Africa and International Development MSc

The programme is available on a full-time basis over one year. There is flexibility in course options, allowing you to pursue the knowledge and skills most relevant to you.

Core courses

Our three carefully designed core courses ensure that you acquire the knowledge foundations and professional skills required to work professionally in the field of international development:

• Politics and Theories of International Development
• International Development: Research Design and Practice
• Governance, Poverty and Development in Africa

Option courses

You will choose from a range of option courses, allowing you to develop a specialised profile as a development professional. Available option courses may include:

• Key Skills in Development Practice
• Resource, Politics and Development
• Displacement and Development
• Conflict, Security and Development

Dissertation

You will build specialist research and analytical skills through a dissertation-length research project. You will investigate a topic of your choice in depth under the supervision of an academic member of staff.

You can complete your dissertation either through:

• independent study, using the rich resources offered by the University library

or

• a placement-based dissertation

Placement-based dissertation

The placement-based dissertation option aims to offer you the opportunity to work on your dissertation within the context of a workplace of your choosing, subject to Programme Director and Placement Adviser approval.

The placement will generally consists of eight weeks of research with a host organisation in the UK or overseas, from our network of contacts which includes:

• NGOs and charities
• social enterprises
• think-tanks
• government bodies

Your placement can be completed either in-person, remotely, or in a hybrid format. You will have the option to arrange your own placement, subject to university approval.

Please note that a placement-based dissertation is not guaranteed as part of this programme and will be assigned based on competitive applications during Semester 1.

Find out more about the placement-based dissertation option:

• SPS placement-based dissertation

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Learning outcomes for this programme include:

• knowledge of academic and policy debates about development interventions in Africa
• critical understanding of theories, concepts and the practice of development in Africa
• detailed knowledge of case studies examining specific aspects of international development
• ability to negotiate the challenges of inter- and multi-disciplinary research drawing in particular on political science, human geography, history and social-cultural anthropology
• ability to critically evaluate and analyse empirical evidence on the implementation of development projects and policies
• ability to apply the critical analysis in writing, discussion and oral presentations as well as group exercises
• ability to conduct independent empirical research in Africa drawing on a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods
• a critical understanding of the challenges and realities of work in the field of international development

With a multidisciplinary grasp of issues in regional and international development, many of our graduates have secured work as professionals with:

• charities and non-governmental organisations
• development agencies
• the public sector/government
• think-tanks
• advocacy groups
• international institutions
• international consultancy firms
• research or academic institutes

The Centre of African Studies participates actively in Africa-focused events in Edinburgh, such as:

• panels highlighting contemporary African authors at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the world's largest book festival
• Africa in Motion, the UK's largest African film festival

International Development is concerned with the pursuit of 'good change' – but who gets to decide what that 'good change' is? and how it should happen? We explore these issues while deepening your regional expertise on Africa, in all its socio-cultural, political and economic diversity.

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Application fee

A non-refundable application fee of £50 must be paid after you submit your application. Your application will not be processed until we have received your application fee.

• Application fee information

If you are accepted for the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program, we will waive the application fees to enable you to apply. To request a fee waiver, please email:

• pgadmissions.sps@ed.ac.uk

Tuition fees

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

• borrowing money
  • taking out a loan
  • family support
• personal savings
• income from work
• employer sponsorship
• scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Scholarships

International students from Africa are eligible for these scholarships:

Nyerere Postgraduate Scholarship

The Nyerere Scholarships provide funding for talented Tanzanian students to follow in Nyerere’s footsteps and study at the University of Edinburgh. Through the generous support provided by a donor, the Centre of African Studies will offer a one-year postgraduate scholarship to a student domiciled in Tanzania to study a Masters-level programme in the Centre of African Studies.

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program scholarships Scholarships are available for the MSc Africa and International Development programme. The postgraduate study scholarships for the 2025/26 academic year will accept applications from 1st October 2024 at 10:00 AM until 8th November 2024 at 5:00 PM (UK Time). Applicants must be residents and citizens or hold refugee status in a Sub-Saharan African country.

Visit the Mastercard Foundation website to find out more information and to how to apply:

• Mastercard Foundation website

If the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is the only scholarship you are interested in applying for at the University of Edinburgh, please apply for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program scholarship only. If you receive a scholarship offer from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, you can then apply for the academic programme.

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your residency status.

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding