energy demand and lifestyle in tackling climate change. The seminars will be interactive and enable you to understand the international negotiating process and ways to engage positively with climate change.

September 2023 opportunities. Discover more

Open Days

Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring and review of modules. Where this activity leads to significant change to a programme and modules, the University will endeavour to consult with affected students. 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. Availability of optional modules may be restricted owing to timetabling, lack of demand, or limited places. Where this is the case, you will be asked to make alternative module choices and you will be supported during this process.

Entry Requirements

Degree classification

UK 2.1 or equivalent

Degree subject

Any good first degree

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.

If you do not meet the academic requirements for this course, you may be able to study one of the International Graduate Diploma programmes offered by our partner INTO UEA. These programmes guarantee progression to selected masters degrees if students achieve the appropriate grade. For more details please click here:

International Graduate Diploma in International Development

INTO University of East Anglia

INTO UEA also run pre-sessional courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk

Students for whom english is a foreign language

We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:

IELTS: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in only two components with 6.0 in the others)
PTE (Pearson): 64 (minimum 59 in only two components with 64 in the others)

Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

Other tests, including Cambridge English exams and the Trinity Integrated Skills in English are also accepted by the university. The full list of accepted tests can be found here: Accepted English Language Tests