1. School of Agriculture, Policy
and Development
International
Development
atReading
Equipping you for a career in
the international sector
Undergraduate

2. The study of international development has never been more
important: complex global problems affect our lives; many parts of
the world are experiencing rapid change; and the richest nations are
committed to halving world poverty. At Reading we offer a unique
BSc in International Development, which provides an interdisciplinary
grounding in core development subjects, while drawing on our century-
long expertise in the study of agriculture and rural development. The
programme explores critical issues relating to the sustainability of the
planet’s resources, food systems, and human population.
This programme recognises that International Development is a
broad subject so includes expertise from across the University,
including Geography, Economics, Politics, the Henley Business
School and other departments. Core modules ensure a good
grounding in core development thinking whilst optional modules
mean that areas of specialism can be consolidated. The optional
modules are divided into four pathways:
• Society
• Economics and Business
• Environment
• Food Systems and Food Security
Students can undertake a placement year between Part 2 and Part 3.
Why study at the
University of Reading?
To ensure excellent standards and an
optimal learning experience we have
high quality facilities and use multi-
media teaching methods, including
lectures, seminars, practical work,
visits and directed private study.
Modules are taught by specialists
who are enthusiastic researchers
at the cutting edge of their subject.
Long-standing links to institutions in
developing countries and emerging
economies inform our teaching and
provide students with opportunities
for overseas study as part of the
degree programme.
International
Development
at Reading
International Development at Reading
The University of Reading is ranked in
the top 1% of universities in the world
and we enjoy a global reputation for
teaching, research and enterprise.
Many staff who lecture on the
programme are research associates of
the internationally renowned Walker
Institute for Climate System Research,
Centre for Food Security (CFS) and
the Centre for Developing Economies
and Emerging Markets (DEEM). DEEM
facilitates research and teaching
excellence in the field of
international development.
Our courses
BSc International Development L900
International Development with
Industrial Placement L901
Applications need to be made
through UCAS
Our standard offer is ABB from three
A levels and 32 points overall for the
International Baccalaureate. General
Studies and Key Skills will not be
accepted as part of the
standard offer.
For other qualifications, the
University website
www.reading.ac.uk/ug
provides further information.
We welcome applications from
mature students with relevant
practical experience.
Length of study
36 months full-time
48 months part-time for Home and
EU students only.
Bursaries and scholarships
For full details of the full range of
the University of Reading’s provision
of bursaries and scholarships for
undergraduates please see www.
reading.ac.uk/studentfinance.

3. What career opportunities
are available?
The degree programme provides an
excellent starting point for careers
in international development
or wider opportunities where a
combination of the natural and
social sciences gives competitive
advantage. For those working in the
international development sector
there is frequently no set career
route and it is typical to build up
a portfolio of work, volunteering,
and overseas experience to
enhance employability and
career options. This is why we
incorporate an excellent overseas
study opportunity within the
programme, encourage student
volunteering, and enable students
to write a research dissertation
based on a ‘real world’ practical or
policy issue.
Students who follow this
programme are expected to have
employment opportunities in
a wide variety of environment
and development settings.
These include aid agencies, non-
governmental-organisations, and
relevant government departments.
‘I found my overseas
placement to be a truly
rewarding experience. I
was given the opportunity
to investigate first-hand
the developmental issues
and challenges facing a
developing country and
its rural communities.
Graduating with existing
overseas experience has
proven to be crucial in
obtaining employment
opportunities both at home
and abroad. I have completed
an internship in Chile, had
my dissertation printed in an
international development
magazine, produced an
environmental impact
assessment in Kenya, worked
with leading UK institutions
on agricultural development
and contributed to
agricultural handbooks
in Zimbabwe.’
Luke Herman
Recent Graduate
Language Opportunities
Language skills can make you
more employable, open up your
opportunities for travel and let you
immerse yourself in other cultures.
All undergraduate students have
the opportunity to take a language
course as part of their credited
study. Courses in eleven different
languages including Chinese,
French, German, Portuguese and
Russian, are available at all levels of
ability from beginner to
advanced level.
Opportunities for
personal and professional
development
The University has a number of
ways in which to help Reading
students make the most of the
extra-curricular activities and
experiences on offer outside of the
academic programme. Undertaking
voluntary work will enable you
to consolidate your experience in
terms of professional and personal
development and will enhance your
employability as employers look
for applicants who stand out from
the crowd and who recognise their
own abilities and ambitions. This
is particularly relevant to those
people who want a career in a
development field.

4. Core modules
International
development: global and
local Issues
An introduction to the nature and
scope of international development,
which encourages participants
to think about their lives in
relation to global development and
environmental issues, exploring
how these issues affect people
around the globe.
Food dilemmas:
production, security and
health
How does food production drive
the structure of society across
the globe? What are the major
issues facing food supply for
future populations? How is food
intrinsically linked to health and
wellbeing? Participants gain an
understanding of key debates
relevant to food production
through examining agriculture
in the past and present and
considering how it has
shaped society.
Sustainability and
prosperity in a globalising
world
Whether sustainability and
prosperity can be balanced in a
globalizing world is a question of
critical contemporary importance.
Globalization consists of social,
economic, cultural, technological
and political change that
contributes to the increasing inter-
connectivity of human society.
This has an unprecedented effect
on ecological systems that sustain
human and animal species.
Introduction to
agriculture and food
systems
What is agriculture and where
does our food come from? This
module provides an introduction to
the physical, economic, social and
political environment that forms
the backdrop to changes in global
food production.
Society and nature
What are the inter-relationships
between society and nature?
This module enables students
to evaluate how social scientists
examine the relationship between
societies, the environment and
natural resources.
Economics 1
How society decides what, how, and
for whom to produce – economics
is much too interesting to be left
to professional economists! It
influences what food we produce,
how well we look after our planet,
and the resources we have for
enjoying ourselves.
Career planning
What is the career for you? This
module component provides you
with the opportunity to develop
self-awareness in the context of
career decision-making, knowledge
of the career opportunities that are
available, and the skills to make
effective applications.
Dissertation
You will explore, in depth, a topic
of your own choice relating to
international development. At the
same time you will develop a range
of research and communication
skills including writing a project
proposal, research planning,
literature searching techniques and
report writing.
A selection of core modules
International Development at Reading

5. International Development at Reading
Core Modules
International
development, poverty
and inequality
What processes underpin the
creation of wealth and reduction
of poverty? How is inequality
perpetuated? Why in the 21st
Century with vast advances in
science and technology is global
poverty so intractable? Lectures
and discussions reflect on
wealth, poverty and inequality
in international development,
presenting students with cutting
edge debates and case study
material from around the globe.
Economics for
development
An understanding of key
economic concepts is vital to a
good grasp of the dynamics of
development processes. From an
economic perspective, core topics
cover: growth, poverty, human
development and inequality, labour
and land markets, industrialisation
and trade liberalisation, health and
nutrition, and environment.
Comparative government
and politics
What are the linkages between
government institutions and
society? How do formal and
informal political systems
operate? Students gain a broad
understanding of the political
systems, institutions and processes
over a range of states from all
regions of the world.
Food security and
development
Why is food security still a
problem for millions of people
in the developing world? Food
security concerns the complex
means by which people maintain
their livelihoods, it requires an
appreciation not only of food
production but also of how people
obtain necessary resources. This
module examines both theoretical
and methodological approaches
to understanding food (in)security
in the context of development
through case examples, readings,
discussions and exercises to address
issues central to understanding,
assessing and combating
food insecurity.
Project planning
and management in
developing countries
Central issues and principles
of managing projects and
programmes in the developing
world are presented alongside
an introduction to project
planning tools and management
skills, including budgeting and
procurement. Perspectives from the
contingency school of management
are also demonstrated.
A selection of core modules
Quantitative data
discovery in development
Students are introduced to the use
of data in social-science research
settings with particular reference
to data generation, data discovery
and data processing in developing
country contexts.
Qualitative methods for
development research
A foundation is provided on the
use of qualitative research methods
applied to developing countries,
to provide students with an
appreciation of the contribution
of such methods to social science
research in developing countries.

6. International
Development at Reading
For more information, please contact:
Student Office
School of Agriculture, Policy
and Development
University of Reading
Whiteknights
PO Box 237
Reading, RG6 6AR
Tel (0118) 378 8472
sapdstudentoffice@reading.ac.uk
www.reading.ac.uk/apd
Pathways
Choosing the modules
that suit you best…
For a BSc degree students take
modules with a total of 120
credits for each year of their
degree. On this degree 90
credits are from compulsory
modules, and 30 are from
optional modules. The optional
modules are organised into
four pathways: Food Systems
and Food Security, Economics
and Business, Society, and
Environment. It is possible to
combine two or more pathways
in your programme. A selection
of optional modules for each
pathway is listed opposite.
Food systems and food
security
Introduction to livestock
production systems
Introduction to crop production
Plant diversity, structure and
utilisation
Grassland management and ecology
Nature conservation
Conservation agriculture
Livestock for wealth creation in
developing countries
Agricultural systems in the tropics
Principles and practice of biological
control
Plants, green space and urban
sustainability
Water, agriculture and irrigation
Climate change and food systems
Economics and business
Introductory global trends
The economics of climate change
Economics 2
Introduction to marketing
Introduction to management
Marketing management
Financial management
Practice of entrepreneurship
Economics of development
Agricultural project planning and
management in developing countries
Business strategy
Marketing strategy
Society
Society and nature
Freedom
Geographies of boom and bust
Growth, degrowth and sustainability
Culture, identity and place
Geographies of development
Resilience for sustainable
development
Work, employment and development
Neighbourhood renewal and
regeneration
Social policies and development
Culture and development in Africa
Environment
Environment and development
Climatology
Environmental issues
Human activity and environmental
change
Forestry and woodlands
Sustainable resource management
Biogeography and conservation field
class
Methods in ecology and
environmental management
Carbon and global change
Water resources
Air pollution, effects and control
People, plants and environmental
change
Environmental management
Practical wildlife reserve management
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