Postgraduate Diploma in Development Studies

At the University of the South Pacific, the Postgraduate Diploma in Development Studies takes an interdisciplinary approach, preparing graduates to take on leadership positions in building sustainable societies across the Pacific. Taught over one year full time or two years part time at Laucala, it works through four courses that look critically at governance, civil society, urbanisation, regionalism and the part global institutions play in development, while also building the research skills needed for later postgraduate study or development-related careers. Two courses are compulsory, alongside two further electives chosen from a wider list of 400-level development studies units; those planning to continue into the Master of Arts in the same field are advised to pick a particular research-methods elective. Full-time entry is pegged to a minimum undergraduate grade average, set out in the admission requirements below, and the University also weighs relevant professional experience and training during assessment.