School of Social and Political Science

Introduction

The deadline to apply for September 2025 entry is Monday 30 June 2025.

Join Edinburgh's world-class Centre of African Studies

Our Masters students have the opportunity to join the inclusive group of world-class scholars that make up Edinburgh's Centre of African Studies (CAS).

The Centre of African Studies is an internationally-recognised hub for research and teaching on Africa, within the prestigious School of Social and Political Science.

We are one of the oldest and largest African Studies centres in Europe and we pride ourselves on undertaking a diverse range of cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research.

Aims

Understand global challenges, forge regional expertise

Our programme offers you a unique opportunity to acquire a combination of interdisciplinary, regional expertise with a critical knowledge of international development theory and practice.

We pride ourselves on enabling outstanding students to reach their full potential, as we challenge them to critically explore cutting-edge issues and debates in a supportive and inclusive environment.

The training we provide gives students a competitive edge whether they choose to pursue development jobs in the region or continue in research.

Test new skills, gain work experience

At the end of the programme, our graduates should have a deep understanding of development dynamics and their implications for diverse societies in Africa, and how international thinking and politics shape various aspects of development policy and research within and outside the region.

Structure

The programme is available on a full-time basis over one year. Our programme is incredibly flexible to allow 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.

Option courses

To that we add a variety of designated course options to allow students to develop specialised profiles as development professionals.

For an indication of the complete range of available courses, see Programme structure 2024/2025 (but note this is for the current academic year - the programme structure may vary slightly in future years, depending on staff availability).

Independent research

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

You can either complete your dissertation through independent study (including the option to work on a faculty-based project), or through a placement-based placement. These placements offer some students the opportunity to work in a wide range of development organisations across Africa for eight weeks, enabling you to apply academic training to real-world problems.

Our extensive network of partners in the UK and a large number of African countries includes:

• NGOs
• charities
• social enterprise,
• think-tanks
• government bodies

This gives you the chance to acquire key skills and practical, first-hand experience of working in international development in the continent.

Career opportunities

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

• international organisations
• development agencies
• international consultancy firms
• governmental departments and Think Tanks
• charities and non-governmental organisations
• public sector
• research and academia

Where possible, academic staff provide opportunities for students to engage with practitioners in these areas.

Student stories

Henry Anumudu (2022 Africa and International Development) has been named winner of the 2023 Being Edinburgh alumni award. Henry is a former Mastercard Foundation scholar at the University. Since graduating, he has shown commitment to creating educational opportunities for children from low-income communities, and established the not-for-profit organisation Sharing Life Africa, supporting thousands of young people to get the most out of their education.  Read more about Henry's experience.

Graduate accounts of studying Africa and International Development with us are also provided by Hammed's story and Tefsi's story.

Scholarships

International students are eligible for these scholarships:

Chevening Scholarships are the UK government's global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) and partner organisations. 

Commonwealth Shared Scholarships support students from developing Commonwealth countries who would not otherwise be able to study in the United Kingdom.

Nyerere Scholarship provides funding for a talented Tanzanian student to follow in Julius Nyerere’s footsteps and study at the University of Edinburgh. The scholarship offers a one-year postgraduate scholarship for a student domiciled in Tanzania to study the MSc in Africa and International Development.

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program supports exceptional young people with great academic and leadership experience who have overcome barriers to their education and are committed to pursuing their studies on-campus.

For any questions relating to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, please contact the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program directly.

Entry Requirements, applying and tuition fees

How to apply

Visit our How to apply page for further information on how to apply, including, inter alia, the application process and fee payments, 2024/25, English language requirements, and FAQs.

Entry Requirements

This page provides further information including Entry Requirements for the MSc in Africa and International Development. 
 

Application fee

This programme requires non-refundable application fee of:

• £50

This must be paid after you submit your application. Your application will not be processed until we have received your application fee.

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

*(Revised 16 October 2020 to specify you must be accepted for the MasterCard Program before you can request a fee waiver.)

 

Tuition fees

Award	Title	Duration	Study mode	Tuition fee link
MSc	Africa and International Development	1 Year	Full-time	Tuition fees

 

Reading recommendations

• Anwar, M.A., & Graham, M. (2022). The Digital Continent. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 
• Fanon, F., Sartre, J.P. & Farrington, C. (1963). The Wretched of the Earth (Vol. 36). New York: Grove Press.
• Nugent, P. (2012). Africa since Independence. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 
• Sabaratnam, M. (2017). Decolonising Intervention: International Statebuilding in Mozambique. London: Rowan & Littlefield. 
• Mbembe, A. (2019). Necropolitics. London: Duke University Press. 
• Gray, H. (2018). Turbulence and order in economic development: Institutions and economic transformation in Tanzania and Vietnam. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Mustapha, A.R. and A.L. Whitfield (eds.). (2009). Turning Points in African Democracy. Woodbridge: James Currey

Here are some broader texts on international development that intersect with the debates above:

• Andrews, M. (2013). The limits of institutional reform in development: Changing rules for realistic solutions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
• Cornwall, A., & Whitehead, A. (2007). Feminisms in development: contradictions, contestations and challenges. London: Zed Books.
• Dodworth, K. (2022). Legitimation as political practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
• Kothari, U. (Ed.). (2016). A radical history of development studies: Individuals, institutions and ideologies. London: Zed Books. 
• Loomba, A. (2015). Colonialism/postcolonialism. London: Routledge.
• Wilson, K. (2013). Race, racism and development: Interrogating history, discourse and practice. London: Zed Books. 

Postgraduate community and Events

Postgraduate community

The postgraduate students at CAS form a dynamic group, all studying different topics and countries but linked by their interest in Africa. Our postgraduate students are integral to our community. Alongside our Masters students, many of our PhD researchers are affiliated to research projects, regularly present at international conferences and publish in top international journals. Several have also won awards for their research. 

Senior research students are often involved in course planning and teaching, which helps in equipping them for future academic careers. Our research graduates are highly employable, many remain in academia, some become researchers in Africa and elsewhere and all develop skills which allow them to work anywhere in the world.

We encourage our Masters and PhD students to engage in academic and extra-curricular events organised by CAS, and to also organise events themselves.
 

Events

Besides academic activities, CAS members engage in a wide range of other activities, from football to language training, barbecues (or braais), taking part in reading and cultural groups, field trips and retreats. We provide a challenging, dynamic, supportive and tightly-knit environment for you. 

We also participate 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) and the UK's largest African Film Festival, Africa in Motion.
 

 

Contact us

Please ensure you have first read all the information provided above and in the associated pages. 

If you have any further questions that are not covered through a careful reading of these, please email: Thomas.Molony@ed.ac.uk

Programme Director

• Dr Thomas Molony