Programme Overview

Understanding development processes in times of global change

Processes of development, change, and globalization in Latin America, Asia, and Africa are playing an increasingly important global role in this day and age. The interdisciplinary master’s programme “Development Studies” addresses the causes, conditions, and consequences of such processes. Here you have the chance to look at “development” from different perspectives, to link methodological and theoretical approaches, and to detect connections between social, political, and spatial conditions. During your studies, you will gain the ability to analyse development problems and processes of global and local change, to discuss them in consideration of theories from the social sciences and economics, and to apply them in practice as part of a project-focussed unit of study. Development Studies is a bilingual programme (German and English) with an English track that can be completed as a full-time or a part-time student.

Master complexity through interdisciplinarity

This interdisciplinary Master of Arts provides a scientifically grounded yet practice-oriented approach to the chances, challenges, and contradictions in current development processes. The programme of study combines courses in development sociology and politics, geography, and economics. On this basis, students acquire subject-specific as well as interdisciplinary and practical skills. The University of Bayreuth’s research focus on Africa and its diverse research on the Global South give you access to extensive expertise. You benefit from the close integration of the departments involved, while having the freedom to choose your own area of emphasis to be pursued in development sociology or politics, geography, or economics. Thanks to the programme’s interdisciplinary approach, you will be alert and open to the theoretical and methodological diversity that you will encounter again and again, even in practical work in the field of development. This will in turn enable you to better understand and assess complex development processes.

Module Overview

The modules include courses with a fixed content and seminars with variable specific topics. Students chose one out of three individual focuses. The programme includes activities that represent a total of 120 ECTS. Admissions can be subject to catching up BA courses representing a workload of not more than 30 ECTS. See the Module Handbook (new Module Handbook for students starting October 2023) for details.

The following information is for all students starting in October 2023. For all students enrolled before 2023 the old regulations are still applicable. Please see the respective regulations in the old Module Handbook and Study Scheme.

In addition to choice of courses offered by the departments involved, courses of many other units are open for students of Development Studies.