Professionals in the field of development face unprecedented challenges in managing change towards ethically, economically, environmentally and politically sustainable ends. The core of the Development Studies program provides a critical and multidisciplinary perspective on the global, national and local levels of this process. A strength of development studies at the University of Sydney is the wide range of established social science programs from which electives can be drawn including perspectives on international relations and political economy, human rights, peace and conflict studies, cultural difference and the intercultural, postcolonial states and modernity, education, health, poverty.

Graduates will be in a strong position to market themselves in a variety of sectors including local, national, international and transnational development organisations and aid agencies; local and national government and non-government organisations; and private sector firms. Development Studies also provides the skills for graduates to become more effective administrators, researchers, development planners, educators and managers.