Master International Development Studies

• If development aid is just a waste of money, how can we find a better way to improve the livelihoods of people?
• With regions and countries fighting for land, water, and resources, how can we help people recover from conflict and war?
• How can we transform the right to food, water, and health facilities into reality?

These are just a few examples of issues relating to development studies. The International Development Studies programme allows you to develop a critical understanding of development theories. You will learn to plan and conduct research. You acquire the skills to translate your finding into development policies, intervention strategies and institutional innovations. You will learn to include the diverging views of various stakeholders and to work in multidisciplinary teams.

Development perspectives: Sociology/Anthropology, Economics, Communication and Policy

The programme teaches students to deal with development processes relating to social, economic, political, technological, or environmental change. You examine the complexity of development issues from different perspectives: sociology/anthropology, economics, etc. You can focus on transformation processes either in developing countries, or in European (western) counties. 

Specialisations in International Development Studies

Depending on your academic background and in consultation with your study advisor, you will follow one of the three specialisations:

• Sociology of Development
• Economics of Development
• Communication, Technology and Policy