The Master in Development Management gives students a solid theoretical background and introduces the necessary tools for dealing with the practical problems of managing development programmes and projects.
Elements of the curriculum are:
- an introduction to relevant theories in social science and economics;
- methods of empirical social research, project cycle management and reform management;
- the application of theoretical and methodological knowledge.
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During their first semester, students are given a multidisciplinary introduction to relevant theories and strategies of development. They learn about actors in international development cooperation and the role of institutions for development and are faced with relevant case studies. Further, students select a research problem related to a development programme or project as the starting point for their own research project (MA Thesis). This project is preferably related to their home country.
After the first semester, students can undertake a two to three-months internship in Germany in a development organization or a corporation in the private sector which is dealing with developmental projects.
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Based on the acquired knowledge of relevant theories and tendencies in international development cooperation, the second semester is taken up with learning about the variety of methods of programme and project planning, implementation and evaluation. Students are required to apply their knowledge to case studies related to the programme or project chosen in the first semester and to present the results in a seminar paper.
After the second semester, students undertake fieldwork on projects and programmes in international development cooperation in developing countries. This will form the empirical basis of their MA-Thesis project, which will be written during the third semester.
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In the third semester, students concentrate on writing up their thesis which has to contain theory, methodology, and the results of the fieldwork. The thesis is designed to demonstrate the student's ability to embed the research in the scientific debate and to communicate it in a clear and coherent way.
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