Masters applications for 2025 entry are now closed.
Applications for September 2026 will open on Wednesday 24 September. Applications are now open for programmes with a January 2026 start. View our programmes »
Overview
- You will acquire theoretical and analytical skills to address critical challenges developing and emerging economies, including poverty, inequality, climate change, migration and displacement, health, and violence and conflict.
- Learn from world-leading experts with extensive hands-on experience in development management and consulting.
- Benefit from practice-oriented training that provides the skills and experience needed for a career in international development, including roles in governmental and non-governmental organisations.
- Enjoy the flexibility to choose between a rigorous academic-oriented dissertation or a career-focused, consultancy-based research project.
- Join our global network of research partnerships, international development and policy organisations.
Top 15 in the UK for Politics
Top 100 in the world for Politics
Top 150 in the world for Political Sciences
Top 15 in the UK for Politics
Top 100 in the world for Politics
Entry requirements
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above (or equivalent). We welcome students from any academic background.
We would encourage applicants to use their personal statement to indicate their interests in International Development and any relevant work experience.
Please note, if we receive an application which we deem more suitable for one of our other programmes, we may make an offer for that alternative programme instead.
Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications.
Entry requirements for international students
Please visit our entry requirements section for equivalencies from your country and further information on English language requirements.
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Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications.
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B1. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
We will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the main theories of global development and consider core debates that have emerged from the early 20th Century to the current day. Our programme is interdisciplinary in nature, encompassing politics, political economy, sociology, and anthropology. We will encourage you to become independent, critical, and inquisitive researchers and provide you with the opportunity to develop your practical skills in project management.
Our wide range of optional modules enable you to tailor your degree to your career interests covering topics such as international relations, conflict and security, global governance and international development in the Middle East.
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Compulsory modules
120 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
The optional modules are clustered around specific Development themes. The thematic clusters are not formal pathways. They are there to better inform your choice of optional modules, depending on your own individual preferences, in particular the academic and professional skills you would like to acquire from studying International Development at Exeter.
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
| POLM886 |
Dissertation | 60 |
| POLM173 |
Theories of International Development | 30 |
| POLM085 |
Work Placement in Conflict, Security and Development | 30 |
Optional modules
60 credits of optional modules
the following list of modules are indicative, and the precise availability of modules will vary each year
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
|
MA International Development Option Modules 2025-6 |
| ARAM054 |
State and Society in the Middle East |
30 |
| ARAM131 |
Nationalisms in the Middle East |
15 |
| ARAM230 |
Gender, Sexuality and Violence in Palestine/Israel |
15 |
| SOCM021 |
Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks and Ethical Consumption |
30 |
| POLM063 |
Qualitative Methods in Social Research |
15 |
| POLM082 |
International Relations of the Middle East |
30 |
| POLM084 |
Conflict, Security and Development in World Politics |
30 |
| POLM088 |
State-building after Civil War |
30 |
| POLM140 |
Qualitative Methods in Social Research |
30 |
| POLM144 |
The West, Civilisations and World Order |
30 |
| POLM148 |
Brexit: Causes, Interpretation and Implications |
30 |
| POLM156 |
The Transformation of Politics in the Global Age |
30 |
| POLM158 |
Digital Politics and Policy |
30 |
| POLM220M |
Management and Governance: Comparing Public Administration around the World |
30 |
| POLM222M |
The Politics, Policy and Practice of Sustainable Development |
30 |
| POLM502 |
International Relations: Power and Institutions |
30 |
| POLM503 |
Foreign Policy Decision-Making |
30 |
| POLM809 |
Applied Quantitative Data Analysis |
15 |
| POLM897 |
Surveys and Experiments: Design, Implementation and Analysis |
15 |
| SPAM002 |
Security, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies |
30 |
| SSIM912 |
Introduction to Social Network Analysis |
15 |
| POLM168 |
From Oppression to Resistance: Exploring the Intersections of Race, Class and Gender |
30 |
| POLM343 |
Gender, War and Militarism |
30 |
| POLM228M |
Leadership, Equality and Diversity |
30 |
| POLM237M |
Collaborative and Participatory Governance |
30 |
| POLM342M |
Public Accountability and Governance |
30 |
| POLM307 |
International Politics of the Body |
30 |
| POLM803 |
Sources in Modernity and Post-Modernity |
30 |
| POLM887 |
Public Policy Process |
30 |
| POLM231 |
State Crime |
30 |
| POLM110 |
Theories of Diplomacy and Foreign Policy |
30 |
| POLM242 |
Strategy |
30 |
| POLM241 |
How to Make a Decision |
30 |
| POLM240 |
Security Futures |
30 |
| POLM245 |
Ethnopolitical Conflicts in International Law and Politics |
30 |
| POLM246 |
The Politics of the Future |
30 |
| SOCM054 |
Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks and Ethical Consumption |
15 |
| SOCM045 |
Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment |
30 |
| SOCM044 |
Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment |
15 |
| SPAM007 |
Which Policies Work? Causal Methods for Policy Evaluation |
15 |
| POLM344 |
Empire and Hierarchy in Russia and Eurasia |
30 |
Fees
2026/27 entry
UK fees per year:
£12,650 full-time; £6,325 part-time
International fees per year:
£25,550 full-time; £12,775 part-time
Scholarships
The University of Exeter offers a wide range of scholarships to support your education, with £7 million available for international students applying to study with us in the 2026/27 academic year, including our prestigious Exeter Excellence Scholarships *. We also provide awards for sport, music and other achievements, as well as regional and partner scholarships with organisations such as Chevening, The Beacon Trust and the British Council. For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship
We are pleased to offer University of Exeter alumni beginning a standalone postgraduate programme in 2026/27 with us a scholarship towards the cost of your tuition fees. Full details can be found here.
*Terms and conditions, including deadlines, apply. See our website for details..
Teaching and research
Teaching takes place over the first two terms leaving the third to concentrate on your dissertation. Our teaching is research-led, ensuring that what you learn will be cutting edge and at the heart of contemporary public debate.
Teaching methods may include:
- Small academic seminars
- Presentations
- Group work
- Extensive reading and reflection
- Debates and discussions
- 15,000 word dissertation
By the end of the programme you will have acquired a series of valuable skills ranging from conducting analyses and research to presenting, debating, formulating arguments and managing groups.
Research
Students can take advantage of our seminar series and its long-running and highly successful annual postgraduate conference which brings together researchers from across all humanities and social sciences disciplines.
Our research is funded by leading research councils and is used by governments and networks around the world.
Library services
Our main library is open 24/7 throughout the academic year. With a book stock in excess of 1.2 million, we have one of the highest UK academic library ratios of books to students. The main library offers self-service machines, state-of-the-art multimedia facilities, and an extended wifi network. The library provides world-class study facilities to all students. It has extensive holdings of works on political science, international relations and the various sub-disciplines.
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Dr. Jianzhi (Jason) Zhao
Associate Professor in International Development and Public Policy
Dr Pedro Perfeito Da Silva
Lecturer in Political Economy
Dr. Jianzhi (Jason) Zhao
Associate Professor in International Development and Public Policy
Dr. Jianzhi (Jason) Zhao is an Associate Professor (Reader) in International Development and Public Policy. He also has extensive experience in the policy world.
He has worked at multiple development organisations, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank. He was a visiting researcher at the Bank of Finland and consulted with UNIDO. He has also worked at the People's Bank of China (China's central bank) as a summer PhD. researcher.
His work has been invited to present at various government agencies, such as China's Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Commerce, the US Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Bank of Finland, and UNDP. He was a Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University and received his PhD specialising in International Economic and Development Policy from the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Profile page
Dr. Jianzhi (Jason) Zhao's personal website
Dr Pedro Perfeito Da Silva
Lecturer in Political Economy
Dr Pedro Perfeito Da Silva's research and teaching interests revolve around the challenges that globalisation introduces for the pursuit of development and the sustainability of democratic regimes at the capitalist periphery. In light of this broad political economy theme, he has investigated topics like the financial agenda of populist parties, the regulatory implications of the Latin American Pink Tide, the macroeconomic effects of capital account liberalisation, and the socioeconomic impact of creative industries.
His publications have appeared in leading journals of the subfields of comparative politics, development studies, and political economy. Currently, his research agenda covers the strategies of left-wing governments to financial subordination, the varieties of financial nationalism in Latin America and East-Central Europe, and the political economy of cultural policy in Brazil.
In line with his research and methodological expertise, he teaches on modules covering topics such as comparative capitalism, international development, and political economy of populism.
Profile page
Careers
The MA in International Development enables you to develop the skills and knowledge required for a future career within international development, including within governmental and non-governmental organisations, humanitarian organisations or doner organisations.
Graduates could also go on to work in a range of other careers, such as journalism; local, national or international government service; policy analysis and advocacy. You may also go on to postgraduate study in a range of social science disciplines (including Politics, Development Studies).
Employer valued skills
Apart from specialist knowledge and skills relating to a range of careers in international development, you will also develop transferrable skills that are highly desirable in a range of careers. These include:
- High-level research and writing skills
- Analysis, evaluation and presentation skills
- Excellent communication skills and experience, both written and oral
- Ability to engage critically with complex ideas and arguments
- Independent work skills of time-planning and motivation
Careers support
Our careers advisory service provides expert guidance to all students to enable them to plan their futures through psychometric testing, employer presentations, skills events, practice job interviews and CV preparation.
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Top 150 in the world for Political Sciences
