Master of Arts in Entwicklungstudien

Why choose this program?

The M.A. Development Studies has a specific focus on issues around global justice. Students learn about relevant theories as well as the practical realities of the development sector and humanitarian aid.

Students are required to do an internship and can specialize their interests through relevant electives on topics such as migration, sustainability, and gender.

The M.A. prepares for an academic career. The program includes methodological training and the academic writing of the students are closely supervised.

The study program also prepares for a practical career in development through its emphasis on project planning, a focus on disaster management, and a critical lens on global power relations.

Being highly cosmopolitan with students from all over the world, the program offers the opportunity to assess international issues through a literally global perspective stemming from the diversity of the student body.

Content

• Theories of Development
• Critical Reflection on Development Cooperation
• Sustainability, De-Growth and Resource Politics
• Development Economics
• Social Protection and Poverty Analysis
• Public Health in Developing Countries
• Peace and Conflict Studies
• Migration and Development
• Project Planning
• Disaster Response and Humanitarian Aid
• Public Health
• Internship in the Field of Development Cooperation or Humanitarian Aid
• Methods of Empirical Research
• Advanced Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods
• Research Oriented Master Thesis

Professional Training

The program includes workshops and a project planning module with a field trip to an Eastern European country. An important part of the study program is a two-month internship, in which students combine their theoretical academic knowledge with practical experiences.

What students say:

“ During my internship at the Community Health and Development Organization (CHAD) in Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar, I performed task such as preparing lesson plans and conducting awareness training, recording data for the annual and quarterly plans, attended meetings and workshops with UNICEF and visited camps for internally displaced persons.” Dawn Lu San, Student from Myanmar

“The institute where I did my internship is the ‘Regional Institute of Gender, Diversity, Peace, and Rights’ (RIG/DPR), which is part of Ahfad University for Women in Sudan. The students I interacted with were brilliant and interesting women, having the same kind, welcoming spirit of the people I met during my time in Khartuom.” Arlyn Aviles, Student from Puerto Rico

Overview

The full-time M.A. Development Studies is a study program over 4 semesters. It is offered in the English language and includes 120 credits.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor degree in social science or related fields
• English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) or a Bachelor degree taught in English

Friedensau Adventist University (FAU) is a state-accredited university run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It was founded in 1899 and can look back on a long tradition and a great deal of experience in studying and teaching. 200 students from more than 30 nations are currently enrolled.

The next ten years saw the construction of an ensemble of large teaching and residential buildings which still define the look of the campus today. A sanatorium, workshops, and a food factory were also built, in line with the school’s holistic pedagogical model, providing both practical teaching and opportunities to earn money. Before World War I, up to 250 people per year made use of the training opportunities offered.

During World War I the War Ministry set up a military hospital in the buildings. It was not until 1919 that training could be resumed, and expanded in subsequent years with new courses (home economics school, a preparatory school for nursing, secondary-level courses in science and technology, business and childcare courses). In 1923 the name of the institution was changed to the “Friedensau Mission Seminary”. In 1930 the seminary received state accreditation from the administrative district officer of Magdeburg for its home economics and business courses.

The Nazi period brought many restrictions, culminating in the closing of the seminary in the Second World War. Again the teaching buildings were used for the care of sick and injured soldiers, first from the Wehrmacht, and from 1945 from the Soviet army.

Through the intercession of the Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt, Erhard Hübener, the Soviet military administration allowed the school to reopen in 1947. This made the Friedensau Seminary the first and only church training facility to be allowed to resume its teaching operations in the Soviet occupation zone.

During the GDR period, the SED (communist party) government allowed the training of church employees only. As well as the training for pastors, there were one-year courses for deacons. In 1981 the high standards and quality of the training led to the new name, “Friedensau Theological Seminary”. Two years later the General Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventists accredited the seminary as a Senior College. From the 1980s students from other socialist states of Eastern Europe and Africa could be trained as pastors in Friedensau.

On 15 September 1990, the Theological Seminary became a state-accredited university following a decision by the Council of Ministers of the GDR. Later a School of Social Sciences was established alongside the School of Theology, which had offered Diplom and Master’s courses in theology since 1992.

Today the Friedensau Adventist University, as an academically oriented, church-run university, awards university qualifications. Friedensau is an established place of scholarship and has research collaborations linking it with institutions on several continents.

Students can choose between eight bachelor's and master's programs in the School of Social Sciences and the School of Theology. Some programs can also be studied part-time. FAU also offers the program "German as a Foreign Language"

Mission statement

The mission of our university is to make a contribution in the areas of education and scholarship, for the church and society. As a free-church, Adventist institution we are aligned with reformatory tradition and innovative thinking. Our research and teaching are thus based on scientific methods, a fundamental openness towards unforeseen results, and responsibility towards God and humanity.

Profile

As a university with a special profile, we concentrate on those disciplines which are concerned with service towards people. Our areas of focus are theology, social sciences, development cooperation, and health sciences. We see ourselves as an international university, committed to interculturalism and equal opportunities, and carrying on a history of long-lasting relationships with countries in every continent.

Community

We are a campus university. This means that our teachers, employees, and students form a trusting, tolerant, multicultural, and cooperative community. We wish to give holistic support to all members of this community. Here equality between men and women is a basic fact, as is respect for other religions, worldviews, and cultures. As a family-friendly university, we wish to create conditions that make it easier to reconcile study, profession, and family. The spacious layout of the campus with its natural setting also contributes to this.

We undertake to teach students the fundamentals of the relevant field of scholarship, as well as dealing with current contributions to research. The objective of our teaching is to combine skills in research and in the application, ensuring that our graduates always work to high standards and satisfy the demands of their areas of responsibility. We also offer further education and professional development, following the principle of lifelong learning. University teachers and students contribute to the scholarly discourse with publications. Our teaching and research, which form a single unit, are based on Christian ethics and have a holistic, interdisciplinary focus.

Society and spirituality

We are convinced that faith, education, and lifestyle are inseparable. We strive to reflect, in our actions, a spirituality based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We, therefore, foster the personal development of identity by encouraging and enabling self-reflection. Our aim is also to provide a constructive and critical commentary on the development of the Church and society. This is our comprehensive understanding of our mission and the way we as a university community seek to fulfill it.