Program Overview

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Explore the most pressing issues in international development. Analyse the impact of these issues using solid quantitative research methods. MSc Quantitative International Development is a truly interdisciplinary course in International Development, taught jointly by the Department of Economics , Department of Government , Department of Sociology and Essex Business School . The course is open to all students looking to understand the problems that the developing world faces from the perspective of a researcher in the area. With the new data revolution and the recent developments in data collection all over the world, we can apply strong analytical techniques to understand the reality of developing countries. Most of the cutting edge work in the best universities of the world is testing previous concepts with newly collected data using well advanced techniques. In this course we teach you the essentials of research design and statistics, and then you have the option to explore a set of selected topics in international development in order to hone your skills on the subject matter. You build a thorough understanding of the key statistical techniques, together with a more scientific approach to understanding the pressing issues in International Development through studying the following topics:

• Modern research methods
• Fundamentals of research design
• Econometric and Statistical techniques

Providing the opportunity to use these research skills in applications by studying topics such as:

• Environmental Economics
• Economic Development
• Human Rights
• Ethics

You are taught by leading experts in the field of international development. The Faculty of Social Sciences at Essex is top 5 in the UK for research, with over 90% of our research rated as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”. With this course you also have the opportunity to study abroad at one of our partner institutions and achieve a dual award, which means you’ll receive two Masters degrees in two years. Find out more on our dual award webpage. Why we're great.

• We are one of Europe's leading economics departments – learn with other research stars to break new ground
• We connect our research with our teaching so what you learn about is relevant today
• Access extensive quantitative analysis software and a large number of economics databases

Our expert staff

Study and work alongside some of the most prominent social scientists of our time. Our researchers are at the forefront of their field and have even received MBEs, with students coming from across the globe to study, research or work with us. Many of our researchers also provide consultancy services to international organizations, helping us to develop research for today's society as well as informing our teaching for the future. For a full list of research interests, see our staff pages in EBS , Economics , Government , and Sociology .

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Specialist facilities

Take advantage of our wide range of learning resources to assist you in your studies:

• Extensive software for quantitative analysis is available in all computer labs across the university
• Access a variety of economics databases and multiple copies of textbooks and e-books in the Albert Sloman Library

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Your future

After completing your masters, you may wish to extend your knowledge with a research degree – many Essex graduates decide to stay here for further study. Alternatively, our course also prepares you for employment; recent surveys have shown that higher degree graduates are more likely to obtain jobs at professional or managerial level. Our recent Master’s level graduates have gone on to work for a range of high-profile organisations in the international development field, such as United Nations and The World Bank. We also work with the University’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.