GLODEP - Erasmus mundus joint Master degree in International development studies

The aim of GLODEP is to prepare professionals in the field of development policy and practice. GLODEP provides the students with comprehensive knowledge and skills to analyze development issues and to design and promote development policies at national, regional and international levels. GLODEP has two defining features. First, it links the areas of development studies and development economics, offering insights from economics and other fields, such as geography, environmental studies, and political science. Second, the applied character of the program is reflected in the course contents where the policy (project) dimension is emphasized.

The program provides the students with an opportunity to obtain:

• multi-disciplinary knowledge of development issues, grounded in development studies and development economics;
• ability to analyze development problems and to design and promote development policies and projects for the specific context of a developing area or a sector;
• ability to work in an international environment and in multi- and inter-disciplinary teams, and communicate to a non-expert audience.

Curriculum

The program consists of four semesters, with mobility between universities in the first three semesters and a research stay or internship in the fourth. To ensure the internal coherency of the program, the curriculum is fixed for the first three semesters. The first semester at Palacky University (Czech Republic) provides a balanced overview of development issues from various disciplinary perspectives. The second semester at the University Clermont Auvergne (France) gives students a solid quantitative and economic background and prepares them for development-oriented courses in the third semester at the University of Pavia (Italy). In the fourth semester, the students conduct their research or internship and write their thesis.

Each university offers orientation week/days and also language courses (Czech, French, Italian) to help the students to integrate into daily life in the respective countries. Career days are an integral part of the curricula in each semester. Students receive advice on their professional portfolio and have an opportunity to meet potential employers.

• 1st semester – Palacky University (Olomouc, Czech Republic) – September – January in the 1st academic year
• 2nd semester – University Clermont Auvergne (Clermont-Ferrand, France) – February – June in the 1st academic year
• 3rd semester – University of Pavia (Pavia, Italy) – September – January in the 2nd academic year
• 4th semester – Internship/Research stay – February – June in the 2nd academic year

Diploma

Successful students will be awarded a joint Master Diploma by all three Consortium Institutions: 

• Magistr (Mgr.) v magisterském studijním programu Development Studies and Foresight – specialization in Global Development Policy  [Master in master program Development Studies and Foresight – specialization in Global Development Policy] from Palacký University Olomouc
• Master mention Economie du Développement, parcours Development Economics [Master program in Economics of Development, specialization Development Economics] from University of Clermont Auvergne
• Laurea Magistrale in Economia, Finanza e Integrazione Internazionale [Economics, Finance and International Integration, LM-56] – Scienze dell’economia from University of Pavia

Students also receive a Diploma Supplement issued by Palacky University which contains marks from all semesters converted to a common grading system.

Palacky University (as the leading Consoritum university) does not provide an official GPA score recorded directly on official diploma documents, i.e. neither joint diploma nor the diploma supplement that includes all marks converted to a common grading system (A-F, according to UPOL, Czech Republic) does specify GPA in any form. The diploma and diploma supplement only distinguish between two categories of students – graduated and graduated with honours.

• Graduated with honours – (i) “weighted average” from the courses not more than 1,5 and (ii) state exam and defence – average not more than 1,25 (both conditions have to be met)
• Graduated – if not fulfilled conditions above

Upon request the Study department of the Faculty of Science (UPOL) can provide the students with weighted average for courses (excluding state exam and thesis defence).