Development Studies Research and Study Opportunities

Thousands of study and academic opportunities in Development Studies are available internationally. Conferences and summer schools in Development Studies are organized regularly in the best academic centers of the world. The majority of universities and many foundations also offer BA, MA, and Ph.D. programs in Development Studies as wells as postdoctoral research grants, awards, and fellowships. Below you will find the updated list of international opportunities available in Development Studies.

Development Studies Scholarships

Development Studies Fellowships

Development Studies Conferences

Development Studies relevant accounts on Twitter

What is Development Studies?

Development studies are about exploring the phenomenon of development, or, to be more precise, about making development equally accessible for all the people in the world. There is no need to have an academic level knowledge to agree that people have significantly different development opportunities worldwide. There are locations where people do not even have access to basic things like water, food, security, etc. This unequal distribution of resources is among the first reasons why different parts of the world are developed to different levels. 

The discipline of Development studies addresses the unequal picture of global development. The study explores the opportunities to create an equally beneficial world for everyone, regardless of the location, nationality, availability of natural resources, etc. You will often meet the discipline under the title of International Development studies. It focuses on the role of markets, states, and civil society in improving global development rates. As the development generally means the availability of a wide variety of choices, the discipline can also be described as studies about bringing opportunities closer to the places where there is the most need. 

Especially in recent years, the Development studies also focus on diversity and inclusion, which means the field specialists ensure everyone has equal opportunities regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or another status. 

Development studies are tightly related to Social sciences, and their impact areas include Engineering, Medicine, Forestry, IT, Agriculture, Climate change, etc. As a particular discipline, it emerged at the end of the 20th century, where third-world economies' attempts to establish themselves in the global area became more noticeable. That's why often, Development studies are viewed as close to political and cultural studies and history. For the same reason, many academic programs of DS introduce the global political situation and its background. By analyzing the present conditions' routes, it's easier to identify the reasons for development gaps and invent solutions to overcome them.

If you wish to be a part of the equally developed world, or better, you want to stand at its origins, Development studies are the right choice. 

Development Studies Academic Programs

Development studies are also a good choice for those interested in world history and are empathetic to all people globally. You might learn many technical methodologies of managing global resources wisely, but it's a must to have an inner desire to make the world a better place. 

Development studies are primarily connected with practical experiences that students should have to better understand the existing problems. That's why many theoretical courses at Development study faculties are organized in the evenings so that students have time to participate in volunteering or internship opportunities during the daytime. 

In most universities, the academic program of Development studies starts with introducing the main political ideas such as liberalism, economic analysis, colonialism, etc. The sophomore and the third years of studies usually cover more important topics such as mass immigration, global poverty, international relations, migrations, etc. To dig into the topics' more profound levels, there are opportunities to choose elective courses such as history, anthropology, sociology, etc., or participate in international placements.

So, as in most disciplines, the Bachelor's degree gives a lighter understanding of the discipline and grants students the main area-related skills. In development studies, undergraduate courses prepare excellent negotiators, critical thinkers who have an organized approach to management, and a deep understanding of microeconomics. Further, in graduate programs, students develop high-quality academic expertise in contemporary development studies and theories. At this stage, they understand the global development processes and policies better. They also learn to analyze why well-designed development policies are not effectively utilized in practice and what can be done to avoid such scenarios. 

Development Careers

To start with, equal development is a topic and research area to which international organizations like the UN and EU have a wide contribution. You might recall seeing the words development, leadership, sustainability, equality, and similar very often in this organizations' programs. They also largely sponsor students who show interest in those areas and organize most of the fields internships, trainings, conferences, etc. 

So, one of the leading career paths is to be employed in the UN, EU, or other international organizations sharing similar missions of equal development. Besides, students can work in research organizations, charities, conservation projects, academic, civil service, governmental institutions, etc. As a Development Studies graduate, you can plan, implement and monitor development projects from regional to global levels. 

Development Research Opportunities

Ideally, the Development studies research programs should lead to new practical solutions, leading to global development. Every invention that can contribute to internal consistency and the effectiveness of the existing or new development theories is the desired result of the research programs. 

There are the main types of DS research.

  • Researchers describe product development processes in detail and analyze the effectiveness and value of the finally developed solutions. 
  • Scholars focus on how the development of certain ideas contributes to organizational learning. 
  • There is also a direction of studying how the current development mechanisms work, both as full programs and their separated components. 

Below, you can notify yourself of the main research areas in the field:

  • Development interventions in the world
  • Social resistance
  • globalization
  • Political ecology
  • resource politics
  • Global justice
  • Disasters and global climate change
  • Global transformative alternatives
  • Peace, conflict, and sustainable development
  • Rising powers
  • The issues of the third country's economies. 

The current global situations of global climate threats, accompanied by the highly tensioned geopolitical relationships, make a significant impact on the world population. Because of the global conflict of interests, ordinary people struggle at the micro-level during their ordinary life. Therefore, there is a need to effectively develop and implement programs, which can largely contribute to establishing long-term stability in the world. We hope this section of ARMACAD will help you become one of those people who will have their impact on the positive transformation of the world.