MSc International Development Management

With momentum around the United Nation’s (UN) sustainable development goals and the rise of a collaborative effort to reduce or eliminate poverty in developing countries, never has there been a more exciting time to get involved with international development. Our course prepares you to make a positive impact on the world and offers the chance to gain two qualifications – a Master’s degree and PRINCE2® certification.

Whether your future lies in practical aid, emergency response, fundraising, research, education or policy development, this Master’s degree will build your knowledge and expertise in a range of development disciplines. It will give you a firm understanding of development theory in an international context, with a particular focus on how to bring theory into practice deriving solutions to issues or problems for developing nations. That’s one of many reasons why we attract students from countries around the world including Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Brazil, Columbia and the Philippines. 

Experienced field practitioners working in international development organisations and NGOs contribute regularly to course content. You will learn from examples across the globe, studying real-life case studies, using official project materials and survey data from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other development agencies. You also have a unique opportunity to participate in a study visit to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, where you will hear from experts and discuss topics, such as international trade policy, migration and poverty reduction.

Throughout the course, we aim to build your management skills, for example, you’ll develop valuable project management techniques and have the option to gain formal PRINCE2® certification. Additionally, you can choose to develop your skills and knowledge further by embarking on a field-based work placement programme with an NGO during the holiday period. 

You’ll enhance your ability to critically evaluate the economic, political and social factors that affect the development policy environment on a national and international level, anything from the financial crisis and its repercussions to the impact of a global pandemic like COVID-19, for instance. We’ll also examine ways to appraise development interventions, increasing your technical and practical capability to put forward workable and sustainable solutions.

The course is designed to prepare you for a career in development management with an international organisation, a non-governmental body or a government development agency. Our graduates have gone on to work as NGO programme officers, trade advisors, project managers, microfinance specialists and development consultants. 

Once you begin this course, we will encourage you to register as a member of the Development Studies Association (DSA) and Devex, the world's largest community of international development experts and professionals. Although these organisations do not provide professional accreditation, they offer platforms for networking and the sharing of research, which will assist your postgraduate learning experience and greatly benefit your future career development.