Studying-Development.org - International Development course directory

Course Directory Menu

Search for Courses

Browse by Course Type

Short Courses

Diploma and Certificate Courses

Undergraduate

Postgraduate (taught)

Postgraduate (by research)

Doctoral Degrees

Bookmark this
Add this page to your development related bookmarks using the button below.

Support this Initative
Studying Development is maintained by a small group of volunteers. If you like the site and think it's a useful resource, you can support the initiative by making a small donation towards our running costs. We appreciate any support you can provide!

Related Sites

Statistics

Visitors: 1611524

Choose a Training Provider

More than 180 courses in over 42 countries, and counting...

Course Directory

Course Directory > Postgraduate (taught) > MSc Wellbeing & Human Development

logo-deid.png

Course Type: Postgraduate (taught)
Training Provider: University of Bath
School/Institute/Dept./Centre: Department of Economics and International Development (DEID)

This programme is aimed at:

recent graduates who are interested in poverty, both globally and in the UK, and international issues and who are seeking a deeper conceptual and ethical understanding of this new discourse than is offered by conventional courses in ‘development studies’;
professionals working in development policy and practice for whom the discourse of well-being is becoming increasingly relevant, and who would like to deepen their understanding of human wellbeing from an interdisciplinary perspective and with a strong policy focus.

The programme aims to:

To provide a systematic understanding of the theories and concepts underlying the discourses of wellbeing and human development.
To review systematically and critically the literature on contemporary issues in wellbeing and human development.
To critically evaluate public policy from the perspective of human wellbeing.
To analyze critically and rigorously the ethical underpinnings of development policy and practice.
To enable students to identify and pursue their own research questions, and research and develop original arguments in specialist areas of their choosing.
To develop critical skills to draw policy implications from research.

This new MSc (from October 2007) has been developed to reflect the increasing interest in ‘wellbeing’ from academic and policy circles in both developed and developing countries. The programme carries forward the insights of the research group Wellbeing in Developing Countries into a taught programme. This MSc is multi-disciplinary and combines economic, political, sociological and anthropological analyses of the concepts of wellbeing and its relevance for international development with insights from philosophy and psychology.

This new MSc represents a significant shift from other Masters Programmes in International Development in the sense that it moves the debate on international development from a debate about ‘development’ to a debate on wellbeing and social justice. The MSc in Wellbeing and Human Development is distinctive from existing degrees in that:

it deals explicitly with conceptual and normative aspects of international development and social policy arising from the wellbeing discourse;
it approaches international development with perspectives from psychology and ethics;
it enables insights from ‘development studies’ to be brought to the context of developed countries as a means of addressing the analytical divide that has existed between the study of ‘developing’ and ‘developed’ nations;
it analyzes the specific aspects of ‘globalization’ which relate to social justice and the struggle of each human being to attain a decent level of wellbeing.

The programme will provide students with the theoretical underpinnings of the concept of wellbeing and its policy implications as embodied in the ‘human development paradigm’ promoted by the Human Development Reports of the United Nations Development Programme. It will also develop the conceptual tools for the critical analysis of contemporary development debates from a wellbeing perspective.

Course Details

Staff:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/econ-dev/people/

Entry Requirements:
The entry requirements for students enrolling on the Masters programme in Wellbeing & Human Development are:

a good first degree (i.e. second class or higher or international equivalent) in a social science subject, or an equivalent degree in another subject, together with substantial relevant working experience.

Underlying these conditions is a belief that students must bring a minimum combination of theoretical knowledge and practical experience to the programme. Marginal cases will be dealt with at interview.

Course Duration:
Full time and part time

Language(s) of Instruction:

English

Mode of Study:

residential

Thematic Focus:

Development Anthropology/Sociology

Country(ies):

United Kingdom

Course fees:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/grad-office/finance/pgfee_schedule.pdf

Scholarships & Awards:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/econ-dev/pg/funding.htm

Course's Webpage:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/econ-dev/pg/wellbeing-human-development.html

School/Institute/Dept./Centre

Department of Economics and International Development (DEID)
Training Provider: University of Bath
Contact Telephone: +44 (0)122 538 3164
Courses: 7

The Department of Economics and International Development (http://www.bath.ac.uk/econ-dev/) is one of the leading UK university research departments. The Department is ranked 8th-best economics university department in the UK (9th-best for the University as a whole) in the Times Good University Guide for 2008. The Department is ranked 10th for Economics in the Good University Guide In the last Research Assessment Exercise (2001), the development studies were graded at 4, the highest grade awarded for the sector whilst the economists in the department shared Grade 5 (the maximum possible score being 5*) with DSPS and the School of Management. The UK government’s Quality Assurance Agency awarded the department 24 points out of 24 for its teaching provision in its most recent review (November 2001). .

The Centre for Development Studies (CDS) (http://www.bath.ac.uk/cds/) represents a vibrant intellectual community committed to producing high quality research and publications in International Development. We encompass disciplines across the social sciences: Economics, Sociology and Social Anthropology, Politics and International Relations; with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. Our major current project is the ESRC-funded research into Poverty, Inequality and Quality of Life in Developing Countries (Wellbeing in Developing Countries Research Group, WeD). This centrally involves many members of CDS, as well as groups of collaborating colleagues in each of the four study countries: Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Thailand and Peru. The overarching concern of all of our research is to understand dynamics of poverty and inequality, with the aim of promoting greater social justice. Throughout our research we also aim to be self-reflexive, engaging critically with the assumptions, concepts and methods of our work. Within these two broad principles, CDS research centres on five themes: 1. Poverty and Wellbeing, 2. Governance, Policy and Politics, 3. Markets and Micro-finance, 4. Social Structures and Cultural Identities, 5. Environment and Sustainable Development.

Drawing on its research and consultancy activities, the departments research-active scholars offer three undergraduate degrees (Economics & International Development, Economics & Politics and Economics), seven Masters Programmes (International Development, Wellbeing & Human Development (new for 2007/08), MRes International Development, Economics (Development), Economics, MSc Economics & Finance and MRes Economics, as well as research supervision for MPhil and PhD degrees. The department recently introduced the one-year Economics Conversion/Enhancement year - designed either as a conversion route for non-economics graduates or for students who have successfully completed an economics programme which is not equivalent to a UK first degree. The department also delivers approximately 50% of the MSc Globalisation & International Development which is currently managed by the Dept of Social & Policy Sciences.

In all our programmes the aims are to increase students' awareness of the subjects taught and to develop those critical faculties which enable them to apply their knowledge when dealing with practical policy issues. All undergraduate programmes students have the opportunity to spend twelve months (during the third year of the programme) on placement with a government department, commercial organisation, or an overseas agency. Similarly, students on the MSc International Development, MRes Int. Dev. and MSc Globalisation and International Policy Analysis have the option of a (typically) 3-month placement in the summer, which may be linked to the final dissertation. Examples of placements included prestigious organisations, including the Bank of England, HM Treasury, HSBC, Shell, Xerox, Cambridge Econometrics, and many other private and public sector employers. Placements are also common through the departments own research programmes - either in the UK or overseas. Some students also take placements in Europe, and this opportunity is particularly valuable for students who continue to study European language courses within the undergraduate programmes.

Students benefit from ethusiastic and approachable academic staff. The interdisciplinary nature of many of our programmes is also reflected in and informed by staff research interests.