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International Development at University of Portsmouth - UCAS

Course options

There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

This is a Connected Degree Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course. Overview On this BA (Hons) International Development degree course, you’ll learn to address some of the major global challenges of our time such as poverty and hunger, environmental sustainability, universal education and health care. You'll expand your understanding of the role and purpose of cooperation between governments, international organisations and non-governmental organisation (NGOs) in international development, using this to gain insights into strategies to improve people's lives on a global scale. This course is ideal for a national and international career in roles such as community development, advocacy, policy development and public affairs. You'll have the confidence and ability to take what you learn on this course to make a positive impact in areas such as gender equality and women’s empowerment, democracy, human rights and conflict and security. Course highlights

  • Your learning won’t be limited to the classroom – you'll have opportunities to work with development organisations in the UK or overseas
  • Gain on-the-ground experience of community development and protected area management on an optional field trip to Uganda
  • Study multiple disciplines to find solutions that could include changing policy at a national level
  • Be taught by staff who are committed to their research in the field, such as Professor Tamsin Bradley whose research is informing schemes to help support women across South Asia in their search for equality
  • Get experience during your studies or as part of an optional work placement year with an international non-governmental organisation (NGO)
  • Put your expertise into practice in Model United Nations events, in collaboration with fellow students from International Development and International Relations
  • Have the chance to learn a new language
Worried about your grades? If you're not sure you meet the entry requirements, or need some help to get uni-ready, then we offer this course with a foundation year to bring you up to speed. When you successfully finish, you'll get a guaranteed place on this course. Optional pathways You can also study international development with international relations – leading to a BA (Hons) International Relations with International Development award at the end of the course. Careers and opportunities This course gives you the skills for careers in areas such as:
  • international community development
  • civil service
  • fundraising, campaigning and advocacy
  • policy development
  • social enterprise
  • corporate social responsibility
  • public affairs
  • project management
What jobs can you do with an international development degree? Our graduates have gone on to roles such as:
  • programme management, support and evaluation roles for international agencies and non-governmental organisations
  • fundraising development coordinator
  • human rights advocacy
  • media and digital content lead
  • social researcher
  • community development practitioner
  • sustainable sourcing specialist for multinational corporations
Graduate destinations Our graduates have worked for organisations such as:
  • Save the Children
  • Street Doctors
  • CAFOD
  • the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
  • the Department or International Development
  • British Chamber of Commerce
  • Universal Music Group

Subject options

This course offers the following subject options:

  • International Development with Sociology

Modules

Year 1 Core modules in this year include:

  • Critical Thinking and Professional Identity (40 credits)
  • Global Development (20 credits)
  • Key Themes in International Relations (20 credits)
  • Political Thought (20 credits)
  • The Making of the Global South (20 credits)
There are no optional modules in this year. Year 2 Core modules in this year include:
  • Climate Crises (20 credits)
  • The Geopolitics and Geo-Economics of Africa (20 credits)
Optional modules in this year include:
  • Analysing Foreign Policy (20 credits)
  • Development and Democracy in Latin America (20 credits)
  • East Asian States and Societies (20 credits)
  • Empire and Its Afterlives in Britain, Europe, and Africa (20 credits)
  • Engaged Citizenship in Humanities and Social Sciences (20 credits)
  • Gender and Social Justice (20 credits)
  • Global Security (20 credits)
  • Intercultural Perspectives On Communication (20 credits)
  • Managing Across Cultures (Fheq5) (20 credits)
  • Marketing & Communication (20 credits)
  • Modernity and Globalisation (20 credits)
  • Nationalism and Migration: Chaos, Crisis and the Everyday (L5) (20 credits)
  • News, Discourse, and Media (20 credits)
  • Principles of Economic Crime Investigation (20 credits)
  • Professional Experience (20 credits)
  • Puritans to Postmodernists: American Literature (20 credits)
  • Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (20 credits)
  • Transitional Justice & Human Rights (20 credits)
  • Wildlife Crime: Threats and Response (20 credits)
Placement year (optional) Have the opportunity to do an additional work placement year after your second or third year on this Connected Degree - we're the only UK university to offer flexible sandwich placements for undergraduates. Year 3 Core modules in this year include:
  • Rethinking Aid and Development (20 credits)
Optional modules in this year include:
  • Decolonial Politics and Theory in International Relations (20 credits)
  • Dissertation (International Development) (40 credits)
  • Global Capitalism: Past, Present and Future (20 credits)
  • Global Health (20 credits)
  • Independent Project (International Development) (20 credits)
  • Major Project (40 credits)
  • NGOs and Social Movements (20 credits)
  • Professional Development: Recruiters and Candidates (20 credits)
  • Professional Development: Recruiters and Candidates (20 credits)
  • Professional Experience (20 credits)
  • Race, Rights & Development: Global Perspectives On Inequality & Social Justice (20 credits)
  • Religion and Politics in Global Perspective (20 credits)
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies. Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment method

How you're assessed will depend on the modules you select. As well as online assessments and coursework you may be assessed using: examinations analysis of topical case studies written reports and essays presentations practical projects As a guide, students on this course are typically assessed as follows: Year 1 students: 58% by written exams and 42% by coursework Year 2 students: 17% by written exams, 8% by practical exams and 75% by coursework (taken while on study abroad) Year 3 students: 17% by written exams and 83% by coursework We'll give you feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.


How to apply

Application codes

Course code:
L902
Institution code:
P80
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

We welcome applications for advanced entry. If you’d like to apply for advanced entry, you need to select the required year when you complete your UCAS application.

This course may be available at alternative locations, please check if other course options are available

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements


English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.
Cambridge English AdvancedCambridge English: Advanced (CAE) (taken after January 2015). An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
Cambridge English ProficiencyCambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) (taken after January 2015). An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
PTE Academic62An overall score of 62 with a minimum of 59 in each skill.
TOEFL (iBT)7979 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing.
Trinity ISEPassTrinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
75%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
95%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

EU £9535 Year 1
England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
Channel Islands £9535 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9535 Year 1
International £17200 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship Placement Year and Year abroad (at the time of publishing for 2025/26): UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £1,430 EU – £1,430 International (Non-EU) – £2,875. Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice. Please check the course page on our website for the most up to date fee information All fees are subject to annual increase. For more information about fees, go to port.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/undergraduate-fees-and-student-finance/tuition-fees-living-costs-and-other-study-costs
International Development at University of Portsmouth - UCAS