Master of Arts in Development Management

The aim of the 18-month MA in Development Management is the training of professionals to meet the increasing need for experts in programme and project management that has emerged in international development cooperation. The course provides the student with the necessary tools to deal with practical problems of managing development programmes and projects. Elements of the curriculum are: an introduction to relevant theories in social science and economics methods of empirical social research and project cycle management the application of theoretical and methodological knowledge During their first semester, students are given an interdisciplinary intro­duction to relevant theories and strategies of development. Students will learn about actors in international development cooperation and the role of institutions in development and will be faced with relevant case studies. In consultation with the course coordinator, students will select a research problem related to a development programme or project as the starting point for their MA thesis project. This project is preferably related to their home country. After the first semester, students can undertake a minimum two-month internship in Germany in a development organisation or a corporation in the private sector. Building on the knowledge of relevant theories and tendencies in international development cooperation students acquired during the first semester, the second semester is taken up with learning about the variety of methods for programme and project planning, implementation, and evaluation. Students are required to apply their knowledge to case studies related to the programme or project chosen in the first semester and present the results in a seminar paper. After the second semester, students undertake fieldwork on projects and programmes in international development cooperation in developing countries. This will form the empirical basis of their MA thesis project. In the third semester, students concentrate on writing up their thesis, which must contain theory, methodology and the results of the fieldwork. The thesis is designed to demonstrate the student’s ability to embed the re­search in the scientific debate and communicate it in a clear and coherent way.

Young professionals from all over the world with a B.A. or relevant degree and practical experience with relevance to development management.