Who is this course for? 

The MA in International Development is deigned to equip you with the knowledges and skills to tackle the most urgent concerns of international development in the world today. From climate action to food security, from gender equality to youth participation, from environmental justice to human rights, the programme engages key overlapping challenges of global development, through tailored modules incorporating interdisciplinary expertise from human geography, international relations, international development and political ecology. It is taught by highly experienced staff who have worked in leading academic institutions and multilateral global governance agencies. They bring a rich background in human rights, human security, planning, gender, migration and urban studies, and extensive field-based research experience from many countries worldwide. With a strong emphasis on interdisciplinarity, we aim to support you in embarking upon a distinct career path in the field that draws upon expert, critical and participatory knowledges in shaping a more sustainable world. 

What will I study? 

The full-time programme comprises three seminar-based modules in Semester 1 (September-December) and three seminar-based modules in Semester 2 (January-April). The summer period (May-August) will involve a supervised research project and dissertation. Part-time students will take three taught modules in year 1 and three taught modules and the dissertation module in year 2. The course may be taken as a full-time degree over a twelve-month period (September to August) OR as a part-time degree taken over a twenty-four-month period. 

Curriculum Overview for the MA in International Development (90 ECTS)

Semester 1	ECTS
Development and Justice	10
Young Lives in Global Contexts: Participation, Place and Development	10
Research Methods in International Development	10

Semester 2	ECTS
Development and Justice	10
Young Lives in Global Contexts: Participation, Place and Development	10
Research Methods in International Development	10

Summer Period	ECTS
Research Project and Dissertation	30

Semester 1 

Required XXXXXX: Introduction to Development ECTS: 10 

In this module, students will learn about key concepts and traditions that characterise different practices concerned with ‘development’. The module serves as a broad introduction to the MA programme, ensuring that students from a range of professional and international backgrounds learn to speak a shared language and acquire the skills needed to engage with problems and obstacles to development. The module employs a multi-scalar approach to signal the importance of geographically sensitive, cross-scalar approaches. Case studies discussed and analysed in the course will be global in orientation, tackling key areas of developmental orientation and deploying different theoretical underpinnings. 

Learning Outcomes 

• Demonstrate an understanding of the history of developmental thought and action.
• Appreciate and critically engage with the discursive nature of developmental debates.
• Navigate complex constellations of interests, legacies and affects in the analysis of locally resonant developmental issues.
• Analyse the many linkages that materialise locally between a globalising economy and sustainable social and environmental development practices.
• Become cognizant about ways to navigate national interests with global developmental concerns.
• Articulate different approaches, ideologies and rhetorics that allow us to approach the nexus between development and other concepts and practices that inform the programme. 

Assessments 

• Continuous Assessment (100%) 

Teachers & Administrators 

• ULF STROHMAYER 

Sample Reading List 

1. Desai, V. and Potter, R. (2014) The Companion to Development Studies. New York: Routledge
2. Harvey, D. (2019) Spaces of Global Capitalism: A Theory of Uneven Development. London: Verso
3. Malm, A. (2015) Fossil Capital. London: Verso
4. Moore, J. (2015) Capitalism in the Web of Life. London: Verso
5. Potter, R. et. al. (2012) Key Concepts in Development Geography. Newbury Park, CA: Sage
6. Smith, N. (2008) Uneven Development: Nature, Capital and the Production of Space, Third Edition. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press 

The above information is valid from 2026 onwards. 

Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change. 

Required XXXXXX: International Development Policy and Practice ECTS: 10 

This module applies theory to practice focusing on how development issues are embraced and implemented by a range of diverse international development actors. The module covers a range of policy issues (e.g. poverty, social protection, labour issues, gender, environment) unpacking how they are addressed in practice including programme planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The module also looks at governance and use of evidence-based research in planning and policy. 

Learning Outcomes 

• Analyse and compare the roles, interests, and influence of key stakeholders in international development practice, with particular attention to their linkages to human rights frameworks.
• Differentiate between a range of international policy processes and critically evaluate their impact on the formulation and implementation of international development strategies.
• Identify and assess cross-cutting social issues, such as gender, inequality, and environmental sustainability, and propose strategies for their integration into international development policies and programmes.
• Apply project cycle management tools to design, assess, and critique international development programmes, including the development of logical frameworks, objectives, indicators, and performance measures. 

Assessments 

• Continuous Assessment (100%) 

Teachers & Administrators 

• UNA MURRAY  

Sample Reading List 

1. Allen, T, and Thomas, A., (eds) (2021) Poverty and Development in the 21st Century, Third Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. Ardle, O.M. and Murray, U. (2021) ‘Fit for Measure? Evaluation in Community Development’, Community Development Journal, 56(3): 432-448
3. Brass, J.N. et al. (2018) ‘NGOs and International Development: A Review of Thirty-Five Years of Scholarship’, World Development, 112: 136-149
4. Haslem, P., Schafer, J., and Beaudet, P. (eds) (2021) Introduction to International Development: Approaches, Actors, Issues, and Practice, Fourth Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. Milligan, S., & Wilson, L. (eds) (2023) Dear Development Practitioner: Advice for the Next Generation. New York: Routledge
6. Williams, A.J. and Gordon-Gibson, A. (2025) Conflict and Development, Third Edition. New York: Routledge 

The above information is valid from 2026 onwards. 

Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change. 

Required XXXXXX: International Relations, Geopolitics and Security ECTS: 10 

This module explores the key ways in which the world is shaped by practices of geopolitics and security. It critically interrogates the range of prevailing interventionary practices in international relations – from the waging of war to the protection of human rights, from environmental regulation to humanitarian aid – and sets out to underline the intimate connections between the discursive scripting of insecurity and risk and the operation of practices of securitization and interventionism. Drawing upon work in critical geopolitics, international relations and political ecology, the module interrogates the basis and operation of security in our contemporary world, with an eye for insisting upon more humane, nuanced and contextualised visions of human geography and development. The module covers core areas of IR, critical geopolitics and security studies, including: classical geopolitics, feminist geopolitics, humanitarianism, biopolitics, geoeconomics, and human and environmental security. It concludes by reflecting on the challenge of building consensus on more progressive visions of security and integrated global governance that are key to the sustainability of the planet. 

Learning Outcomes 

• Understanding the geopolitical underpinnings of international relations and global security in our contemporary world.
• Seeing the connections between the discursive scripting of insecurity and risk and the operation of practices of security and interventionism.
• Comprehending the long-standing equation between security interests and economic interests at the heart of interventionary practices across the planet.
• Acquiring the ability to critique international relations from a range of critical perspectives, including feminist geopolitics, human security, political ecology and postcolonialism.
• Reflecting on the challenge of building more progressive visions of human-environmental security for the future. 

Assessments 

• Continuous Assessment (100%) 

Teachers & Administrators 

• JOHN MORRISSEY  

Sample Reading List 

1. L. Dowler and J. Sharp (2001) ‘A Feminist Geopolitics?’, Space and Polity, 5(3): 165-176
2. M. Foucault (2007) Security, Territory, Population: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1977-1978 (Trans. G. Burchell). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
3. O. Gómez et al. (2020) Protecting Our Human World Order: A Human Security Compass for a New Sustainability Decade. New York: UN Human Development Report Office
4. D. Gregory (2010) ‘War and Peace’, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, New Series 35(2): 154-186
5. N. Klein (2007) The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. New York: Metropolitan
6. G. Ó Tuathail (1996) Critical Geopolitics: The Politics of Writing Global Space. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press 

The above information is valid from 2026 onwards. 

Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change. 

Semester 2 

Required XXXXXX: Development and Justice ECTS: 10 

This module interrogates contemporary development through the lens of justice – egalitarian, environmental and intergenerational – grounded in critical political economy. We will trace how economic ideas travel into policy and practice, examine why certain models dominate, and evaluate their uneven effects across places and scales. Attention will be given to the security-environment-equity nexus, the rise of digital/urban agendas, and alternative economic imaginaries. The emphasis will be on connecting theory to practice via policy critique, case-based analysis and reflective, place-sensitive methods. In the module, students weigh up competing futures – growth, mission-oriented, doughnut/degrowth, commons-based – asking who gains, who pays, and what institutions are needed to make them work? Our goal is to scrutinise evidence quality, being honest about positionality, and tackling the difficult ask – turning critical political economy into clear, workable recommendations that fit the place and the people involved. 

Learning Outcomes 

• To critically evaluate dominant and heterodox political-economy frameworks shaping development policy and practice.
• To analyse multi-scalar governance of development (global–national–urban–local) and its justice implications, including environmental and human security dimensions.
• To apply theoretical principles to topical case studies, producing evidence-based, context-aware recommendations.
• To appraise and compare alternative modes of organising production and exchange (e.g., mission-oriented, doughnut/degrowth, commons), in terms of sustainability and equity.
• To communicate complex arguments to mixed audiences using accessible media outputs. 

Assessments 

• Continuous Assessment (100%) 

Teachers & Administrators 

• Patrick Collins 

Sample Reading List 

1. Fraser, N. (2023) Cannibal Capitalism. London: Verso
2. Martin, R. and Sunley, P. (2015) ‘Towards a Developmental Turn’, Regional Studies, 49(5): 712–732
3. Mitlin, D., Hickey, S. and Bebbington, A. (2007) ‘Reclaiming Development?’, World Development, 35(10): 1699–1720
4. Pike, A. et al. (2016) ‘Doing Evolution in Economic Geography’, Economic Geography, 92(2): 123–144
5. Piketty, T. (2020) Capital and Ideology. Harvard, MA: Harvard University Press
6. Sheppard, E. (2011) ‘Geography, Nature, and the Question of Development.’ Dialogues in Human Geography, 1(1): 46–75. 

The above information is valid from 2026 onwards. 

Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change. 

Required      XXXXXX: Young Lives in Global Contexts: Participation, Place and Development      ECTS: 10 

This module critically examines the everyday experiences of children and young people across local, national and global contexts. Drawing on geography and the wider social sciences, it explores how ideas of childhood and youth are socially constructed and contested, with attention to themes such as mobility, migration, inclusion, exclusion, identity and participation. By situating young lives within international development debate, the module highlights how social, cultural, and spatial factors shape opportunities, agency and outcomes for some of the world’s most marginalized populations. Students are encouraged to critically reflect on how environments, institutions, and power relations influence development trajectories, and to consider the role of participatory approaches in advancing equitable and sustainable futures. The module also engages with contemporary research sensitive to the intersectional nature of young lives, fostering critical engagement with development as a dynamic, context-dependent process, with young people recognized as active agents in shaping their own lives and communities. 

Learning Outcomes 

• Gain sophisticated knowledge and understanding of key themes and issues stemming from an exploration of research with children and young people in geography and across the social sciences, with particular sensitivity to contexts of international development.
• Demonstrate a critical awareness of key concepts and creative methodological advances used to collect and analyse data associated with research with children and young people, including approaches that foreground their participation, agency, and roles in shaping responses to global challenges such as climate change and sustainable development.
• Advance student capacity for individual study and research in this area, including presentation of a reasoned argument and application of concepts and theory in oral and written formats.
• Apply peer supported learning through a (group) project, including the preparation and presentation of a report. 

Assessments 

• Continuous Assessment (100%) 

Teachers & Administrators 

• KATHY REILLY  

Sample Reading List 

1. Ansell, N. (2016) Children, Youth and Development. New York: Routledge
2. Blazek, M. (2024) ‘Children’s Geographies I: Decoloniality’, Progress in Human Geography, 48(2): 224-235
3. Hadfield-Hill, S. et al. (2023) ‘Expanding the Scope of Ethical Research with and for Children and Young People – Six Viewpoints on Crisis, Cross-cultural Working and Reciprocity’, Children’s Geographies, Latest Articles: 1–10
4. McQuaid, K. et al. (eds) (2026) Climate Justice in Action: Activism and Adaptation in Eastern Africa. Bristol: Bristol University Press
5. Pincock, K. et al. (eds) (2024) Young People in the Global South: Voice, Agency and Citizenship. New York: Routledge 

The above information is valid from 2026 onwards. 

Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.  

Required XXXXXX: Research Methods in International Development ECTS: 10 

This module equips students with the skills and critical understanding necessary to collect both primary and secondary data, and to analyse and interpret this evidence to inform incisive and impactful research in international development. Students will engage with a range of methodological approaches and develop the ability to critically apply these methods, whilst also considering the ethical, cultural, and representational issues involved in knowledge production. The module emphasises the use of evidence to support research and policy-relevant analysis and programme design in diverse development contexts. 

Learning Outcomes 

• Understand and apply the research process from identifying issues and framing questions to reviewing literature and designing ethically sound studies.
• Critically evaluate and use qualitative and quantitative research methods (such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, mapping and GIS) with a critical awareness of their suitability, constraints and ethical considerations.
• Analyse development policies using content analysis, critical discourse analysis, comparative policy review, and stakeholder interviews.
• Proficiency in conducting systematic reviews, administering surveys, facilitating focus groups, producing GIS visualisations, and carrying out a range of qualitative and quantitative analyses.
• Develop the skills to collaboratively design and implement a research project as a member of a research team. 

Assessments 

• Continuous Assessment (100%) 

Teachers & Administrators 

• UNA MURRAY  

Sample Reading List 

1. Adu, P. (2019) A Step-By-Step Guide to Qualitative Data Coding. New York: Routledge
2. Creswell, J.W. and Creswell, J.D. (2017) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, Fifth Edition. London: Sage
3. Clifford, N. et al. (2016) Key Methods in Geography. London: Sage
4. Hennink, M., Hutter, I. and Bailey, A. (2020) Qualitative Research Methods. London: Sage
5. Plano Clark, V.L. and Ivankova, N.V. (2016) Mixed Methods research: A Guide to the Field. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
6. Rose, G. (2022) Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to Researching with Visual Materials, Fifth Edition. London: Sage 

The above information is valid from 2026 onwards. 

Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change. 

Summer Period 

Required XXXXXX: Research Project and Dissertation ECTS: 30 

The module ‘Research Project and Dissertation’ culminates the MA programme. It aims to enable students to mobilise the critical thinking and concrete research skills acquired through the first two semesters, in organising and executing a research project designed in co-operation with a designated research supervisor. 

Learning Outcomes 

• To acquire a range of critical thinking, project management and independent learning competencies.
• To oversee effectively a research project, from conceptualisation and project design to evidence collection, analysis and communication.
• To implement theoretical and methodological proficiency in carrying out research.
• To learn crucial time management skills in completing a project successfully.
• To develop key communicative abilities, especially interacting with communities and identified research stakeholders.
• To communicate the results of a dedicated research project in a probing, succinct and convincing manner. 

Assessments 

• Continuous Assessment (100%) 

Teachers & Administrators 

• VALERIE LEDWITH  

Sample Reading List 

1. Burnett, J. (2009) Doing Your Social Science Dissertation. London: Sage
2. Flowerdew, R. and Martin, D.M. (eds) (2005) Methods in Human Geography: A Guide for Students Doing a Research Project, Second Edition. London: Routledge
3. Parsons, T. and Knight, P.G. (2015) How To Do Your Dissertation in Geography and Related Disciplines. New York: Routledge
4. Peters, K. (2017) Your Human Geography Dissertation: Designing, Doing, Delivering. London: Sage
5. Schutt, R.K. (2018) Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research. London: Sage
6. Thomas, G. (2022) How to Do Your Research Project: A Guide for Students, Fifth Edition. London: Sage 

The above information is valid from 2026 onwards. 

Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change. 

Reputation for Research and Teaching in International Development, International Relations and Environmental Sustainability 

The MA in International Development at University of Galway is an exciting new programme that is an innovative expansion of two long-standing successful programmes: the MA in Environment, Society and Development, and the MA in International Development Practice. Both have graduated over 200 students from over 30 countries worldwide. Our international reputation for running Master’s programmes in the areas of global development, international relations and environmental sustainability is strong and you will greatly benefit from the experience of the programme’s director and module lecturers. In addition to teaching excellence, they all have extensive experience as research consultants in core areas of international development, geopolitics, and human and environmental security, working with leading international NGOs and UN agencies. 

Student-centred teaching excellence and international reputation 

Our students bring passion and new perspectives to urgent overlapping questions of international development. Students in our School come from every continent across the globe. They enrich learning in both the classroom and the field, and this mirrors a commitment on the programme to a postcolonial concern for the production of locally-attuned knowledges that are crucial to envisioning and actioning a better world. Students benefit especially from our dedicated lecturers who have a reputation for providing one-to-one support and pedagogic excellence. 

The teaching team have received multiple accolades for teaching excellence, including the Irish National Academy Award for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning, and the University of Galway’s President’s Award for Teaching Excellence on several occasions. 

Innovative, cutting-edge skills for the international development field 

In systematically interrogating the geopolitical, social, economic and environmental dimensions of international development paradigms, the programme empowers you to constructively critique the root causes of poverty, global inequities, human insecurities and environmental emergency. Moving beyond critique, the programme also crucially considers the pathways to sustainable and innovative solutions by building the competencies required to work professionally in an international development context. 

All modules on the MA synthesize both theory and practice in bringing critical thinking to issues of international development in the field. Modules include those on international development theory, policy and practice, critical geopolitics, human and environmental security, political economy, youth, gender and social justice, and research methods spanning human geography, international development and political ecology. Our overarching aim is for these modules to equip you with opportunities to become an agent of change in today’s complex and challenging world. 

The programme’s key learning outcomes are designed to: 

• Equip you with the most cutting-edge, innovative and interdisciplinary knowledges and expertise in international development.
• Enable the critical thinking, policy analysis and research skills required to address the multi-dimensional challenges of development practice.
• Empower your capacity to work productively and creatively in communities, governments and international development programme environments. 

Productive and impactful careers 

With a focus on real-world applications, this degree prepares you for a wide range of exciting careers in international development. Our graduates go on to pursue highly productive and impactful careers in myriad international development work environments, including: 

• UN agencies
• International NGOs
• Government departments
• Private sector
• Urban, rural, regional and national planning units
• Policy institutes
• Research institutions
• Ordnance Survey faculties
• Cartographic and mapping services
• Spatial analysis and GIS 

Skills for a career in changing the world 

The programme will engage you on a critical exploration of the practices of international development that are vital for the wellbeing of the planet and its future. A core challenge will be exploring how to balance economic production, equity and environmental protection by enabling more informed, participatory and transformative interventionism. The programme will expose you to global concerns that encompass a complex mesh of environmental, geopolitical, cultural and economic processes, and the aim is to equip you with the theoretical and evaluative capacity to interrogate international development policy and practice from a range of interdisciplinary perspectives. With a strong emphasis on interdisciplinarity, we aim to support you in embarking upon a distinct career path in the field that draws upon expert, critical and participatory knowledges in shaping a more sustainable world. 

• Dr Patrick Collins | Module Coordinator
• Dr Valerie Ledwith | Module Coordinator
• Prof. John Morrissey | Module Coordinator
• Dr Una Murray | Module Coordinator
• Dr Kathy Reilly | Module Coordinator
• Prof. Ulf Strohmayer | Module Coordinator 

How will I learn? 

• As a student on the MA in International Development, you will learn through a mix of interactive lectures, seminars and workshops, led by expert faculty and featuring colleagues from across the international development field who will provide guest lectures and seminars.
• Real-world case studies, and engagement with a wide range of critical theoretical perspectives and research methods will enable you to bring cutting-edge analytical and evaluative skills to real-world international development challenges.
• Group projects and collaborative activities will enhance your teamwork and communication skills, while individual assignments and your dissertation will help you develop critical thinking, project management and independent learning competencies.
• Throughout the programme, you will have access to the best available research collection and analysis resources, including the latest available geographic information systems (GIS) technology. 

How Will I Be Assessed? 

• For the 60 ECTS of the 6 taught modules, your progress is assessed through various forms of continuous assessment, including essays, reports, précis submissions, presentations, quantitative and qualitative research projects and GIS and mapping assignments.
• Your 30-ECTS supervised research, which culminates the programme, will be assessed by a 15000 to 20000-word dissertation. 

The teaching team on the MA in International Development have received multiple accolades for combing research and teaching excellence, including the Irish National Academy Award for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning, and the University of Galway’s President’s Award for Teaching Excellence on several occasions. 

Course queries: 
john.morrissey@universityofgalway.ie   

Programme Director: 

Prof. John Morrissey 
Professor of Human Geography 
School of Geography, Archaeology and Irish Studies
College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies 
E: john.morrissey@universityofgalway.ie
T: 091 492267 

Prior learning via relevant work experience is recognised in applications to the MA in International Development. 

University of Galway recognises that knowledge and skills can be acquired from a range of learning experiences. This is in line with the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) goals which aim to recognise all learning achievements by supporting the development of alternative pathways to qualifications (or awards) and by facilitating the recognition of prior learning (RPL). 

Graduates of the MA in International Development will be able to:  

• Demonstrate a breadth of understanding of the range of approaches to the study of international development.
• Apply the most innovative thinking in international development - from critical geopolitics to human and environmental security, from political economy to youth, gender and social justice – in multiple work environments.
• Display a high level of proficiency in research methods, spanning human geography, international development, political ecology and GIS, and have the experience of planning, managing and executing an independent research project. 

Minimum Entry Requirements 

• NQAI Level 8 degree at H2.1 in a relevant subject area and H2.2 overall
• GPA 3.0, or equivalent international qualification in a relevant subject area 

Academic entry requirements standardised per country are available here.  

English Language Entry Requirements 

For applicants whose first language is not English, an English language proficiency of IELTS score 6.5 is required (with no less than 6.5 overall and no less than 5.5 in any band). 

More information on English language test equivalency are available here. 

Supporting Documents 

You will be required to provide a 600-word ‘Personal Statement’ as part of your application. 

You can check here what supporting documents are required for this course. 

You can apply online to the University of Galway application portal here.  

Please review the entry requirements set out in the section above.  

You will be required to upload supporting documentation to your application electronically. See the section above on entry requirements for further information on the supporting documentation required for this course.  

Closing Dates 

For this programme, there is no specific closing date for receipt of applications. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and course quotes will be reviewed continuously throughout the application cycle.  

Notes 

• You will need an active email account to use the website, and you'll be guided through the system, step by step, until you complete the online form.
• Browse the FAQ's section for further guidance. 

Course Type	Year	EU Tuition	Student Contribution	Non-EU Tuition	Levy	Total Fee	Total EU Fee	Total Non-EU Fee

Postgraduate Excellence Scholarships

This scholarship is valued at €1,500 for EU students applying for full-time taught master's postgraduate courses. You will be eligible if: 

• You have been accepted to a full-time taught master's course at University of Galway,
• You have attained a first class honours (or equivalent) in a Level 8 primary degree.  

An application for the scholarship scheme is required (separate to the application for a place on the programme). The application portal for 2025 is now open and available here. Applications will close on the 30th of September 2025. Full details available here.  

Global Scholarships

University of Galway offers a range of merit-based scholarships to students from a number of countries outside of the EU. Visit here for schemes currently available.  

MA in International Development Research Award 

The Neil Smith Research Award is annually given to the best overall student on the MA in International Development. The award is designed to celebrate the legacy of the late Neil Smith, by encouraging graduate research in the areas of geopolitics, international development and social and environmental justice. 

Application Process 

Students applying for full time postgraduate programmes from outside of the European Union (EU), You can apply online to the University of Galway application portal here.  

Our application portal opens on the 1st of October each year for each the following September. 

Further Information 

Please visit the postgraduate admissions webpage for further information on closing dates, documentation requirements, application fees and the application process.