Why study at IDS

Career prospects for Development Studies

Studying at IDS triggers exciting career prospects for development studies and further study opportunities in a range of development-related fields, including research, policy and practice.

Careers for lasting change

IDS postgraduates have gone on to work as ministers in national government, high-level officials in development organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank, civil servants, leaders of civil society organisations, and high profile academics at universities across the world. What unites them is their commitment to make a real difference in the world and bring about transformative change.

Your time at IDS will equip you with both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to help transform your world.

Careers guidance

IDS students are also University of Sussex students which means you benefit from the extensive range student support services available across the Sussex campus. This includes the University of Sussex Careers and Employability Centre which provides support throughout your time at Sussex and for three years after you graduate.

Former students

Here are just some examples of the roles our graduates are working in:

Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica                                    (MA Development Studies 2009)

Galib Ibn ANwarul Azim, Project Officer, United Nations Capital Development Fund
(MA Development Studies 2015)

Deepti Ameta, Director of Institutional Partnerships Development, SOS Children’s Villages of India
(MA Globalisation, Business and Development 2014)

Collins Aseka – Consultant in Resource Mobilization, Donor Harmonization & Coordination, Government of Kenya
(MA Poverty and Development 2010)

Felix Bivens – Founder and Director at Empyrean Research
(PhD by research 2011)

Sergio Cooper Teixeira, Strategy and Policy Advisor, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Secretariat
(MA Governance, Development and Public Policy 2013)

Keiju Mitsuhashi, Senior Energy Specialist, Central and West Asia Department, Asian Development Bank
(PhD by research 2004)

Milasoa Chérel-Robson,Economic Affairs Officer, Investment Policy Review, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
(PhD 2008)

Chloe Vaast, Gender Advisor, Royal Tropical Institute (KIT)
(MA Gender and Development 2012)