Academic Programme Structure

SASORD offers the most relevant courses on emerging development discourses in South Asia and beyond. It offers programmes at Bachelors, Masters and PhD degrees on Development Studies, involving subjects such as Rural Development; Climate Change, Disaster and Risk Reduction; Conflict Management and Sustainable Peace, Gender Equity; Sustainable Development and Food Security; Community Based Natural Resource Management, and Entrepreneurship Development. 

  1. The core courses focus on the fundamental components of contemporary development theories and practices including social     and environmental changes. They also include courses on basic skills such as scientific enquiry, statistics and research methods.
  2. Programme specialization courses will provide in depth knowledge to students on the subjects they will undertake.
  3.  The guest lecture series brings in ideas and experiences from leading professionals from around the world.
  4. The seminar and workshop components will enhance the skills and knowledge of students and help them explore their intellectual potential. The writing and presentation skill components will focus on enhancing students’ analytical and sub-skills of writing, presenting, articulating among others. 
  5.  The internship and fieldwork components will familiarize students with real life situations and the grassroots realities in their respective fields. These will enable them to apply theoretical knowledge into practice and add to the employability of fresh graduates. 
  6.  The thesis work will develop the capability of students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills by reviewing literature, employing appropriate methods of research, using analytical and quantitative methods in line with the theoretical frameworks.
  7. Students will be provided with various training such as personal and professional development skills that enhances creativity and leadership skills for employability. 
  8.  The course will offer opportunities for cross country exchange and learning through sandwich courses. Sandwich course is a training course with alternate periods of formal instruction and practical experience. It offers better employment prospects, the ability to earn whilst you learn and a chance to build experience and expertise that will make your future a success. It is an opportunity where the students can gain working experience in particular interested field and can also continue his/her study. It’s a special bonus for the students to gain work experience as well as build networking with employers at the same time for future career prospect.

Highlights of SASORD’s academic programmes: 

Each of the academic programme structure includes ten main components:

  1.  Core/compulsory courses
  2.  Specialization courses
  3.  Guest lecture series
  4.  Seminar/Workshop
  5.  Internship and field work
  6.  Opportunities for job placement
  7.  Writing and presentation skills
  8.  Trainings
  9.  Student exchange programs
  10.  Thesis