MA Social Development and Sustainable Livelihoods

Course director: Dr Henny Osbahr

The MA in Social Development and Sustainable Livelihoods is a one year, full-time Masters degree course which provides opportunities for developing relevant analytical and management skills through exploring the wider issues of social change and an appreciation of cultural factors in development. For Home and EU students, it is also available on a part-time basis over two years.

Aims and objectives

The course aims to develop the participants' professional competence in planning, managing and assessing activities that have implications for household and community livelihoods, and to

• Develop an understanding of the conceptual and theoretical frameworks for the analysis of social change brought about by planned development interventions;
• Strengthen professional competence in the design, implementation and critical evaluation of planned social change.

Transferable skills

The course requires a substantial amount of independent reading, research and study and students are expected to take personal responsibility and show initiative in developing their knowledge and understanding of the field of study. In following this course students will also have the opportunity to enhance and develop their skills relating to communication (both oral and written), presentations, information handling, problem solving, teamwork, and the use of information technology. Students will learn to work independently, under time pressures, and will learn to set priorities and manage their time in order to meet strict deadlines. Career planning, via choice of modules, will be an integral part of the course.

Course structure

The course starts at the beginning of the Autumn Term and is fully taught for two ten-week terms. The remainder of the course, from June until September, is devoted to preparation of a 12–15,000 word dissertation, for submission in early September.

Entry requirements

Entrants to this course are normally required to have obtained an honours degree or its equivalent in a relevant subject but applicants with other qualifications as may be approved by the Senate, and who have at least 2 years' professional experience in a relevant field of development work are also eligible to apply for admission to this course. References are also taken into account.

Subject streams

Students follow compulsory modules (70 credits) and select a further 50 credits from an extensive list of optional modules.

Compulsory modules:

• Perspectives on Development
  
• Poverty, Inequalities and Livelihoods
• Social Policies for Development
  
• Governance, Accountability and Development
• Research Study Skills for Independent Learning
• Food Security and Development 

Optional modules include:

• Gender and Development
• Participatory Interventions in Development
• Communication and Innovation in Development
• Research Methods for Development and Communication
  
• Environment and Development: Problems and Policies
• Environment and Development: Case Studies
  
• Microfinance
• Involuntary Resettlement in Developing Countries
• Qualitative Research Methods 
• Agricultural Project Planning and Management in Developing Countries

See the full list of the modules offered to GIIDAE students.

Further details of each of the above modules can be found on the main University module description pages www.reading.ac.uk/modules.

(Please note that the programme may be subject to change from the list above)

Career prospects

Graduates from the Social Development and Sustainable Livelihoods course are currently employed as officers in governmental and non-governmental development agencies around the world, as well as in research, consultancy and publicity posts. Recent contacts include former students working in the World Food Course, Rome; in FAO, Rome; in The Red Cross, Thailand; in research in Laos; with DEFRA, UK as self-employed consultants; as well as those who returned to their own countries to work in Ministries of Development, Agriculture, Education, Health, or in local NGOs. Social Development studies equip a person with many skills; some ex-students have taken up political roles in order to advance their country's development progress.