Teaching & modules
Modules
Course Structure
Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take modules totaling 180 credits.
Required Modules
You are required to take the following modules:
- States, Markets and the Institutional Basis of Growth (15 credits)
- Political Economy of Development (15 credits)
- Dissertation Project (60 credits)
Students must also take at least one 15-credit worth research methods related module, out of the following four:
- Quantitative Methods for Social Science (15 credits)
- Advanced Quantitative Methods for Causal Inference (15 credits)
- Introduction to Qualitative Methods (15 credits)
- Advanced Qualitative Methods [Department of International Development] (15 credits)
Optional Modules
In addition, you are required to take the remaining credits from a range of optional modules, which may typically include:
- Making Public Policy in the Global South (15 credits)
- The Political Economy of Uneven Development, Dependency and Imperialism (15 credits)
- Industrial Economics & International Development (15 credits)
- Advanced Quantitative Methods for Causal Inference (15 credits)
- Advanced Qualitative Methods [Department of International Development] (15 credits)
- Quantitative Methods for Social Science (15 credits)
- Introduction to Qualitative Methods (15 credits)
- Topics in the Analysis of Emerging Economies (15 credits)
- Project Management and Evaluation of Sustainable Development (15 credits)
- Climate, Environment & Uneven Development (15 credits)
- Global Labour and Development (15 credits)
- Environment and Development: Crises, Power, and Transformations (15 credits)
- Displacement and Development in the Contemporary Era [Department of International Development] (15 credits)
- Gender, Power and Global Development (15 credits)
- Feminist Economics (15 credits)
- Poverty, Inequality & Social Policy in Emerging Economies (15 credits)
- Anthropology of Violence and Social Suffering (15 credits)
- Race and Class in Contemporary Capitalism (15 credits)
- Finance for Development (15 credits)
- Financial Crises in Emerging Economies (15 credits)
- Rise of China in Global Capitalism (15 credits)
- Computational Methods for Social Science: Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing (15 credits)
- Development Planning in War and Peace (15 credits)
- Machine Learning for Development (15 credits)
- Feast and Famines: Power and Struggle in the Global Food System (15 credits)
Up to 30 credits from modules offered across the University, including the possibility of taking a language module, subject to approvals (the external modules would normally be included in the required number of credits for the programme, 180 credits).
Part-time Students
Part-time students should plan to take two required modules worth 45 credits in their first year, at least one research methods related module worth 15 credits from the list above and one other optional module worth 15 credits. In their second year, students will take a dissertation module worth 60 credits and 45 credits of optional modules in order to make up 180 credits in total. Part-time students may also take a maximum of 30 credits of optional modules from other departments, one module per year, including a modern language option subject to approvals. The external modules would normally be included in the required number of credits for the programme, 180 credits.
Teaching methods - what to expect
For every 15-credit module, we will typically provide 20 hours of lectures and/or seminars, and we will expect you to undertake 130 hours of independent study. For your dissertation, we will usually provide ten two-hour long dissertation workshops, and five one-to-one or group meetings with supervisors. You will undertake approximately 590 hours of independent study.
|
Module |
Lectures, seminars and feedback |
Self-study |
|
Per 15 -credit taught module |
Typically 20 hours. |
130 hours (some modules may involve lab work or e-learning which would require less self- guided learning). |
|
Dissertation module |
Usually 5 x 1-hour dissertation workshops and 5 one-to-one or group consultation with supervisors. |
590 hours of self-study and project work. |
Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.
Your performance on taught modules in the Department of International Development will be assessed through a combination of coursework and written/practical examinations. Forms of assessment may typically include individual essays, oral group presentations or group reports. The dissertation module is assessed by a proposal and a dissertation.
Application closing date guidance
Key Information
Course type:
Master's
Delivery mode:
In person
Study mode:
Full time / Part time
Duration:
One year full-time, September to September, two years part-time
Application status:
Open
Start date:
September 2026