Poverty Reduction: Policy and Practice
Programme Convenor: Mr Colin Poulton
Poverty reduction is a key focus of the Millennium Development Goals and is at the heart of international, national and NGO development objectives and activities. Recent achievements in poverty reduction have varied widely across and within countries, regions, and social groups.
The programme was developed through an agreement between CeDEP, the University of London and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) – see http://www.cgiar.org. This led to the involvement of professionals from specialist CGIAR institutes in the design and development of several of the modules within the programme. These modules thus take advantage both of relevant professional expertise from specialist CGIAR institutes and of wider development and distance learning expertise of CeDEP, SOAS and the University of London.
Programme aims
The programme aims to equip students with a multi-disciplinary skill set to analyse and address the poverty reduction challenges of this millennium. A number of modules have significant economics content. Depending on the options chosen, other disciplines drawn upon may include management theory, environmental science, political economy or law.
The programme will give students the opportunity to develop
- a critical, inter-disciplinary, integrative and global perspective on poverty reduction issues
- a theoretical approach to intellectual enquiry of poverty reduction issues, which nevertheless emphasises the integration of theory and practice
- a broad understanding of ideas and approaches for managing organisations within their cultural, political, technological, social, and institutional contexts, to solve problems related to poverty reduction
- practical issue-oriented research skills, drawing on knowledge and understanding developed in their studies
Career prospects for graduates
As with all CeDEP programmes, the Poverty Reduction programme is designed to assist both existing development professionals and people moving into the field of international development. For the former, the programme offers a chance to upgrade and update their expertise, and to reflect systematically and in depth on their accumulated experience in the light of up-to-date theory and literature. It is anticipated that most graduates of this programme will find work in:
- government ministries and other public sector organisations concerned with policy analysis and implementation for poverty reduction
- international and non-governmental organisations concerned with issues of poverty reduction
- consultancies and development projects involved in activities promoting poverty reduction
Particular opportunities may be related to the choice of specialisms in natural resources management, agricultural and rural development, or development management.
Programme structure
| Qualification | Number of modules | Duration | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core | Elective | Research | Total | ||
| MSc in Poverty Reduction: Policy and Practice | 4 out of 5 | 4* | 2 | 10 | Minimum of 2 years and maximum registration of 5 years |
| PGDip in Poverty Reduction: Policy and Practice | 4 out of 5 | 4* | 8 | Minimum of 2 years and maximum registration of 5 years | |
| PGCert in Poverty Reduction: Policy and Practice | 4 out of 5 | 4 | Minimum of 1 year and maximum registration of 5 years | ||
| *At least 3 from one specialism, plus 1 free choice from all specialisms | |||||
