Admission requirements

Admission to the MSc Global Development programme requires the completion of a qualifying bachelor’s degree from a recognised/accredited university. The degree must be equivalent in level and content to a Danish bachelor’s degree.

If you have completed a bachelor’s degree or are enrolled in the final semester of a bachelor’s degree programme you are eligible to apply for the master’s degree programme in Global Development.

Assessment of academic qualifications

Solely the applicant’s bachelor degree will be considered when the applicant’s academic qualifications is assessed. This means that it is not possible to complete supplementary courses in order to meet the specific admission requirements.

The only exception to this is activities that have been passed before the bachelor degree was finished. These courses can either be a part of a previous education or taken as single courses. But no more than 30 ECTS credits like this can be taken into account in the assessment.

 

 

In order to be admitted into the Master’s programme in Global Development, applicants must fulfil the following requirements:

  • A bachelor degree anthropology, economics, geography, geoinformatics, natural resources, political science, public health, sociology or urban, energy and environmental planning from a Danish university, or
  • A bachelor degree from a recognised university equivalent to the above BSc degrees
  • The bachelor degree must contain a minimum of 15 ECTS of qualitative and/or quantitative methods. Please read more under abilities in research methods.
  • English language proficiency corresponding to at least the Danish upper secondary school 'English level B. (For information on how to meet the language requirements, please click here).

Although knowledge of specific software is not a formal requirement for admission, prospective students should notice that the Stata software is frequently used in the first year at Global Development. We encourage students who are admitted to Global Development to familiarize themselves with the basic logic of the Stata software before semester start.

Degrees that do not qualify for admission are:

  • Communication and Media studies (including business communication)
  • Journalism
  • Language studies
  • Psychology
  • Tourism studies
  • Art studies
  • Social Work
  • Science degrees (biology, chemistry, mathematics etc)
  • Engineering
  • Graphical Design
  • Public Relations
  • Pharmacy
  • Law

Please note that these degrees do not qualify regardless of relevant experience, letter of motivation etc. If you hold one of these degrees please do not apply as your application will not be taken into consideration.

As a rule of thumb a degree based in the humanities does not qualify. These include History, Philosophy, Literature, Cultural studies and Area studies (African Studies, American Studies etc.). However, applicants whose humanities based degree contains half or more of ECTS/credits within the social sciences might be taken into consideration.

Check which master’s programmes at UCPH your bachelor programme is pre-approved for admission to. Please note that the admission tool is only available in Danish.

 

 

Any improved grades are not considered. This is due to the fact that in Denmark it is not possible to improve grades in courses that has already been passed on the Bachelor's degree programme. Thus, if you have been awarded more than one grade in the same course, we will only consider the grade that you were awarded the first time that you passed the course when calculating your grade point average.

All applicants from non-Danish universities must, consequently, upload a complete transcript showing all examination attempts, the date of each examination attempt and the appurtenant exam result. If the applicant is unable to obtain a complete transcript from the home university, a confirmation that the applicant's transcript does not contain improved grades issued by the current home university is required instead.

Random checks of the applicant's basis for admission may also be made to the home university. In the case of admitted students, any fraudulent information in terms of grades may result in the student being deregistered from the degree programme in case of admission without entitlement.

However, any grade awarded on the basis of an appeal against the original grade will be considered. In this case, it must be clearly stated that this is an improved grade as a result of a complaint. Any such grade must be made available to the Faculty no later than the deadline for applications. Otherwise, the grade can only be considered in subsequent application rounds.

Random checks of the validity of international exam results will be carried out.

Please contact the Student Advisory Service, if you are in doubt about the rules or have questions about your entry qualifications.

 

 

Applicants with legal right of admisssion

If you have legal right of admission to the degree programme that you are applying for you are not required to document your proficiency in English.

All other applicants

All other applicants must document qualifications on par with the Danish upper secondary school ‘English level B'. 

Deadline

The English language requirement must be fulfilled and documented by the application deadline.

If you need to take a language test/exam, your scores must be available to the Faculty by the application deadline. To ensure that your test/exam scores are available to us on time, it is important that you sign up for a test/exam taking place well in advance before the deadline. You should expect 3-4 weeks from the test date until you can make the results available to the Faculty.

If you have already taken an IELTS or TOEFL, remember to check that your test is no older than two years on the date that you commence your studies.

Do I fulfil the English level B requirement?

The English requirement is very strict, and only the qualifications listed below are accepted as valid documentation that you fulfil the requirement.

 

 

You must upload a copy or scan of your official transcript and, if available, diploma as documentation.

  • The degree must be minimum 2 years of studies. A student exchange semester/year is not sufficient documentation for English proficiency.
  • The degree must be effectively taught in its entirety in one of the above-listed English-speaking countries, with most of the courses taught in English
  • If your country is not listed, then you do not fulfil the English language requirement, even if your entire degree was studied in English

Read the examples below for clarification and contact us if you have questions.

Examples that meet the English language requirement:
  • A double degree where two years were taught at a university in a listed country and two years at a university in a non-listed country.
  • A three-year Bachelor's degree taught in English from a listed country including degrees where up to one semester was taught in another language (for example, on exchange or credit transferred from abroad)
  • A four-year bachelor degree taught in English from a listed country including degrees where up to one year was taught in another language (for example, on exchange or credit transferred from abroad)
  • A two-year Master's degree taught in English from a listed country where no semester was taught in another language.

Examples that do not meet the English language requirement:

If your Bachelor degree is from a university in one of the listed countries, but includes a longer period of studies abroad, or a large number of credits transferred from an institution in a non-listed country, then it does not meet the English language requirement. ​For example:

  • A Bachelor's degree issued by a university in a listed country, but taught in a non-listed country (e.g. American College of Greece or NYU Shanghai).
  • A three-year Bachelor's degree taught in English at a university in a listed country but where more than two semesters were taught in another language (for example, on exchange or credit transferred from abroad)
  • A four-year bachelor degree taught in English at a university in a listed country but where more than four semesters were taught in another language (for example, on exchange or credit transferred from abroad)
  • A two-year Master's degree taught in English from a listed country, but where one semester or more was taught in another language (for example, on exchange or credit transferred from abroad).

 

If your Danish upper secondary degree from Denmark included the course 'English level B' (Engelsk B) or ‘English level A’ (Engelsk A), you fulfill the English language requirement. You must upload either

  • a copy or scan of your official (signed by the issuing educational institution) diploma
  • a copy or scan of your official (signed by the issuing educational institution) transcript

    A print from 'Eksamensdatabasen' is not accepted as valid documentation. 

 

You have the option of taking Danish upper secondary school 'English level B' (Engelsk B) or Danish upper secondary school ‘English level A’ (Engelsk A) as supplementary courses (Gymnasial supplering and HF-enkeltfag (in Danish), if your Danish upper secondary degree from Denmark did not include either course.

You must upload either

  • a copy or scan of your official (signed by the issuing educational institution) single subject diploma
  • a copy or scan of your official (signed by the issuing educational institution) transcript

 

 

If you have studied your upper secondary degree at an upper secondary school in one of the Nordic countries and your Nordic entrance examination includes a course which is considered on par with Danish upper secondary school ‘English level B' or 'English level A' by the Danish Agency of International Education, you fulfill the English language requirement. 

The Nordic Region consist of Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Åland.

Below you find link to a conversion table that lists the courses that considered on par with Danish upper secondary school ‘English level B' or 'English level A' by the Danish Agency of International Education (in Danish)

If your Nordic entrance examination includes a course which is considered on par with Danish upper secondary school ‘English level B' or 'English level A', you must upload documentation of this when you apply.  You must upload:

  • a copy or scan of your official (signed by the issuing educational institution) transcript

You are welcome to contact us at admissions@samf.ku.dk, if you have questions in relation to conversion of IB, EB or Nordic subject levels and grades.

 

 

 

 

If you hold an International Baccalaureate (IB) or a European Baccalaureate (EB) and your IB or EB includes a course which is considered on par with Danish upper secondary school ‘English level B' or 'English level A' by the Danish Agency of International Education, you fulfill the English language requirement.

Below you find a list of the courses that considered on par with Danish upper secondary school ‘English level B' or 'English level A' by the Danish Agency of International Education:

International Baccalaureate (IB)

  • English A1, higher level
  • English A2, higher level
  • English B, higher level
  • English A1, standard level
  • English A2, standard level
  • English B, standard level
  • English A Language and Literature, higher level
  • English A Language and Literature, standard level
  • English A Literature, higher level
  • English A Literature, standard level

European Baccalaureate:

  • L I
  • L II
  • L III  – 6 years (documentation for 6 years must be included)
  • L III – 4 years
  • L IV – 4 years (4 hours)

If your IB or EB includes a course which is considered on par with Danish upper secondary school ‘English level B' or 'English level A', you must upload documentation of this when you apply. You must upload:

  • a copy or scan of your official (signed by the issuing educational institution) transcript

You are welcome to contact us at admissions@samf.ku.dk, if you have questions in relation to conversion of IB, EB or Nordic subject levels and grades.

 

 

 

 

You must document that you have passed an accepted English language test. Only the following English tests and exams are accepted for the fulfilment of the English B language requirement:

  • IELTS Academic
    • An IELTS academic test result of at least 6.5 with minimum 6.0 in each discipline is required. 
    • The IELTS results are only valid for two years after the test has been taken. It is a requirement that the IELTS certificate is no more than 2 years old on the date that the studies commence.
    • IELTS online is not accepted.
    • You must also upload a scan of your IELTS test report form to the Application Portal. If you have not received the physical test report form, you can upload a document with the "Test Report Form Number" (TRF Number) so we can verify your scores.

  • TOEFL iBT
    • A minimum total score of 83 with minimum 20 in each discipline is required.
    • The TOEFL results are only valid for two years after the test has been taken. It is a requirement that the TOEFL score sheet is no more than 2 years old on the date that the studies commence.
    • TOEFL iBT Home Edition is accepted.
    • MyBest scores are not accepted.
    • You must upload either your digital copy, or a scan of your hard copy, TOEFL score sheet to the Application Portal. Your TOEFL scores will be verified in the TOEFL database.

  • Cambridge Advanced English (CAE/CP1) or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE/CP2)
    • A minimum score 180 (C1-level) is required
    • There is no expiration date on the validity of the CAE/CP1 and CPE/CP2 exam results.
    • You must upload your Cambridge Statement of Results and/or Certificate.
    • Your results are only valid if they can be verified through the Candidate Results Website. Make sure to register for the service and share your results with the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Copenhagen

 

Examples of language proficiency documentation that is not accepted as valid

  • an upper secondary degree, a Bachelor's degree or a Master's degree taught in English (except for specific circumstances described above)
  • a letter from your university
  • a letter from a professor
  • documentation from an English test other than the specific ones listed above
  • a combination of several incomplete qualifications from the lists above

Poor or ambiguous documentation of language proficiency might result in your application getting rejected. 

 

 

Applicants to the MSc in Global Development must prove that their qualifying Bachelor's degree contains a minimum of 15 ECTS credits in qualitative and/or quantitative research methods within the Social Sciences.

Issues relating to Global Development can be studied from a number of different angles, and it is necessary to be familiar with both qualitative and quantitative ways of collecting and analyzing data when studying and working in the field. It is, thus, a requirement that applicants prove that they have qualifications within qualitative and/or quantitative research methods. This includes both research design and application of qualitative and/or quantitative research methods within the Social Sciences.

The main requirement is that they provide knowledge of the characteristics of the different methods and how to apply the methods to study a given subject area. Moreover, they must document the ability to consider any given study or data set critically on the basis of the applied method of data collection and analysis.

 

 

 

Each applicant is required to write a short description (maximum 1 page) of how the requirement of 15 ECTS credits of qualitative and/or quantitative research methods within the Social Sciences is covered in the qualifying Bachelor's degree.

In order to get a thorough assessment, the applicant is encouraged to write specific information about how the applicant meets these criteria. This is done by using an official course description and at the same time explaining how much the course focused on qualitative and/or quantitative research methods.

Some applicants have taken specific courses that cover these criteria. These courses often bear the title of “qualitative/quantitative/research methods”, but could also have other titles.

Other applicants have used quantitative and/or qualitative research methods as part of their studies even though they have not taken a specific methodology course. For example as part of a theme-based course or a final project during their Bachelor’s degree.