International Development

Student experience

Studying at the University of Sussex places you in the heart of our vibrant learning community and beautiful campus. Students in the Department of International Development are able to take advantage of research and funding opportunities, talk and events, and the student-run International Development Society, DevSoc.

Find out more about prize-winning and published student work, student collaborations with humanitarian organizations, alumni stories, and recent events that have taken place at Sussex.

“Being able to study at the School of Global Studies and access the talks and workshops at IDS was very valuable. These talks have such a great range of topics that have helped form my perspective and approach to the work I do currently in sustainability.”

Kendra Quinn, BA Geography and International Development 2020

International Development Society (DevSoc)

DevSoc is a student-led group which organises events and socials for development students, including the famous Development Christmas Pub Quiz!

Follow the International Development Society on Instagram @DevSocSussex 

Sussex Development Lectures

The Sussex Development Lecture series is an opportunity to hear from leading global thinkers on development. It is jointly run by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), the School of Global Studies and the Centre for International Education based at the University of Sussex and open to students, staff and members of the general public. Watch Professor Pete Newell from our School speak as part of the 2022 Sussex Development Lecture: 'Mining minerals – uncertainties caused by global energy transitions'

Nicola Anderson Memorial Bursary

The Nicola Anderson Bursary was set up to celebrate Nicola’s life and provides a bursary to students who want to undertake a research project in the summer vacation between students’ second and third year. Projects might take the form of research or work in the context of an existing organisation and the bursary can cover travel, living costs and more. Examples of past projects include an ethnography of surf culture in Ghana, an agroecology internship and research project in Mexico and using audiovisual tools to explore gender violence in Indonesia.

Junior Research Associates

At Sussex, most of our undergraduate research takes place within our Junior Research Associate (JRA) scheme. The eight-week programme is offered to all of our high performing undergraduate students over the summer. If you're accepted on to the scheme, you get a bursary to work on your research full time, work closely with supervisors, and network with other researchers. Click here to see a recent (2019) poster produced by one of the Junior Research Associates from the BA International Development, Heidi Eggleton. Her project examined 'Young People's Access to Higher Education in Kilifi, Kenya':

Global Undergraduate Awards

Yume Tamiya, a BA International Development with International Education graduate (2019) was selected as a Global Winner in the Social Sciences category for the 2019 Global Undergraduate Awards. The award was based on work submitted to her third year 'Human Rights' option. Yume was also Highly Commended for a separate piece of work that she had submitted to another third year option, 'Wealth, Inequality and Development'. The latter piece was acknowledge by the Centre for Global Political Economy for their inaugural Gender and Global Political Economy prize, and has been published in the CGPE Working Paper Series

Postgraduate Publications

Many of our postgraduates carry out fantastic, original research during placements or while writing their dissertations. In 2017, two students from the MA Environment, Development and Policy published their original work. 

Vicki Chillcott co-published a chapter on the politics of marine plastics pollution in an edited volume on The Circular Economy in the Global South (Schröder, Anantharaman, Anggraeni, and Foxon, 2018), and Ben Gilbey published his work on land degradation, drawing on a placement at IUCN, in Environmental Science & Policy

Global Horizons: The Undergraduate Journal for the School of Global Studies

This journal is a space of representation and recognition, demonstrating the exemplary works produced by undergraduate Global Studies students at the University of Sussex. Thematically, papers address, generate and disseminate knowledge concerning some of the most pressing global issues of our time – from global inequalities and justice, climate and environmental change, war and peace, and global health, to finance crises, intolerance, and discrimination. Inter-disciplinary by the nature of its diverse contributors, the journal reflects the pedagogical and methodological approach adopted by the School of Global Studies more broadly. See the journal website here

SussexGlobal: School of Global Studies Official Blog

SussexGlobal provides a space where students, faculty, alumni and associates can share research, experiences and opinions in their own words. Our aim is to provide a permanent home for these thoughts and experiences, providing lively and on-going discussions on the most pressing global issues today.

Visit SussexGlobal Blog