Full time: 1 year
Part time 2 years
Full-time: £10,610
Part-time: £5,305 per year
Full-time: £15,920
Part-time: £7,960 per year
Full-time: £15,920
Part-time: £7,960 per year
From September 2020
There is no fixed application deadline. However, applications will close when the course is full, so we encourage you to apply early.
Northampton Square
Want to develop a rewarding career as a development economist in the public or private sector? This course will appeal to you if you have a quantitative background. You will develop your understanding of the key issues in economic development, and explore the economic theory and statistical tools you need to analyse policies and assess their impact on economic and human development.
You have the option of studying full-time over the course of one year or part-time over the course of two years.
The Development Economics MSc will help you:
Should you wish to pursue further study, the dissertation track can also serve as a stepping stone to an Economics PhD.
You should have some mathematical background (A-level, IB, AP or any other equivalent secondary school qualification) and an upper second-class undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in one of the following:
Students with a good lower second-class degree in one of the above disciplines may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
You must also meet the English language requirement for the programme.
If you are applying with an overseas degree, the following is an indication of international equivalents of an upper second class degree from a UK institution. Please note these figures are intended as a guide only and individual applications will be assessed on a case by case basis.
If English is not your first language you will need the following qualification:
All applicants that require a Tier 4 visa must meet the minimum Home Office English Language ability requirements before City can issue the Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS) that is needed to apply for a Tier 4 visa.
Don’t meet the English language requirements? INTO City, University of London offers English language programmes to help prepare you for study at university. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to degree courses. Learn more about INTO’s English for University Study programme.
International Students (EEA and Non EEA) coming to study in the UK, may need to apply for a visa or entry clearance to come to the UK to study. The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course. There are different rules for:
For more information see our main Visa page.
Applications for 2021 entry are now open.
To apply for this course you will need to please fill out your application online and upload all relevant documents, including
Fees in each subsequent year of study (where applicable) will be subject to an annual increase of 2%. We will confirm any change to the annual tuition fee to you in writing prior to you commencing each subsequent year of study (where applicable).
Professor Saqib Jafarey
Professor Saqib Jafarey talks about City's Development Economics MSc
If you are interested in applying for the MSc Development Economics but cannot make it to an Open Evening, you may be able to register for one of our upcoming online sessions for prospective students.
As a Masters student at City, you will benefit from our excellent London location, which places you in close proximity to the centres of decision-making in development economics. For example, we are just six tube stops away from the Department for International Development.
We offer a variety of accommodation options and support services for postgraduate students.
Read more about our postgraduate halls.
Our Accommodation Service can also help you find private accommodation.
We offer a free language course for City, University of London students.
Course timetables are normally available from July and can be accessed from our timetabling pages. These pages also provide timetables for the current academic year, though this information should be viewed as indicative and details may vary from year to year.
Please note that all academic timetables are subject to change.
We offer an extensive support network during your time here at City, University of London – from Learning Support (including disability support) and counselling to financial and career advice – leaving you free to enjoy every opportunity campus life has to offer.
Find out more about the different types of student support available.
Chat to our current students and read their blogs to gain an insight into studying at City and learn more about our undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
To make sure that you can begin or continue your studies with us during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have reviewed and adapted our courses to ensure a safe learning environment for our students and staff. We have modified the way some of our courses are delivered, with many programmes being made available online.
Contact us to find out more about how our programmes will be delivered.
Your teaching consists of a flexible combination of lectures, classes and computer lab sessions:
In addition, econometric methods will be taught in lab sessions, so you will have the opportunity to apply econometric software to empirical research in development economics.
When appropriate "practitioner slots" will be incorporated into module delivery, such as research seminars conducted by external experts in development policies and presentations by invited academics.
Assessments are typically a combination of unseen written examinations (70% for each module) and coursework (30% for each module), but this can vary by module.
The teaching takes place over two terms, from September to June. Full-time students who pass all the taught modules during the main exam sessions finish the programme at the end of September when they submit their dissertation or literature review. Full-time students who successfully complete the taught modules in the August re-sit exam session submit their dissertation or literature review in December.
Part-time students complete their modules over the course of four terms, from September to June, before undertaking their dissertation or literature review.
Pre-sessional activities covering Micro-and Macroeconomics, Stata, Excel, Probability and Mathematics run in September before the start of term. These are available for all students who secure a place on the MSc Development Economics course. Pre-sessionals are included in your degree fee and are designed to prepare you for the course. We therefore strongly encourage you to make every effort to attend. Dates of the sessions are as follows:
You can join the following sessions if you are on a Literature Review path:
You are not required to register for the above pre-sessionals, you just need to turn up on the day. Further information such as the exact times and locations will be provided in your induction schedule.
You will complete 180 credits. This includes taught modules worth 120 credits, plus 60 credits through either of the following paths:
Each module typically has a weekly two-hour lecture and a one-hour tutorial, but this may vary.
It is not possible to give an exact indication of hours per week, as these can vary from one term to the other, depending on which electives you choose.
* Students on the dissertation path can take only 1 of these modules, which are taught in the Department of International Politics. Students on the literature survey path can take up to 2 of these modules.
The programme specification contains more information on how the course is organised, the requirements for progression for each part and credits required for awards.
Graduates of this course enjoy a wide range of rewarding employment possibilities, in both the public and private sectors, including consultancy and economic analysis.
As a Masters in Development Economics graduate, you will have the skills to work in:
The MSc also provides a solid academic foundation for students wishing to pursue doctoral research in economics.
Applications for 2021 entry are now open.
To apply for this course you will need to please fill out your application online and upload all relevant documents, including
Find out more about City and all our postgraduate degree programmes.
