Critical, Grounded, Interdisciplinary

In our current globalized world, conflict and development are closely intertwined. Disentangling the complexities of processes of conflict and development demands a critical stance and an interdisciplinary approach. Grounded in fieldwork, the MSc in Conflict and Development wants to provide a timely and in-depth understanding of the interrelations between conflict and development. Located in the heart of Europe, the one-year master program also allows an international body of students to connect to both research and policy-making in this growing field.

The Master in Conflict and Development is an intensive full-year program.

In the first semester, a set of introductory courses will be offered to acquaint yourself with the politics of conflict and development. These courses do not merely offer an introduction to ongoing debates, but start from a critical reading of influential authors in the field. They provide the conceptual and theoretical groundwork necessary to engage in more specific debates in the second semester. 

In the first semester you will also be able to deepen your area-specific knowledge. These courses will focus on processes of conflict and development in these specific regions, but also allow you to improve your knowledge of area-specific literatures and debates.

Courses in the second semester are aimed at deepening your understanding on either research related or policy-oriented questions. These courses will take the form of research seminars or more direct policy applications. This will allow to customise your own program according to your academic and professional interests.

As fieldwork is a central starting point of teaching in the Master Program, you will join one of three fieldwork courses. These will allow for a confrontation between theory and practice, whether in the Global South or in Europe. Past fieldwork trips in the South have focused on Uganda, India, Jordan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Morocco and Kenya, while work in Europe has focused on migration.

The final part of the program is the Master Dissertation, in which you will develop your own research project in collaboration with a supervisor. These projects are by nature interdisciplinary and aim towards a critical understanding of your given research question. Many of these dissertations will be fieldwork based, but students can also opt for a literature based dissertation.

The full program as well as information on specific courses can be found in the Ghent University course catalogue.

The Master program grants immediate admission to

• Bachelors in Political Science
• Bachelors in Political and Social Sciences; option: Political science
• Bachelors of Social Sciences 

For other students admission is subject to passing a preparatory (30 ECTS) or linking course (60 ECTS).

Please contact us if you have questions about admission requirements, equivalents or possible exemptions in your preparatory or linking program

All information about enrollment procedures, tuition fees, both for EEA and non-EEA students can be found on the Ghent University Administration for Prospects page