Overview
This Master of Arts programme examines development, change, and globalization in Latin America, Asia and Africa, focusing on the causes, conditions and consequences of contemporary development processes. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach that links theory and methods across social, political and spatial perspectives, allowing you to analyse how local and global factors interact. The programme is bilingual (German and English) and offers a fully English track; you may study either full time or part time.
Why this programme
Teaching combines rigorous academic foundations with practice-oriented perspectives. You will study core fields—development sociology and political science, geography and economics—so you can approach development questions from multiple angles. The university’s established research strengths on Africa and the Global South mean you will learn within a research-rich environment and benefit from close cooperation between departments. At the same time, the programme gives you the freedom to specialise by choosing a main focus in development sociology/politics, geography or economics.
What you will gain
Graduates leave with methodological and theoretical skills to critically evaluate development concepts, policies and actors, and with regional and spatial understanding of development processes. The programme prepares you to work in research, policy, international organisations or NGOs, as well as in regional planning and development practice.
Program facts and requirements (as stated)
Core disciplinary competencies you will develop
This Master's curriculum takes a multidisciplinary and regionally informed approach to development studies, with Africa as the principal research focus in Geography and Development Sociology/Politics while also using systematic comparative analyses of other world regions. The programme integrates perspectives from social sciences, geography and economics so that graduates develop the ability to work across disciplinary boundaries—an asset for careers in development cooperation, policy, research and related professional fields.
The core (Transdisciplinary Foundations, 46 ECTS) provides theoretical and methodological grounding. Key modules include Introduction to Development Studies; Regional Geography (Africa, Asia, Latin America); Macroeconomics; Qualitative Methods for the Social Sciences; Contemporary Theoretical Approaches to Global Development; Advanced Foundations; Social and Political Processes in Global Development; Geographies of Environment and Development; and Economics, Governance and Development. Learning outcomes from this block include strong qualitative-methods skills, regional and comparative knowledge, theoretical literacy in global development, and an understanding of economic, political and environmental dimensions of change.
Students then specialise by choosing elective courses from one of three advanced focus areas:
A central element is the project‑focused unit, which is either a guided internship, a supervised study project, or field research. These projects connect classroom theory with empirical or professional practice, let students critically examine contemporary development processes or policies in a chosen region, and build practical experience in planning and organizing—skills valued in academia and practice. The programme is completed with a Master's thesis.
Requirements / Structure (concise)
This master’s programme expects applicants to hold a relevant bachelor’s degree and to have some hands-on experience in a development context. The academic requirement is specific about acceptable subject backgrounds and a minimum final grade. Practical experience must have been completed abroad and should relate to development work. Applications are handled online through the programme’s portal.
If you need full details or the application form, submit your application online and consult the programme website: https://www.developmentstudies.uni-bayreuth.de/en/admission_application/index.html
Winter Semester (International)
15 July 2026
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
15 July 2026
Graduates are particularly qualified for careers in development cooperation, international NGOs, governmental and multilateral organisations, and consultancy roles that require cross-disciplinary expertise on development processes. The programme’s emphasis on applied project work, internships and field research prepares students for practical roles in programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and policy advising.
The interdisciplinary training (sociology/politics, geography, economics) and methodological grounding also make graduates competitive for research and academic positions, think tanks, and regional planning bodies where analytical, comparative and region-specific expertise on the Global South is required.