MSc Social Development Practice

The normal minimum qualifications are a good second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant subject from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard; and a demonstrable interest in the subject matter of the programme. Candidates who do not meet the above requirements may be considered if they are able to demonstrate relevant work experience and an ability to engage academically with the subject matter of the degree. Applicants who do not hold a recognised undergraduate degree may, in exceptional cases, be admitted to the programme if they are able to demonstrate considerable senior-level professional experience in planning or a related field.

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93.6% of graduates from The Bartlett Development Planning Unit were in work or further study 15 months after graduation and are working in 56 countries around the world ( HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017-2023 ).

Compulsory modules

• Development and Planning Dissertation
• Social Policy and Citizenship
• Social Diversity, Inequality and Poverty
• Social Development in Practice
• Post Disaster Recovery: Policies, Practices and Alternatives
• Transforming Local Areas: Urban Design for Development
• Participatory Processes: Building for Development
• Disaster Risk Reduction in Cities
• Housing Policies: Practical Dimensions and Alternative Options
• Society and Market: Private Agency for Development
• Critical Ideas of Development: Conceptions and Realities
• Contemporary Approaches to Development Management
• Managing the City Economy
• The Political Ecology of Environmental Change
• Urban Environmental Planning and Management in Development
• Adapting Cities to Climate Change in the Global South
• Sustainable Infrastructure and Services in Development
• Urban Development Policy, Planning and Management: Strategic Action in Theory and Practice
• Food and the City
• The City and its Relations: Context, Institutions and Actors in Urban Development Planning
• Transport Equity and Urban Mobility
• Urbanisation and Development
• An Introduction to Public Economics and Public Policy
• Housing as Urbanism: Housing Policy and the Search for Scale
• NGOs Social Transformation

Optional modules

• Post Disaster Recovery: Policies, Practices and Alternatives
• Transforming Local Areas: Urban Design for Development
• Participatory Processes: Building for Development
• Disaster Risk Reduction in Cities
• Housing Policies: Practical Dimensions and Alternative Options
• Society and Market: Private Agency for Development
• Critical Ideas of Development: Conceptions and Realities
• Contemporary Approaches to Development Management
• Managing the City Economy
• The Political Ecology of Environmental Change
• Urban Environmental Planning and Management in Development
• Adapting Cities to Climate Change in the Global South
• Sustainable Infrastructure and Services in Development
• Urban Development Policy, Planning and Management: Strategic Action in Theory and Practice
• Food and the City
• The City and its Relations: Context, Institutions and Actors in Urban Development Planning
• Transport Equity and Urban Mobility
• Urbanisation and Development
• An Introduction to Public Economics and Public Policy
• Housing as Urbanism: Housing Policy and the Search for Scale
• NGOs Social Transformation
• Discover more about our overseas practice engagements and previous outputs ▶
• How can women, men and children participate meaningfully in policy and planning to achieve more equitable and transformative outcomes?
• What is the role of the development practitioner—as both a social planner and a catalyst for change?