Global Development (International Political Economy)

This MA in Global Development programme offers critical engagement with key issues shaping development processes and outcomes across diverse contexts, in both high-income and low- to middle-income regions. Compulsory modules examine pressing global challenges, including inequality, health, education, gender, conflict, human rights, political transformation, and the role of (global) markets. You will also engage with the practical dimensions of development work, including the analytical and theoretical foundations of Project Cycle Management and development practice more broadly.

You'll develop advanced research and analytical skills throughout the programme, culminating in an independent dissertation project on a topic of your choice. This provides an opportunity to explore an area of personal or professional interest in depth.

Through a focus on histories, institutions, and power relations that shape global development, the programme equips you to critically examine the structures, actors, and policies that influence social, political and economic change. You will explore the challenges and strategies people employ to contest injustice, claim rights, and shape their futures across different contexts, particularly in regions historically marginalised by global political and economic systems. The emphasis is on recognising the agency of individuals and communities, while situating development within global and local dynamics.

Optional modules allow you to tailor the programme to your interests, with topics such as natural resource governance, global health, gender and globalisation, education policy, international political economy, and regional perspectives including Africa and China.