B.A. in Development Studies: What is it About?

As an academic discipline, Development Studies offers eligible candidates the opportunity to acquire critical awareness of issues concerning international development. The course explores the different issues, problems, and policy options facing the developing world. These include inequality, poverty, hunger and health, besides processes of change such as economic, social, political, cultural, and those related to policy challenges. The course aims to build in candidates a firm interdisciplinary foundation in the developmental sciences, as also the capacity for independent and critical inquiry in the subject.

Students enrolled to the course academically explore concepts and processes inherent to the State, society, its civil and commercial setups, and their upshots on developing societies and their inhabitants. As part of the curriculum, students critically analyse developmental aspects of the society’s machinery, both nationally and globally. At the center of such studies, are the weak and marginalized sections of the society, their exploitation, concerns, and their redressal.

Candidates are encouraged to examine the various hurdles facing a given society’s developmental initiatives, concepts of democracy. iportance of people’s participation in framing and implementation of public policies. Students are taught the intricacies of existing and potential approaches and methodological tools in aiding developmental research, policy planning, management, and analyses.

This multi-disciplinary course includes components from gender studies, politics, economics, social sciences, political sciences, psychology, journalism, policy analysis, etc. Teaching, civil services, and administrative roles are best suited for successful graduates of the course. Developmental journalism is another area of relevance that can be pursued professionally by such graduates.

Eligibility for B.A. in Development Studies

As a minimum criterion of eligibility, candidates aspiring for admission to the course need to have attained the 10+2 qualification from a recognized educational Board, with a minimum aggregate score of 50%, in the Arts/ Humanities stream. However, students from Commerce or Science backgrounds are also eligible to apply.