Development Studies

Entry requirements

The normal minimum entrance requirement is an upper second class honours degree or master's degree.

Months of entry

October

Course content

The Development Policy and Practice group (DPP) is at the heart of international development and inclusive innovation research and teaching at the OU. Our research challenges ‘top-down’ and aid-driven development policy and practice models and promotes research into more ‘bottom-up’, participatory and inclusive approaches. Our approach emphasises theoretical and empirical research as a co-productive and interdisciplinary endeavour that engages directly with research beneficiaries and users at community, national, international and global levels. DPP has extensive networks and works closely with academics and a consortium of non-governmental organisations.

In the 2014 UK Research Excellence Framework results:

• OU research in International Development had an overall rating of 86% in which our submission was assessed as 4* (world-leading) or 3* (internationally excellent)
• 76% of our research was assessed as 4* (world-leading) or 3* (internationally excellent)
• 100% of our research Environment in International Development was also assessed as 4* (world-leading) or 3* (internationally excellent)