New 'global development' programme will combine economics, anthropology and political science

Ready to cross (disciplinary) borders?

Future graduates from a new Master’s programme at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) will be able to understand and work with both theory and practice from a mix of social science disciplines, from anthropology and economics, to geography and sociology, organisers say.

Students with a background in social sciences and geography will be eligible apply, and 30 lucky students will be the first graduates of to a Master’s of Science in Global Development Studies at UCPH.

”We want to reach students that are interested in challenging their Bachelor’s knowledge and their preconceptions, and want to engage with a variety of scientific approaches and world views,” says Henrik Hansen, study leader at Global Development.

A cross-disciplinary approach

The first year of the program is based primarily in economics, anthropology and political science. With the help of these disciplines it aims to give students tools to understand market driving forces and cultural influences that have an impact on development.

Future graduates from the program will be able to understand and work with both ”economics-based papers from e.g. the IMF and anthropological work done on the ground by, for example, NGOs” says Henrik. ”This will give them a wide range of employment opportunities in, for example, private companies engaged in emerging markets, and state and non-state development agencies”.

Cross-disciplinarity is the thing at Global Development. ”At each course, at least two active researchers from different disciplines will teach and encourage learning different academic languages and cultures,” explains Henrik.

Field work in Tanzania

At the end of the first year, students will go on a field trip. The course will include three weeks of intensive preparation, two-to-three weeks of field study, and three weeks of report writing. ”Our first destination will be Tanzania, where we will work with both, development projects and state agencies,” says Henrik.

In the third semester, the programme encourages individual specialization. Students are free to choose their classes from a range of subjects in the social sciences, geography, nutrition, or African studies. As an alternative, they can opt to do an extensive 30-ECTS internship.

You can learn more from the programme’s website, here .

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