This programme gives you the skills to work with media and communication in international developmental cooperation as well as in other areas.

This is a half-time study programme, combining courses on culture, communication and development and integrating them with practical field work. It explores the use of communication - both as a tool and as a way of expressing processes of social change - within the contexts of globalisation.

The form of study is unique, comprising a combination of live seminars and web-based communication. The seminars (2 days) are compulsory and consist of lectures, discussions and workshops. Overseas students who cannot physically attend can follow the seminars online. In between the seminars, the students carry out assignments individually and in groups.

In the first year, students receive a comprehensive overview of globalisation and a systematic inventory of the entire field. In the second year, students follow specialised courses which end with an independent project concentrated on one of the field's sub-areas.

Future employment opportunities include work for professional media companies, international organisations (governmental and non-governmental) and PhD studies.

What is Communication for Development?

Communication for Development (ComDev) is an interdisciplinary field combining studies on culture, media, communication and development. ComDev explores communication within contexts of articulating global and local processes of social change.

The ComDev field is part science, part craft and part art, and its multidisciplinary academic foundations draw on aspects of development studies, anthropology, sociology and cultural studies. These multiple entry points create a rich framework for challenging hegemonic notions and knowledge, and engage with questions of social, cultural, economic and political power. The theory and practices of ComDev play an important role as witness to global injustice and marginalisation, as amplifiers of dissent and as connectors between people, cultures and stories.

ComDev is taught as a 50% full-time course that distributes 60 credits over four semesters. Our part-time approach is an ideal format for professionals already working in the field, to complement internships or part-time work, as well as for those on sabbaticals or parental leave.