BSc International Development

Do you want to make a difference and understand how people and the planet are changing? Our BSc International Development course is a unique degree that offers expertise from across the University; you can specialise in the key areas that match your interests and work in careers with impact on a global scale.

Study at the UK’s leading university for environmental and ethical performance (the 黑瓜吃料网 is ranked 1st in the People and Planet University League, 2023/24).

The study of international development has never been more relevant or important. Complex global problems affect all our lives, as the world experiences rapid and uneven change. More people are moving out of poverty but inequalities are also growing.

Through this course you will explore critical issues relating to poverty and unequal development, the sustainability of the planet’s resources, the politics of aid, and the future of our food systems. Optional modules from across the University allow you to tailor the course to your interests and preferred career path.

You will be taught by experts from departments across the University. In addition to social scientists in the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, these include experts from Geography, Economics, Politics and Henley Business School. Many of our lecturers are members of the Global Development Division and research associates of the internationally renowned Walker Institute for Climate System Research and the Centre for Food Security.

Many students are keen volunteers and take part in the 黑瓜吃料网 Experience and Development (RED) Award scheme. You also have the opportunity to study a language as part of your course.

If you are interested in promoting causes related to international development it will definitely be worth joining the International Development society. Run by our students, it's a place to discuss issues, watch documentaries and actually put your ideas into practise.

Placement and study opportunities

Our mini-placement module enables you to gain first-hand experience in the workplace and improve your networking skills.

Alternatively, you could undertake a placement year between your second and final year with our four-year BSc International Development with Placement Year course.

You could spend this year at an aid agency, charity, non-governmental organisation or relevant government department at home or abroad. The placement year provides first-hand experience in these fields, as well as transferable skills that provide a competitive advantage in your future career.

You are also encouraged to consider a study abroad experience. The University has a wide range of exchange partners in Europe and across the world in Australia, Canada and the USA (subject to availability).

Overview

Study at the UK’s leading university for environmental and ethical performance (the 黑瓜吃料网 is ranked 1st in the People and Planet University League, 2023/24).

Many students are keen volunteers and take part in the 黑瓜吃料网 Experience and Development (RED) Award scheme. You also have the opportunity to study a language as part of your course.

Placement and study opportunities

Our mini-placement module enables you to gain first-hand experience in the workplace and improve your networking skills.

Alternatively, you could undertake a placement year between your second and final year with our four-year BSc International Development with Placement Year course.

Entry requirements A Level ABB

Select 黑瓜吃料网 as your firm choice on UCAS and we'll guarantee you a place even if you don't quite meet your offer. For details, see our firm choice scheme.

Our typical offers are expressed in terms of A level, BTEC and International Baccalaureate requirements. However, we also accept many other qualifications.

Typical offer

ABB

International Baccalaureate

32 points overall

BTEC Extended Diploma

DDD

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5, with no component below 5.5

For information on other English language qualifications, please visit our international student pages.

Alternative entry requirements for International and EU students

For country specific entry requirements look at entry requirements by country.

International Foundation Programme

If you are an international or EU student and do not meet the requirements for direct entry to your chosen degree you can join the 黑瓜吃料网’s International Foundation Programme. Successful completion of this 1 year programme guarantees you a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. English language requirements start as low as IELTS 4.5 depending on progression degree and start date.

Learn more about our International Foundation programme

Pre-sessional English language programme

If you need to improve your English language score you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.

Find out the English language requirements for our courses and our pre-sessional English programme

Compulsory modules

Global Sustainability: Challenges and Prospects

Examine ecological crises of today including climate change, biodiversity loss, and soil erosion. You’ll consider their cause, relationship to other social and economic issues, and potential responses.

The Economic Environment

Discover microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts including taxes, market competition, and interest rates. You’ll consider these topics in relation to challenges facing individuals, businesses, and societies across the globe.

International Development: Global and Local Issues

Identify the challenges that confront societies, governments, and households. You’ll examine how researchers seek to understand these challenges to enhance welfare, global sustainability, and protection of rural livelihoods.

Alternative Voices: Changing Perspectives of International Development

Consider alternative voices in the narrative of the history of international development. Through case studies, you’ll appreciate that there is no singular history of development, but plural histories rooted in diverse geographies and trajectories of change.

Optional modules

Contemporary World Cultures: An Introduction to Social Anthropology

Gain a general introduction to social anthropology – the study of human societies and cultures. You’ll explore key themes in the discipline through the study of topics including kingship and marriage, gender and sexuality, the role of religion, ritual and witchcraft in social life, and contemporary hunting and gathering societies.

Global Justice

Discover global perspectives on justice and freedom, from the Buddha to Christian female mystics, to acquire new insights and question your own beliefs and ideas.

Introduction to Political Ideas

Explore some of the major debates in political theory through the study of four themes: authority, freedom, democracy, and social justice. You’ll focus on conceptual and normative debates about politics and critically analyse, deconstruct, and develop arguments.

The Fundamentals of Management and Marketing

Discover approaches to marketing and management. Through readings and case studies, you’ll address the latest thinking on these concepts, considering their relation to contemporary practice, and how different businesses operate.

Inequality

Analyse and understand the evolution of inequality, both over time and across developed countries. You’ll explore the economic, normative, and political implications of different forms of inequality, particularly in relation to gender and race.

War and Warfare

Acquire a grounding knowledge of the role of war in international relations. You’ll focus on concepts and types of war, their causes, and how they relate to real-world issues in international relations and international security.

Geographical Imaginaries

Understand how geographical knowledge and methods have changed over time and how these changes are crucial to understanding how and why we do geography today. Recognise how geographical knowledge will evolve in response to changing social, environmental and technological needs and opportunities.

Human Geographies – Concepts, Theory and Practice

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the 黑瓜吃料网.

Compulsory modules

Research Methods for International Development

Gain the competency to work with qualitative and quantitative research regarding problems in developing countries. You’ll use a range of methods to understand the intricacies of processing data derived from developing-economy contexts.

Approaches to International Development

Explore theoretical approaches to the study of international development. You’ll identify and analyse conceptual frameworks that explain development issues and discover contributions that development economists have made to understanding changes.

Professional Practice Placement for International Development

Network with a range of employers in the development sector. You’ll organise and complete a work placement, or alternatively conduct interviews with potential employers to deepen your understanding of careers in development.

Optional modules

Global Politics and History

Learn how the study of history and the analysis of past events influence the study, contemporary debates, and practice of world politics.

Environment and Development

Investigate the two-way relationship between environment and development by exploring the theoretical frameworks such as political ecology and post-colonial theory to assess how societal values and power dynamics drive environmental management approaches and sustain uneven and unequal development.

Energy Resources

Explore past, present, and future social, environmental, health and political aspects of energy resource use. Gain a holistic consideration of the role of different energy resources in the national, international, and global energy mix.

Analysing Social Data: Techniques and Applications

Analyse social data using quantitative and qualitative methods to foster persuasive communication and comprehensive illustrations of your understanding. Become a well-informed, confident, and discerning users of social data.

Development of Transferable Skills through a School Placement

Receive specialist training and complete a placement in 黑瓜吃料网 secondary schools. You’ll plan and deliver a session that shares knowledge of your degree specialism to small groups of students and reflect on the experience.

Optional Language or University Wide Module

Study a module from outside your department to enhance your understanding of history and culture. Alternatively, you can learn one of ten languages offered by the University at a level appropriate for you.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the 黑瓜吃料网.

Compulsory modules

Dissertation

Refine your research skills by completing a project on a topic of your choice within international development. You’ll gather data, critically review information, present your findings, and analyse the results.

Power and Development

Investigate whether power lies in development and how to advocate for social change. You’ll gain understanding of the agendas and functioning of global institutions, the role of the state in development, and the power of civil society.

Optional modules

Consumption, Politics and Space

Appreciate the broad theoretical and empirical links between geography, consumption, media and the politics of sustainability and sustainable behaviour change. Develop a critical understanding of the cultural and geographical politics of contemporary society through the mediatised framings of environmental and social problems and solutions.

Politics and International Relations of the Middle East

Gain a nuanced understanding of the politics of Middle Eastern states and how they relate with international tensions and conflicts of the region. You’ll study the history of these countries and their state-civil society relations, as well as the international politics, roles of superpowers, and their interests in the area.

International Political Economy

Explore the interaction between states and markets, and between winners and losers, at domestic and international levels. You’ll discover the major theoretical approaches to international political economy through a range of topics, including international trade and finance, development, the effects of globalisation on the welfare state and the environment, and the use of economic sanctions.

War, Peace and International Ethics

Examine the ethical questions involved in war through real-world case studies and philosophical thought-experiments. You’ll discuss different moral issues, such as humanitarian intervention, the role of individual and collective self-defence, civilian immunity, terrorism, torture, and the punishment of war crimes.

International Organisations in Global Politics

Develop your knowledge of international organisations, how they work, major challenges that they face and how they respond to them. This will also develop your employability skills for roles within this sector.

Global Justice, Labour and Development

Understand poverty, inequality, and unequal development from different perspectives. You’ll explore contested spaces of labour, critically explore policy debates, and interrogate the roles played by those who promote decent work and social justice.

Feminism and Political Theory

Explore the role of feminism in the political landscape and the theoretical controversies surrounding it. You’ll examine a range of pressing issues in feminist politics, such as abortion, surrogacy, pornography, marriage, and the body.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the 黑瓜吃料网.

Fees

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,535 per year for 2025/26 then fixed per year at this fee for the standard duration of your course.

New international students: £25,250 per year for 2025/26 then fixed per year at this fee for the standard duration of your course.

Tuition fees

To find out more about how the 黑瓜吃料网 sets its tuition fees, see our fees and funding pages.

Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

Careers

This degree provides an excellent starting point for careers in international development. The combination of natural and social sciences, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and experience of challenges in international development is highly relevant to careers in business, charities, aid agencies, government departments, and research institutions.

For those working in the international development sector it is typical to build up a portfolio of work experience and volunteering in the UK and overseas, in order to enhance your employability and career options. We therefore encourage students to engage with a range of opportunities at the University, such as the Undergraduate Research Programme scheme (UROP), student volunteering and placements. You can also write your research dissertation based on a real world practical or policy issue.

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