The MA in Development Management programme strives to combine academic training in an international setting with practical experience, and the current cohort experienced this recently in two ways:

After finishing their first semester, our 23 international students from the Bochum group went to Cape Town for Summer School. There, they met again their student fellows from the Cape Town group. Together, they absolved the courses ‘How to Conduct a Field Survey’ and ‘Social Policies for Developing Countries’. Field excursions to developmental NGOs in the townships of Khayelitsha, Kleimond, and Stellenbosch enriched this programme further. Naturally, there was also still time to enjoy the beauty of the location, visiting for instance Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, Cape Point, and – of course – the Penguins at Simons Town.

After this period, the students transitioned to the next step of the MADM programme, interning for a period of three months at various organisations with focuses on different development issues. Internship organisations included public developmental organisations, such as KfW, GIZ, and UNFCCC; think tanks, such as DEval and SWP; as well as non-governmental organisations, such as World Vision, next to diverse prestigious development consultancies.

As mentioned, this is not yet the end of combining academic studies with practical experience: After the Summer School, the Cape Town students prepared their practical field research period which starts in June, and are now ready to begin collecting data in the context of development projects. Likewise, the Bochum students are in the process of preparing for this period as well, and will conduct their field research in August.

Dr. Tobias Thürer
Coordinator MADM
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: +49 (0)234 / 32-22458
Fax: +49 (0)234 / 32-14294