Are you interested in finding out how social development is affecting the people who live in the world’s poorest countries? Do you want to learn about globalisation and consider its impact on the people of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Europe?  Are you interested in the way NGOs work to address issues of poverty? Do you worry about the value of their work?

This course will give you the answers you seek – and much more. There has never been a more pressing time to study International Development with NGO Management. Globalisation continues to impact the world’s poorest countries in the global South, and the reaction to globalisation continues to manifest itself in the global North through Brexit and the election of populist leaders. Conflict, climate change, Covid-19 and humanitarian crises all demand a response from the world.

Our course equips you to find your place in this response. You will acquire the skills and knowledge to research and analyse complex problems, to develop your own and ideas and plans for a development project and how to fundraise for it, and ultimately to find a career that will give you job-satisfaction – being part of changing the world for the better

We use textbooks and real-world experience, encouraging you to step outside the classroom and study beyond the headlines. We offer you the chance to gain valuable work experience in an NGO, such as Save the Children UK or Otra Cosa (Peru), as a core part of your course.

By studying International Development, you'll be asking vitally important questions. What is poverty? What is the connection between a country’s economy and the wellbeing of its people? How do issues such as inequality, conflict and faith relate to development? What is globalisation and how does it impact on all of our lives?

Our course gives special emphasis to the lived experience of people in the developing world. In doing so, it challenges the assumption that development is a purely economic phenomenon.

Your third-year work placement in an NGO, which we’ll help you to arrange, will provide you with invaluable experience in the field, whether it’s at the Vitality project in Bangladesh or working for the St Francis Hospice in the UK. You’ll develop the skills that NGOs look for in people they employ.

In addition to studying theory, you’ll learn about real-world issues in modules such as Human Mobility, Forced Migration and Social Change as well as The Politics of Global Powers and Imperialism Now: Economy, State and War.

The course is assessed entirely by coursework such as essays, video presentations and a research dissertation.  You’ll learn beyond the classroom by getting involved in the work of organisations such as British Overseas NGO for Development (BOND). Four of our students recently attended their annual conference as volunteers and social media coordinators.

The approximate percentages for this course are:

Year 1: 100% coursework
Year 2: 100% coursework
Year 3: 83% coursework, 17% practical

From lectures and small group seminars at UEL’s Docklands campus to working on an NGO project to prevent child trafficking in Nepal, the range of opportunities to learn on this course could not be more varied.

Our students have also undertaken placements relating to money mentoring and finance in Africa, the education of street children in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the health needs of Syrian refugees in Greece.

You’ll be taught by staff with relevant experience and practice to ensure you learn from real life experience and research, including renowned experts in their field such as Dr Meera Tiwari, who helped 2005 graduate Firoz Patel found the charity Global Development Links (now Childreach International) while he was still an undergraduate on the course.

We offer dual delivery which combines traditional on campus face-to-face teaching and online teaching simultaneously, allowing you to interact as if you were there in person. You can move smoothly between online and on campus teaching subject to your individual timetable (and health requirements). Students can interact and collaborate in person and online in any of these live-streamed sessions. Live-streamed sessions will also be recorded, so you can login when you want, playback and watch from the comfort of your home and whilst on the go.

When not attending timetabled lectures you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, Microsoft Teams and Moodle.

We are investing in key areas beyond your studies including our career services, library and well-being, to be available both face-to-face on campus and online with many of these available 24/7.

Our students have undertaken placements relating to money mentoring and finance in Africa, the education of street children in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the health needs of Syrian refugees in Greece. You’ll also have opportunities to learn beyond the classroom by getting involved in the work of organisations such as British Overseas NGO for Development
Dr Tiwari is on the charity’s Board of Trustees - an example of how the course teaching is intertwined with your student placement and later career development.

Students are supported with any academic or subject related queries by an Academic Advisor, module leaders, former and current UEL students. If you need support with certain skills such as academic writing, our Skillzone and English for Academic Purposes offer workshops, drop-in sessions and one-to-one appointments will help you to achieve your potential.

You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses.Our Student Support hubs in Docklands and Stratford feature centralised helpdesks to cater for your every need.

We have new, modern library facilities on both campuses offering inspirational environments for study and research. Libraries contain resources in print and digital formats, a range of study spaces and dedicated librarian who can assist with your learning.

UEL provides also support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).Your overall workload consists of class and online tutor led sessions, individual learning, practical activities.

Who will teach on this course

Robert Ahearne

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

Having undertaken a work placement in an NGO, you’ll have the knowledge and hands-on experience that employers seek. While there is no pressure on you to know your career path when you start the course, a range of exciting options will be open to you when you graduate.

From moving into communications within the not-for-profit sector to becoming a campaign in fundraising agencies, our graduates have taken on a variety of roles in the UK and abroad.

Others have established NGOs and charities of their own, including the Children of Congo Foundation, which provides education for street children, and the Otra Cosa Network, which supports communities in northern Peru through life-changing, affordable volunteering.

Your placement will give you the opportunity to meet and impress professionals in the field. You’ll develop an invaluable network of contacts who will have seen your work at close quarters. Many of the students on this course find their first job after graduation through this route. We organise events each year to introduce you to development specialists and practitioners, including from our own alumni.

You may also choose to continue your studies at the University of East London by moving on to one of our postgraduate courses, which also offer the opportunity to conduct research in the field.

“There is no degree for being an NGO fundraiser but if you do International Development with NGO Management and you do your internship in an NGO, you end up with all this great experience in fundraising and you’ll have a very different place in the job market,” says Professor Allaine Cerwonka, Dean of UEL’s School of Social Sciences.