DEGREE GUIDE

International Development

What do International Development degrees involve?

International Development degrees teach you how to tackle global challenges such as poverty, inequality, and sustainable growth by understanding the political, economic, and social factors that shape development. You will study key areas such as humanitarian aid, global governance, human rights, environmental sustainability, and economic policy. These courses help you develop strong analytical, problem-solving, and research skills while exploring how governments, NGOs, and international organisations work to create change. As you progress, you may specialise in areas such as conflict resolution, climate resilience, or development economics. You will also gain hands-on experience through fieldwork, policy analysis, and international placements, preparing you for careers in global development, humanitarian work, and international policy.

Example
Modules

Critical Approaches to Development Economics: Explore how economic theories shape global development policies, questioning how aid, trade and finance affect poverty, inequality and progress.

Research Skills for Development: Learn how to design and carry out research using both statistics and interviews, preparing you to investigate complex real-world problems.

Social Justice and Development: Examine how human rights, gender equality and activism shape efforts to build a fairer world.

Common Degree Names

💼 Placement years are offered at many institutions, often in NGOs, charities, or policy organisations.
🌍 Study abroad is commonly available, especially with a year or semester in a developing country or through global exchanges.

BA (Hons) International Development

BA (Hons) Global Development
BA (Hons) International Development and Politics
BA (Hons) International Development and Economics
BA (Hons) International Development and Sociology
BA (Hons) International Development with Human Geography

A top-down view of a desk set up for development field research, with a Human Development Report, an open field notebook of handwritten notes, and a voice recorder. A pen and blank paper sit alongside a mug of coffee.

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

International Development degrees explore global challenges like poverty, inequality, climate change, and humanitarian crises; examining the political, economic, and social factors that shape how countries develop. Entry requirements are flexible because universities are looking for strong communication, analysis, and critical thinking skills rather than specific subjects.

Subjects that could strengthen your application:

Geography – excellent for understanding development, environment, and global systems
Politics – directly relevant for policy, governance, and international relations
Economics – useful for development economics and understanding global trade
Sociology or History – good for understanding societies, cultures, and historical context
Religious Studies – helpful for cultural awareness and ethical perspectives
Modern Languages – valuable for global engagement and placements abroad

✨ Very few students will have studied International Development before – a combination of essay-based and analytical subjects will prepare you well. What matters most is a genuine interest in global issues and the ability to think critically about complex problems.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas - May require A-levels alongside
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside relevant A-Level subjects
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with any two IB subjects at Higher Level (minimum two, ideally three) alongside your Career-Related Study

Courses vary in their focus; some emphasise economics and policy, others focus on social justice or environmental sustainability. Always check specific course requirements.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE / MYP / National 5)

Most courses ask for:

GCSE English Language and Maths at grade 4/C or above, or the equivalent, such as National 5s or MYP

📘 English and Maths are important as these courses include data analysis and essay writing.

💬 Interviews
Formal interviews aren't usually part of the application process. However, some universities may invite you for a short conversation, either online or in person, to learn more about your interest in the subject.

🔍 Work Experience
You don't need work experience to apply, but getting involved in community or global issues helps you understand what this subject explores. Volunteering with local charities, refugee support organisations, or community projects gives you first-hand experience of the kinds of challenges this degree addresses. Taking part in Model United Nations or campaigning on global issues also helps. For this subject, thinking critically about why inequality exists matters as much as any practical experience.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What interests you about global inequality and efforts to address it? International development explores why some parts of the world face poverty, conflict, and limited opportunities while others don't - and what can (and can't) be done about it. If you've found yourself thinking critically about these issues, whether through news coverage, documentaries, books, or discussions about aid, trade, or sustainability, reflect on what questions they raised. Reading about development debates, exploring different perspectives on how change happens, or following organisations working in this space can show genuine engagement. Admissions tutors want to see critical thinking about complex global challenges, not just a desire to "help people" or assumptions about what developing countries need.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Social Science or Humanities

Some universities offer a foundation year if you don't have the required subjects or grades. This adds an extra year but leads directly into the full degree.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Social Science or Humanities)

Accepted by universities offering International Development. Choose a pathway with essay-based units and aim for Merits and Distinctions in your graded units.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

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Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with an International Development degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Global Issues & International Affairs: The degree is centred on the big cross-border challenges facing the world: poverty, inequality, migration, and the political and economic forces that shape why some countries develop while others are left behind.

Society, Communities & How People Live Together: Understanding how social structures create inequality is fundamental to the degree. You'll examine how power, governance, and community organisation shape people's lives across very different global contexts, and why the same social problems can look so different from one country to the next.

Fairness, Justice & Rights: Questions of justice and equity run through every part of the degree. You'll study human rights, social justice movements, and decolonial perspectives that challenge Western assumptions about what progress and fairness actually mean in different parts of the world.

Money, Markets & How Economies Work: Development economics is a core strand. You'll study how aid, trade, and global finance affect poverty and inequality, examine competing economic models for development, and critically evaluate whether current approaches to international economic policy help or hinder the world's poorest communities.

The Environment & Sustainability: Climate change, environmental justice, and sustainable development are woven through the degree. You'll explore how environmental degradation drives poverty, who bears the costs of climate change, and what it actually means to pursue development that doesn't destroy the planet in the process.

Students who thrive in an International Development degree are often motivated by

Justice and Accountability

You're energised by the work of putting things right: building a legal case, investigating how something went wrong, holding an organisation to account, pursuing a complaint, or challenging a practice that isn't being questioned. You want your effort to change a specific outcome, not just to raise awareness. You're drawn to situations where a careful, determined approach can actually shift what's happening, even when that takes a long time.

Engaging with People and Cultures

You're energised by working closely with people to understand what's really going on for them: talking, listening, asking questions, spending time, picking up on what isn't being said directly. That might be interviewing someone for a piece of research, sitting with a client who's trying to work something out, exploring a community you've not been part of, or working alongside people from a different culture. The energy comes from the engagement itself, not just from reading or thinking about people.

Analysing and Investigating

You're energised by making sense of information, looking for evidence, spotting patterns, and piecing together how things connect. Whether it's pulling apart data, questioning assumptions, or tracing a problem back to its source, you find energy in the process of understanding what's really going on. You'd rather dig into the details than accept things at face value.

Curiosity and Learning

You're energised by the activity of learning itself: diving into a subject you've never explored, watching documentaries, taking apart how something works, or constantly asking "why?" The process of learning gives you energy, not just the outcome. You don't just want the answer; you want to understand how things connect, why they matter, and what's underneath the surface explanation.

Working Internationally

You're energised by work that crosses borders and connects you with people from different countries, backgrounds, and systems. That might be collaborating with international colleagues, working in a place that isn't your own, using another language professionally, or tackling problems that don't stop at a single country's borders. You come alive when the work you're doing reaches beyond your own patch of the world.

What makes International Development click for the students who love it?

The way the world is shared out so unevenly gets under their skin, and they cannot just leave it there. They are out to understand how power, money and history have shaped lives so far from their own, the kind of question too big to sit inside any one subject. They would rather be out there than read about it, spending time alongside communities and learning from them directly. And they are in it for the change itself: designing a programme, reshaping a policy, getting something to shift on the ground for the people who need it.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you enjoy investigating how things really work — not just accepting the surface story but digging into the evidence yourself?
Do you care about whether the way the world tackles poverty and inequality is fair — and find yourself questioning whose interests are really being served?
Are you drawn to understanding how communities and ordinary people create change — not just politicians or big organisations?

Careers an International Development degree could lead you to

International Development

What do International Development degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Careers an International Development degree could lead you to

Example
Modules