School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences

Development Studies

PhD student Ed Challies with raspberry growers in South America.

2013 Applications for the Postgraduate Diploma in Development Studies and the Masters in Development Studies close on 10 December 2012 (this applies to Domestic Students).

Development Studies seeks to explain the enormous differences in peoples’ living standards across the world and to do something about the inequality.

The programme examines the theories and practices associated with inequalities in world development, using multi-disciplinary techniques. It is concerned with the processes and relationships between people and institutions at different scales – from local, small-scale communities, through to national government agencies and international organisations.

Particular attention is paid to the relationships between 'developed' and 'developing' societies, the roles played by various institutions within them and their effects on processes of social, political, economic and environmental transformation.

Development studies concerns issues of contemporary relevance to the world today including:

  • Poverty
  • Inequality
  • Globalisation
  • Gender
  • Environmental crises
  • International aid

Our programme is accessible to graduates from a wide range of disciplines and occupations. People with work experience in development are strongly encouraged to apply, especially those with a background in the Asia Pacific region. 

International Study

Students are encouraged to spend some time overseas in a developing country as part of their postgraduate study and Masters students usually complete a research thesis based on work in a developing country. Students have undertaken research in places as diverse as Ethiopia, East Timor, Brazil, Chile, Bhutan and Malaysia. 

About the Programme

The study of development has been an integral part of the human geography programmes at Victoria University since the 1950s. The development studies programme has grown rapidly since its establishment in 1995 because of its relevance to current issues and the quality of the programme.

Our research and teaching have made international contributions to the area, in particular through Asia Pacific Viewpoint. This development studies and area studies academic journal is edited out of the Geography and Development Studies programmes and was ranked 11th in the 2009 social science citation index for area studies worldwide. 

Our team of academics is at the cutting edge of development theory and practice  - evidenced in their high scores in the Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) evaluation exercise (the current team has an average rating of 7.0). They are also highly regarded as teachers and supervisors and have been recognised by numerous university, national and international awards.

Administratively, the development studies programme sits within the geography programme as part of the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences. Being interdisciplinary in nature, the postgraduate programmes access the expertise of many other disciplines across the whole university including politics, economics, and social sciences.

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