Advancing research for inclusive, sustainable development
The PhD program in Global Development Studies (DEVS) is the ideal choice for graduate students seeking to conduct advanced research in the field of international development and public policy.
Apply NowThe Department of Global Development Studies at 91TV extends its innovative approach to research and teaching with its doctoral program. This four-year PhD offers focused training and supervision to build core skills and proficiencies for development research.
The degree is ideal for graduate students seeking to advance globally-orientated research in the field of development studies, particularly in the areas of political economy, cultural politics, sustainability, and global health and welfare. It provides essential skills for building careers in academia and the development field, alongside positions in public sector research and policy-making, journalism, education, teaching and education, the law and the private sector.
Our unique doctoral program offers focused graduate training and supervision to build core academic and transferable skills towards three primary objectives:
Degree Timeline
The program is designed for completion within 48 months of full-time study. Students wishing to undertake the program on a part-time basis should consult with the department.
Courses and Instruction
Fall and Winter:
The program requires all students to take four (4) courses totalling twelve (12) units during the first year. Students also complete a pass/fail professional seminar, held monthly through the Fall and Winter terms.
Students who have already taken our core courses as part of their MA degree will either be accelerated within the PhD or, if deemed appropriate by their supervisor and/or the Graduate Chair, will find alternate topics courses to complete this requirement.
Spring and Summer:
Students establish their supervisory committee, begin to prepare their comprehensive exam literature lists, and consider the first stages of building their research proposal.
During their second year, students undertake three tasks:
1. Comprehensive Exam
This is a take-home exam undertaken over the course of a working week, typically released on a Monday morning at 9:00 am and returned at 4:00 pm on the Friday. It consists of two questions set by the examining committee.
The exam tests:
- The student’s understanding of the core themes of development studies as a field, as established in our core courses DEVS 801 and DEVS 802 and a wider appreciation of core texts in the field; and
- The student's chosen area of specialization. The exam is intended to demonstrate a satisfactory breadth and depth of knowledge alongside strong analytical and communication skills.
2. Course Syllabus
As part of their comprehensive exam, in the period leading up to the exam the student will prepare and submit a course syllabus on their chosen area of research specialization. The syllabus would typically be for a 400-level seminar course, although if the committee agreed an alternative pedagogical purpose (such as non-academic course for practitioners or community groups) would be accepted. This syllabus would be assessed alongside the answers to the two comprehensive exams as a means to demonstrate core competency and depth of knowledge in the field.
3. Research Proposal
Under close supervisory guidance, the student will prepare a proposal for PhD research that demonstrates close familiarity with the scholarly literature in their proposed research area and, on that basis, develops a defensible rationale, methodology and plan for original dissertation research. This is examined orally by a committee of three faculty members, including the student's supervisor and at least one examiner from within DEVS.
After defending their research proposal, the student will progress to fieldwork and/or data collection.
Fieldwork, Data Collection, and early Dissertation Drafts
Students complete field research and/or equivalent data collection. We encourage all PhD students to undertake fieldwork of an appropriate type for their research project.
In consultation with their supervisor and committee, they begin to write draft chapters towards their thesis.
Dissertation and Defence
Students write their PhD thesis, which they submit for defence, allowing for a completion date within 48 months from the beginning of the program. The PhD in Global Development Studies is expected to culminate in a monograph style dissertation based on a period of original fieldwork, typically conducted in developing country contexts, Indigenous communities, or development organizations / policy fields. Within the monograph format, the department provides flexibility to incorporate some innovations, including a potential chapter on research outcomes written for a non-academic audience.
Teaching and Professional Development
Students will typically teach a fourth-year undergraduate seminar course (or equivalent) as a teaching fellow in their final year.
Throughout the PhD, students pursue a program of knowledge mobilisation under supervisory guidance, seeking to present their work at suitable academic/non-academic conferences.
Students are requested to host a session with incoming PhD students where they talk of the strategies developed and challenges faced conducting research or undertaking an internship.
For students needing to move beyond a fourth year of study in order to complete, a clear plan to completion following School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs guidelines is established in conjunction with their supervisor and the graduate chair.
PhD Course Requirements
PhD students must complete five (5) graduate courses. Students are automatically enrolled in Global Development Studies' core courses:
- Political Economy of Development (DEVS 801)
- Cultural Politics of Development (DEVS 802)
- Qualitative Research Design (DEVS 803)
- Professional Seminar in Global Development Studies (DEVS 850/950)
PhD students select one (1) additional graduate course from the department's Special Topics courses or from a cognate department at 91TV's that is relevant to their research. Students may also pursue a Directed Reading course with a Global Development Studies faculty member.
Accelerated PhD students should review degree requirements with their supervisor and the Graduate Chair.
Please note that graduate students are not permitted to self-enroll in courses in the Student On-Line University System (). The Graduate Program Advising Coordinator handles all course enrollments, drops and audits.
