Masters applications for 2023 entry are now closed.
Applications for September 2024 will open on Monday 25 September. Applications are now open for programmes with a January 2024 start. View our programmes »
Overview
- You’ll receive training in major themes of development combined with a strong grounding in development policy and practice with a focus on developing and emerging economies
- Engage with serious international development challenges, including those of poverty, inequality, climate change, migration and displacement, health, and violence and conflict
- Learn from world-leading experts with real-world experience and join a lively postgraduate community
- You can tailor your programme to your interests and career ambitions with our array of optional modules
- Benefit from practice-oriented training providing you with the skills and experience required to pursue a career in international development, including within governmental and non-governmental organisations
Top 15 in the UK for Politics
Top 100 in the world for Politics
Top 15 in the UK for Politics
Top 100 in the world for Politics
Entry requirements
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree with 53% or above in a relevant social science or humanities subject area, including education, the social sciences, natural sciences, humanities, arts or business/management. Please note that this list is not exhaustive and every application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
While we normally only accept applicants who meet this criteria, if you are coming from a different academic background which is equivalent to degree level or have relevant work experience, particularly in the International Development sector, we would welcome your application.
We would encourage applicants to use their personal statement to indicate their interests in International Development and any relevant work experience.
Please note, if we receive an application which we deem more suitable for one of our other programmes, we may make an offer for that alternative programme instead.
Entry requirements for international students
Please visit our entry requirements section for equivalencies from your country and further information on English language requirements.
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Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
We will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the main theories of global development and consider core debates that have emerged from the early 20th Century to the current day. Our programme is interdisciplinary in nature, encompassing politics, political economy, sociology, and anthropology. We will encourage you to become independent, critical, and inquisitive researchers and provide you with the opportunity to develop your practical skills in project management.
Our wide range of optional modules enable you to tailor your degree to your career interests covering topics such as international relations, conflict and security, global governance and international development in the Middle East.
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Compulsory modules
120 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
The optional modules are clustered around specific Development themes. The thematic clusters are not formal pathways. They are there to better inform your choice of optional modules, depending on your own individual preferences, in particular the academic and professional skills you would like to acquire from studying International Development at Exeter.
* the following list of modules are indicative, and the precise availability of modules will vary each year
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
| POLM886 |
Dissertation | 60 |
| POLM173 |
Theories of International Development | 30 |
| POLM174 |
Tools, Policy, and Practice of International Development | 30 |
Optional modules
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
|
MA International Development Option Modules 2024-5 |
| ARAM054 |
State and Society in the Middle East |
30 |
| ARAM055 |
Iranian History, 1500 - the Present |
15 |
| ARAM131 |
Nationalisms in the Middle East |
15 |
| ARAM225 |
Gender and Politics in the Middle East |
30 |
| ARAM230 |
Gender, Sexuality and Violence in Palestine/Israel |
15 |
| ARAM236 |
Sociology and Anthropology of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula |
15 |
| POLM016 |
Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks, and Ethical Consumption |
15 |
| POLM063 |
Qualitative Methods in Social Research |
15 |
| POLM082 |
International Relations of the Middle East |
30 |
| POLM084 |
Conflict, Security and Development in World Politics |
30 |
| POLM086 |
Quantitative Data Analysis |
30 |
| POLM088 |
State-building after Civil War |
30 |
| POLM140 |
Qualitative Methods in Social Research |
30 |
| POLM144 |
The West, Civilisations and World Order |
30 |
| POLM148 |
Brexit: Causes, Interpretation and Implications |
30 |
| POLM156 |
The Transformation of Politics in the Global Age |
30 |
| POLM158 |
Digital Politics and Policy |
30 |
| POLM167 |
Global Governance: Institutions and Challenges |
30 |
| POLM220M |
Management and Governance: Comparing Public Administration around the World |
30 |
| POLM222M |
The Politics, Policy and Practice of Sustainable Development |
30 |
| POLM502 |
International Relations: Power and Institutions |
30 |
| POLM503 |
Foreign Policy Decision-Making |
30 |
| POLM651 |
State and Society in the Middle East |
30 |
| POLM809 |
Applied Quantitative Data Analysis |
15 |
Fees
2025/26 entry
UK fees per year:
£12,500 full-time; £6,250 part-time
International fees per year:
£25,300 full-time; £12,650 part-time
Scholarships
The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships*.
For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
*Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.
Teaching and research
Teaching takes place over the first two terms leaving the third to concentrate on your dissertation. Our teaching is research-led, ensuring that what you learn will be cutting edge and at the heart of contemporary public debate.
Teaching methods may include:
- Small academic seminars
- Presentations
- Group work
- Extensive reading and reflection
- Debates and discussions
- 15,000 word dissertation
By the end of the programme you will have acquired a series of valuable skills ranging from conducting analyses and research to presenting, debating, formulating arguments and managing groups.
Research
Students can take advantage of our seminar series and its long-running and highly successful annual postgraduate conference which brings together researchers from across all humanities and social sciences disciplines.
Our research is funded by leading research councils and is used by governments and networks around the world.
Library services
Our main library is open 24/7 throughout the academic year. With a book stock in excess of 1.2 million, we have one of the highest UK academic library ratios of books to students. The main library offers self-service machines, state-of-the-art multimedia facilities, and an extended wifi network. The library provides world-class study facilities to all students. It has extensive holdings of works on political science, international relations and the various sub-disciplines.
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Dr Gabriel Katz
Programme Director, Associate Professor of Politics and Quantitative Methods
Professor Duncan Russel
Professor in Environmental Policy
Dr Gabriel Katz
Programme Director, Associate Professor of Politics and Quantitative Methods
Dr. Gabriel Katz is an Associate Professor of Politics and Quantitative Methods, Director of the Centre for Elections, Media and Participation, and Senior Fellow of the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods. Besides his academic work, he is a statistical consultant for fhi360, an international non-profit human development organization, and a research associate for Justice & Care, an NGO working on human trafficking in the UK and the developing world. He has also been a senior data analyst for YouGov/Polimetrix and an economic advisor for the Uruguayan government.
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Professor Duncan Russel
Professor in Environmental Policy
Duncan Russel is a Professor in Environmental Policy. His research and teaching interests include UK and European climate, climate and public policy, policy appraisal and coordination, evidence and policy interactions and budgetary politics.
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Careers
The MA in International Development enables you to develop the skills and knowledge required for a future career within international development, including within governmental and non-governmental organisations, humanitarian organisations or doner organisations.
Graduates could also go on to work in a range of other careers, such as journalism; local, national or international government service; policy analysis and advocacy. You may also go on to postgraduate study in a range of social science disciplines (including Politics, Development Studies).
Employer valued skills
Apart from specialist knowledge and skills relating to a range of careers in international development, you will also develop transferrable skills that are highly desirable in a range of careers. These include:
- High-level research and writing skills
- Analysis, evaluation and presentation skills
- Excellent communication skills and experience, both written and oral
- Ability to engage critically with complex ideas and arguments
- Independent work skills of time-planning and motivation
Careers support
Our careers advisory service provides expert guidance to all students to enable them to plan their futures through psychometric testing, employer presentations, skills events, practice job interviews and CV preparation.
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