Master's Programme in Global Development, Crisis and Change

The study programme focuses on understanding the world better in a time marked by rapid changes and complex crises. Through the study, you get the opportunity to explore and learn how to meet and handle various crises such as poverty, inequality, pandemics, climate change, and environmental destruction. It is essential to be able to contribute to driving positive change and development in society.

During the study, you learn about the underlying causes of different crisis situations, as well as analysing and understanding how they affect society socially and economically. The study also provides insight into how crises are understood, communicated, and managed in different contexts, as well as demonstrating how different crises are interconnected. You also learn about how crises affect people differently, due to social inequalities within and across different cultural contexts.

The study programme is a full-time study where the teaching is a combination of digital teaching online and physical gatherings (one in Kristiansand and one in Sri Lanka).

What do you learn?

In this programme you will learn about theories and findings concerning development, crisis and social change. You will explore how theoretical knowledge provides insight for solving practical problems, but equally important, how practice can inform theories and policies. The programme is cross disciplinary, and you will be introduced to a variety of disciplines, including political science, sociology, anthropology, communication and media studies and geography. In addition, you will be well skilled in cross cultural communication and collaboration.

Cooperation is a fundamental idea for the programme. The pedagogy is learner focused, and will include group work, discussions and joint assignments. The online tuition, instruction and supervision takes place in virtual classrooms. The programme is full time, and we expect all students to participate actively, take responsibility for their own learning and take part in the development of an optimal learning environment.

In the beginning of the first semester, you will participate in an obligatory face-to-face session at UiA. Here you will spend two weeks with your fellow students, professors and tutors. The face-to-face session will be an introduction to learning resources, computer technology, applied pedagogies and the start-up of the courses. The second face-to-face session will take place in the second semester (four weeks in May/June) at our partner institution in Sri Lanka.

Half of the third semester (15 ECTS) and the whole of the fourth semester (30 ECTS) will be fully devoted to the writing of a master’s thesis - building upon coursework and your personal experiences and focusing on problems and issues of high personal interest and to the societies and institutions you represent. You will be encouraged to do fieldwork in a developing country in connection with your master's thesis. We consider this experience to be of particular value for research on environment and development issues.