MSc (Economics and Finance for Development)

This course will provide you with a systematic understanding of economic approaches to development and in particular, the role of finance and financial institutions. Students will be able to evaluate the merits of the various mechanisms of financing development and to understand the bases for financial policy.

During the course you will develop the skills required for the analysis of development issues, and to understand the interlinkages between statistics and econometrics, and develop expertise on international trade and exchange rate policies and related economic matters. Additionally, students have the opportunity to study a range of options covering project and programme management, public policy, and development policy.

First Year
Core

• Applied Econometrics
• Dissertation
• Finance for Development
• Economic Growth and Development
• Applied Econometrics
• International Economics
• Finance for Development
• Economic Growth and Development
• International Economics

Optional

• Project Finance and Appraisal
• Issues in Development Theory
• Policy Analysis for Governance and Development
• Critical Perspectives on Sustainable Development
• The international system in theory and context
• Project Implementation Management
• Assessing Development Practices, Needs and Outcomes
• Project Risk Management
• Risk Assessment and Management
• Africa Study Visit
• Econometric Methods and Applications

Placement Year

• You can choose to include an internship as part of your course, in which case you will study over 15 months rather than a year. To do this, you should initially register for the one-year programme and then transfer to the 15 month programme when you have secured a placement, any time up until the middle of Semester 2.
• The internship / placement further enhances the development of professional experience and practical skills during your Masters programme, integrating practitioner community engagement with your academic studies.
• This element is student-centred and student-led, and therefore the initiative for identifying and applying for internships is driven by you. Academic staff can facilitate and support the identification of suitable opportunities with leads and suggestions, help with the writing of applications, and provide supporting letters of reference. They provide customised preparatory training before, and mentoring support during, the placement or internship.
• The internship / placement can be taken with an organisation anywhere in the world. You'll need to detail your proposed activities and receive approval before the opportunity is finalised.
• Once the internship / placement is complete you'll return to the programme, submit a completion report summarising key learning points, and then undertake your Masters dissertation. Students often use their placement period and experience to inform and shape their dissertation.

Learning and assessment

• Most teaching is lecture or group-based for modules, while individual supervisors provide specialist guidance during dissertation writing (starting in Semester 2). Hence, as the programmes progresses, the main learning method gradually becomes more individualised and student-centred.
• The programme starts with an intensive induction week to develop your learning and personal development planning skills and to provide an introduction to IT and library resources. Additional group and one to one support is provided for you if you require it. You are introduced to academic writing, research and analytical skills as part of the preparation for writing your dissertation.
• To ensure the systematic development of knowledge of key subjects, modules are assessed by a variety of assessments in addition to essays and formal examinations. Group work, where the assessment may be based on a report or a presentation, provides you with both team work experience and practice in different ways of expressing arguments and information. Some modules may also use problem-solving exercises or ask you to develop a portfolio of your work. Please see the appendix for further details.

Career prospects

• On completion of this qualification, you may go on to work in an economics or finance policy capacity in government, the private sector, in development agencies (e.g. regional or national development banks) or in the third sector in a capacity relating to economics and finance (e.g. microfinance or enterprise support and development).

Career support

• The University is committed to helping students develop and enhance employability and this is an integral part of many programmes. Specialist support is available throughout the course from Career and Employability Services including help to find part-time work while studying, placements, vacation work and graduate vacancies. Students are encouraged to access this support at an early stage and to use the extensive resources on the Careers website.
• Discussing options with specialist advisers helps to clarify plans through exploring options and refining skills of job-hunting. In most of our programmes there is direct input by Career Development Advisers into the curriculum or through specially arranged workshops.