MSc Global Development
16 Month Full Time | January Start
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
MSc Global Development
Overview
Interested in tackling global challenges like poverty, inequality, and the climate crisis?
This Global Development course, formerly known as International Development, offers a critical, up-to-date understanding of the field of global development. The course has entry points in September or January, as well as the option to complete a year in practice.
Engage with key concerns such as environmental and social injustices; conflict and displacement; technology, innovation and decolonising development; and examine global policies, theories, and practices.
Benefit from specialist expertise in the pioneering Centre for Global Development and the Disaster and Development Network (DDN),
Gain theoretical, analytical and practical knowledge and skills through interactive teaching. Our multidisciplinary course prepares you for a career in global development, for example in non-governmental organisations, government, or multilateral organisations.
Discover more about this course from a student point of view.
Fees and Funding 2026/27 Entry
Full UK Fee: £9,950
Tuition fees in the academic year 2027/28* will be £10,050. Fees are set in line with the UK Government's tuition fee cap. The University may increase fees in subsequent years in line with any changes to the tuition fee cap. Increases will be linked to inflation. For example, increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments) Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect. Student fee loans rise in line with the tuition fees cap.
*if your course is longer than one year
Full International Fee: £19,850
This is the tuition fee for your first year of study. You should expect to pay tuition fees for every year of study. The University may increase fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect.
Scholarships and Discounts
ADDITIONAL COSTS
TBC
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Features & Benefits
- Top School: Geography & Environmental Science at Northumbria is ranked 3rd in the UK for Student Experience and 4th for Teaching Quality (Times Good University Guide 2026).
- Research Powerhouse: Geography and Environmental Studies at Northumbria is ranked 2nd for research power in the UK (REF, 2021)
Careers & Employability
This course equips you with the skills and knowledge to tackle urgent global challenges like inequality, the climate crisis, conflict and disasters. You’ll enhance your career prospects with tailored career support and networking opportunities.
The chance to base your dissertation on independent fieldwork provides real-world experience and industry connections. Graduates pursue careers with NGOs, charities, government agencies, or launch their own initiatives. Others move into research, consultancy, or academia, with Alumni working for Barnardo’s, The Refugee Council, and the International Rescue Committee.
Staff
The course is taught by internationally recognised academics with extensive experience in global development across the global North and South. You’ll also attend guest lectures from experts who are currently working within the sector, and who will share their first-hand experience of what it’s like to work in the field of global development.
Staff on the MSc Global Development course bring their cutting-edge research into the classroom through case studies, problem-solving, and group discussions. Their expertise spans environmental governance, the climate crisis, gender inequalities, migrant mobilities, and decolonial approaches to development, with a focus on Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Members of the team are experts in participatory, decolonial and creative methodologies and in working collaboratively with development organisations.
You’ll have the chance to conduct your own research and engage with development organisations in the UK and internationally.
Facilities
Our campus encompasses a range of learning spaces, including the Qualitative Research Suite, The Zone, The Hub and our University Library.
The Qualitative Research Suite: Offers facilities for interviews, focus groups, and workshops, with recording equipment and transcription software.
The Zone: A 24/7 study area with workstations for group or individual study.
The Hub: A collaborative space for Geography & Environmental Science students, with computers and large tables for individual or group work.
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
Useful Links
Find out about our distinctive approach at
www.northumbria.ac.uk/exp
Admissions Terms and Conditions
northumbria.ac.uk/terms
Fees and Funding
northumbria.ac.uk/fees
Admissions Policy
northumbria.ac.uk/adpolicy
Admissions Complaints Policy
northumbria.ac.uk/complaints
Page last updated 05/08/26
