Development Policy and Planning MSc 12 months Postgraduate Programme By UCL |TopUniversities
Programme Duration

12 monthsProgramme duration

Tuitionfee

36,800 GBPTuition Fee/year

Application Deadline

25 Jun, 2027Application Deadline

Starting Month

SepStarting Month

Programme overview

Main Subject

Public Policy

Degree

MSc

Study Level

Master's

Study Mode

On Campus

The Development Policy and Planning MSc is an interdisciplinary course focused on how development policy, planning and governance can contribute to socially just and sustainable development. We take a pluriversal perspective to understand how development policies, planning processes and interventions affect communities and settlements in different contexts and scales, and interact with broad sets of cultural, institutional and governance apparatuses. 

As a student, through core modules you:   

  • Critically explore the evolution of development concepts and ideas, with a focus on post-colonial theories and drawing on perspectives from a multiplicity of stakeholders   
  • Examine how development policies, programmes and projects are designed, managed and evaluated 
  • Learn about how different development actors from state, market and civil society shape developmental agendas along with local communities 
  • Learn some of the tools and techniques used for development planning interventions, including monitoring & evaluation 
  • Develop a critical and reflexive approach towards designing and evaluating just development and planning interventions across scales 
  • Take part in an overseas practice engagement, conducting fieldwork with partners and communities in a Global South location, involving a reflection on the ethics of engagement  
  • Build practical skills for careers in development, policy, planning and related fields. 
  • You shape your learning journey by choosing from a wide range of optional modules to develop your specialist interests—for instance, by exploring the complexity of financing sustainable infrastructure development, or examining how development has been represented in cultural studies.  

By the end of the degree, you will have developed expertise to critically assess how development policies, planning approaches and governance systems shape social justice outcomes across different contexts; and to analyse the role of actors from state, markets, and civil society, in promoting social justice, equal access to resources, and environmental sustainability.

Programme overview

Main Subject

Public Policy

Degree

MSc

Study Level

Master's

Study Mode

On Campus

The Development Policy and Planning MSc is an interdisciplinary course focused on how development policy, planning and governance can contribute to socially just and sustainable development. We take a pluriversal perspective to understand how development policies, planning processes and interventions affect communities and settlements in different contexts and scales, and interact with broad sets of cultural, institutional and governance apparatuses. 

As a student, through core modules you:   

  • Critically explore the evolution of development concepts and ideas, with a focus on post-colonial theories and drawing on perspectives from a multiplicity of stakeholders   
  • Examine how development policies, programmes and projects are designed, managed and evaluated 
  • Learn about how different development actors from state, market and civil society shape developmental agendas along with local communities 
  • Learn some of the tools and techniques used for development planning interventions, including monitoring & evaluation 
  • Develop a critical and reflexive approach towards designing and evaluating just development and planning interventions across scales 
  • Take part in an overseas practice engagement, conducting fieldwork with partners and communities in a Global South location, involving a reflection on the ethics of engagement  
  • Build practical skills for careers in development, policy, planning and related fields. 
  • You shape your learning journey by choosing from a wide range of optional modules to develop your specialist interests—for instance, by exploring the complexity of financing sustainable infrastructure development, or examining how development has been represented in cultural studies.  

By the end of the degree, you will have developed expertise to critically assess how development policies, planning approaches and governance systems shape social justice outcomes across different contexts; and to analyse the role of actors from state, markets, and civil society, in promoting social justice, equal access to resources, and environmental sustainability.

Admission Requirements

4.5+
76+
180+
7+
The normal minimum qualifications are an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, or a lower second-class UK Bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent overseas qualification, in a subject appropriate to the programme, plus relevant work experience. In rare cases, applicants with degrees below this standard will be considered if they have significant relevant professional experience. In all cases, successful applicants are expected to provide good references and a strong personal statement, which adequately demonstrate the applicant’s interest in the topics addressed by this programme.

25 Jun 2027
1 Year
Sep

Tuition fees

Domestic
21,500 GBP
International
36,800 GBP

Scholarships

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