Ready for a Flying Start:

Starting in September 2026, the new programme builds on ISS' reputation, offering students a strong academic foundation in global development linked to the analysis of real-world issues. The new programme has been formally assessed by a panel of the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). In one of its final reports (1), the panel found that:

But the praise aside, what’s really new here? The most visible change is the duration of the programme: from 15.5 months to a more regular 12-month programme. With this change, the new MADS is a better fit with donor frameworks, employers’ leave of absence provisions and other study programmes. Additionally, it shortens students’ residential period in (expensive) The Hague and reduces the time of foregone earnings. Combined with ISS’ substantial partial tuition fee waiver programme and the availability of other fellowship opportunities (such as the Joint Japan-World Bank graduate scholarship and the ISS-OAS Scholarship) we are confident that the new programme will remain accessible to a highly diverse and international student body – a unique feature of the ISS educational experience.

A less visible, but perhaps more important change is the restructuring of the MADS in terms of content and organization. This redesign is the result of a rigorous internal process of revisiting the curriculum, reflecting on current priorities and consulting students, alumni and practitioners in the field of ‘development’ (in the broadest sense of the word). Over 12 months, students complete 60 EC, consisting of coursework (40 EC) and a thesis (20 EC). Course work is organized into 10-week blocks, comprising eight weeks of intensive classes and a week for assignments. Each block is capped with a final week of extra-curricular activities including influential guest speakers, study visits and some leisure time of course.

A unique feature of the redesigned MA is the large space for tailoring the curriculum to students’ individual academic interests and professional goals. Through conversations with their academic mentors, students can design their own learning pathways by complementing the 15 EC (3 courses) of mandatory course work with no less than four electives (20 EC) to be chosen from the following offering (2):

• Armed Conflict, Collective Violence and Epistemologies for/of Peace Governance
• Behavioural Perspectives and Development
• Climate Crisis, Disasters and Humanitarian Action
• Contemporary Capitalism and Governance: Neo-Liberalism and Beyond
• Economic Analysis of Households, Firms and Institutions
• Economic Perspectives on Globalization and Development: Theory, Evidence and Policy
• Entrepreneurship and Organizations in Development
• Feminist Perspectives on Gender and Development
• Human Rights in Context: Law, Politics and Challenges
• Humanizing Digital Design for Development
• Migration, Mobilities and Development: Global Entanglements, Livelihoods and Intersectionality
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Policy Analysis, Design and Implementation
• Political Ecology of Natural Resources and Development
• Political Economy of Agriculture and Food
• Politics of Global Order: Debating Liberal Internationalism
• Social Protection and the Life Course

For those looking for some structure, there is also the possibility of selecting two thematically connected electives that together form a track. A track is capped by a thesis related to it. The following tracks will be available in the 2026-27 academic year: Environment; Development Economics; Social Justice; Politics and Governance; and Social Innovation.

there is also the possibility of selecting two thematically connected electives that together form a track. A track is capped by a thesis related to it. The following tracks will be available in the 2026-27 academic year: Environment; Development Economics; Social Justice; Politics and Governance; and Social Innovation.

For research methods too, students have ample choice, e.g. between (some) of the following courses:

• Multi-methods Research in International Development
• Discourse Analysis and Critical Social Research
• Qualitative Research Methods and (Digital) Fieldwork
• Deep Diving into Quantitative Analysis
• Quantitative Methods for Development Research
• Decoloniality in the Development Research Context
• Decolonizing Knowledge

Next to theorizing and promoting a critical and methodologically grounded approach to research and policy analysis, the new MADS will also challenge students to engage with practice. For example, how to apply academic knowledge to real-world challenges such as inequality, climate change and just transitions? How to work ethically with diverse communities? And how does one’s positionality matter in doing development studies and practice?

'...option to write a thesis based on a practical assignment about a real-world issue provided by a development organization’

Moreover, for those who want to deepen their engagement with development practice, there is the option to write a thesis based on a practical assignment about a real-world issue provided by a development organization.

All in all, the redesigned MADS programme is thus ready for a flying start in 2026, under leadership of the MADS Coordination Team consisting of Dr Jeff Handmaker (Programme Director), Dr Nanneke Winters (Vice Programme Director) and Dr Sonja Fransen (thesis coordinator).

The new MADS offers a rigorous and professionally relevant academic foundation in development theory, methods and practice. The programme is suited to those aiming to pursue doctoral studies or advance their careers in policy, research or practice across international development sectors.