Course Type: Postgraduate (taught)
Training Provider: University of Glasgow
School/Institute/Dept./Centre: Centre for Development Studies (CDS)

 
2. the professional planning staff of Ministries concerned with the design and implementation of development plans (especially in developing countries);
 

Programme structure

Students take two core courses and select four optional courses from the list below.  MSc candidates also write a 12,000-15,000 word dissertation. Students are required to attend a course on research methodology in preparation for writing the dissertation.

Core courses

Project Planning, Appraisal and Implementation
The aim of this course is to familiarise students with the principles of project planning for carefully designing development projects, appraising their financial costs and benefits and managing their implementation. The course starts with an examination of the need for a systematic approach towards the planning of development projects. Different stages of project planning are discussed in detail and some of the problems of project framework are critically examined. The course then concentrates on what donor agencies such as the World Bank expect to see in a project proposal and how they appraise projects for financing. Different investment decision criteria are discussed and compared and their limitations are assessed. Issues of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects are discussed and after discussing Critical Path Method the course deals with the issues of resource levelling and minimum cost schedule for implementation.

Economic Appraisal of Development Projects
The aim of this course is to familiarise students with the principles and techniques of economic appraisal of development projects to the extent that they can plan and appraise development projects for inclusion in the national plan and submission to donor agencies. Topics include limitations of financial appraisal and the rationale for economic appraisal, external effects of projects including their environmental impacts, techniques for the appraisal of external effects, the concept of economic efficiency and the theoretical principles of shadow pricing, derivation of shadow prices and shadow wage rate, limitations of shadow prices and their implications for developing countries, distributional aspects of projects, problems of risk and uncertainty, the relationships between projects and plan, planning techniques appropriate for optimally designing projects and ensuring consistency and the integration of projects and the development plan.

Quantitative Methods for Planning – Forecasting
The aim of this course is to familiarise students with the quantitative methods used widely in planning for forecasting. The course combines the theoretical foundations of the methods discussed with practical problems and emphasises model building for forecasting. The topics include matrix algebra, economic models and their purpose, the general linear model and multivariate regression analysis, assumptions, derivation of Least Squares Estimators, derivation of the variances of estimators and the test of hypothesis, the goodness of fit, violation of the classical assumptions and their effects, detection and remedy, computer application and introduction to SPSS, economic models as system of equations, forecasting and simulation, the input-output table and input-output model, the composite matrix of input-output cumulative coefficients, the use of input-output model for forecasting and the limitations of the model.

Optional courses

• Theory and Principles of Sustainability
• Policies for Sustainability and Development
• Environmental Economics
• Growth and Development
• International Trade
• International Macro Economics and Policy
• Advanced Econometrics
• Development Policy
• Globalisation, Trade and Economic Development
• International Finance and Money
• IMF, World Bank and Economic Growth
• Poverty: Concept, Analysis and Policies
• Quantitative Methods for Planning - Optimal Decision Making
• Aid and Development
• Financial Sector Stability and Growth
• The Economics of Inequality and Deprivation

Students may also choose relevant options from other MSc Programmes subject to approval.

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Staff:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/economics/ourstaff/

Entry Requirements:
Applicants for MSc programmes will be expected to have at least an upper second class honours degree, or comparable non-UK degree. Normally, this should be a degree in economics or a joint degree containing a significant amount of economics, although in the case of the programme in Development Studies, an upper second class honours degree in an area of the social sciences is acceptable, while applicants for Environment and Sustainable Development should have the equivalent of an upper second class degree in a relevant field of study. Occasionally candidates with other qualifications and/or relevant work experience may also be admitted. Well-qualified applicants who do not meet the requirements for MSc programmes may be accepted for a programme of study leading to the award of a postgraduate Diploma.

Course Duration:
MSc: 12 months (October-September) full-time, 24 months part-time. Diploma: 9months (October-June) full-time, 2x9 months over two sessions part-time.

Language(s) of Instruction:

• English

Mode of Study:

• residential

Thematic Focus:

• Development Economics
• Development Finance
• Development Studies
• Environmental Issues
• Globalisation
• Governance
• Participatory Approaches
• Poverty Analysis
• Project Planning
• Social Policy and Development
• :Other:

Country(ies):

• United Kingdom

Town(s) or City(ies):
Glasgow

Course fees:
Please see http://www.gla.ac.uk/registry/students/fees/feeindex.html for details.

Scholarships & Awards:
Please see http://www.gla.ac.uk/studying/scholarships/ for details.

Course's Webpage:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/centres/developmentstudies/postgraduatetaughtprogrammes/mscinprojectplanninganddevelopmentpolicyanalysis/