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Studies & Degrees in Development Studies

Choose where you would like to study Development Studies:

ArgentinaAustraliaCanadaDenmarkEcuadorFinlandHondurasIndiaNepalNetherlandsSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSwedenThe United KingdomThe United StatesZimbabwe

Development studies are a branch of social sciences, concerned with the issues of developing countries. It is a multidisciplinary degree, which is relatively young in nature, focusing on the issues of poverty and the social and economic development within countries, therefore often extending to regions outside of the developing world.

This type of course would be suitable for people who are involved with development in one way or another, or for people working for/in developing countries. Development Studies is usually taken as a complementary degree by those working in governments, large corporations, agriculture, aid agencies, regional planning, etc. Their aim is to enhance their awareness on issues like area studies, demography, human security, women’s studies, migration studies, public health, and therefore greatly raise employability perspectives.

Personal Qualities

Personal qualities involved are creativity, analytical thinking, open-mindedness, empathy, and excellent communication skills.

Study Options

Most commonly, Development Studies is offered as a specialized Master’s degree, and less often as an undergraduate degree. The popularity of this subject has been growing since the 1990s, while it has been most widely taught in developing countries, or in countries with a colonial history, such as the UK, where the subject actually originated from.

Career options

Students with a degree in Development Studies are most likely to choose careers in international organizations, such as the United Nations, the World Bank, research centers, private development consultancy firms, or non-government organizations. Overall, the degree does open a greater variety of opportunities in both the government and the private sector, as well as in aid-related positions.