Expand+Programme Requirements

All students within the programme will adhere to all UCD and relevant College-level requirements for a structured PhD and specific programme requirements for the PhD in Global Human Development. This includes, inter alia, th...

Hide-Programme Requirements

All students within the programme will adhere to all UCD and relevant College-level requirements for a structured PhD and specific programme requirements for the PhD in Global Human Development. This includes, inter alia, the acquisition of a minimum of 30 taught credits at UCD, a formal transfer assessment and completion of a Research and Professional Development Programme (RPDP). All students will submit their final dissertation to UCD and upon successful completion of their examination, will be awarded a UCD PhD. Students on the PhD programme in Global Human Development have to conduct their research at a university in a 'developing country' and therefore need to provide UCD with a letter of an academic from this university, confirming that he/she is willing to supervise the student during his/her research period. The 'local' supervisor will be a member of the Doctoral Studies Panel.

Expand+The PhD in Global Human Development is part of the Human Development Initiative (HDI). HDI aims to promote and foster development education, produce quality research in partnership with southern universities and raise awareness of contemporary develo...

Hide-The PhD in Global Human Development is part of the Human Development Initiative (HDI). HDI aims to promote and foster development education, produce quality research in partnership with southern universities and raise awareness of contemporary development issues through various outreach programmes. It is comprised of an inter disciplinary group of academics, researchers and students whose work focuses on contemporary development issues.

The PhD in Global Human Development is a 3-4 year full time ‘sandwich’ programme jointly offered by UCD and one of a number of other universities in Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe and China. (University of Dar Es Salaam, University of Malawi, University of Zimbabwe and Xiamen University), or any other university in a ‘developing country’ willing to accept students for their obligatory research stay. The programme has been developed for government personnel and public servants (such as Higher Education academics, research institutes) mainly in East Africa

PhD students on the programme are required to spend at least one semester per academic year at UCD. Consequently the following semester has to be spent at their research university under the supervision of the student’s ‘local’ supervisor.

Programme Objectives

The aim of this programme is to pool the respective capacities of UCD and the respective partner universities to provide graduate research students and supervisors with what is necessary to conduct top class research in the field of development. Students will be provided with the academic and intellectual tools to work on the issues related to the Millennium Development Goals and poverty reduction through their respective core disciplines and place this within real-world experience and research in the developing world. Both institutions will provide members to the student’s Doctoral Studies Panel. Where this entails primary supervision resting with non-UCD staff members, such persons will be submitted through UCD channels for approval as adjunct staff members.