The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) has been ranked first in the world for development studies in the QS University Rankings by Subject, together with the University of Sussex.
Our degrees are delivered in partnership with the University of Sussex who support and accredit our teaching and learning programmes.
The QS University Rankings put Sussex top, above Harvard and Oxford. Sussex has now been best in the world for development studies for five out of the past six years.
Ranking reflects long-standing partnership between IDS and University of Sussex
The ranking reflects the quality, impact and range of international development research and courses offered across the Sussex campus – in the Institute of Development Studies, and the University’s School of Global Studies, Science Policy Research Unit, and Centre for International Education.
Melissa Leach, Director, Institute of Development Studies, said:
“The Institute of Development Studies is at the forefront of research, learning and teaching for development studies globally. To be ranked number one in the world is testament to our longstanding partnership with the University of Sussex, our contributions to the most pressing global issues of our era, and the exceptional efforts of our staff, partners and students in the past year to rise to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and the interconnected crises it has provoked”.
Elizabeth Harrison, Head of the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex, said:
“It’s fantastic that the exceptional work in development studies carried out at both Sussex and IDS has been recognised yet again. Our concern for social justice is reflected in our wide range of courses for both undergraduates and postgraduates, and in our world-class research. This year more than ever, the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic have thrown this into sharp relief, exposing as they do the ways in which existing global inequalities are reinforced at times of crisis. The work of our researchers, teachers and students seeks to identify routes for positive action in the face of these challenges.”
Making a difference to global transformations
IDS offers 11 postgraduate courses: nine master’s degrees, three of which are offered jointly with the University of Sussex, and two PhD programmes in Development Studies.
Students and researchers at IDS come from all over the globe and are united in their commitment to help solve real-world problems such as disease, inequality, climate change and conflict.
Our degrees are taught by some of the world’s leading development experts, many of whom are active in the field as researchers and practitioners and who bring this valuable experience of applied research into the classroom.
Graduates have gone on to take up senior positions in global organisations such as the World Bank and the United Nations, and in leading civil society organisations, as well as become Ministers and officials in national governments across the world.
