Qualifications in research methods
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.
- An introduction to research design within the Social Sciences in general and related reflections on research questions, choice of research method, data collection, and analysis.
- Thorough and nuanced knowledge of the possibilities and limitations in using qualitative and/or quantitative research methods.
- Data gathering, pre-processing, and analysis using statistical software (such as SPSS, Stata, SAS, or R).
- A thorough introduction and practical experience in conducting qualitative interviews and content coding interview material.
- Introduction to qualitative methods other than interviewing such as participant observation, ethnographic field studies, or discourse analysis within the Social Sciences.
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.
- Descriptive statistics
- ANOVA
- Econometrics
- Linear Regression (OLS)
- Logistic regression
- Semi-structured interviews
- Focus Group Discussions
- Participatory Rural Appraisal
- Case studies
- Participant Observation and Ethnographic field studies
- Historical methods
- Qualitative methods in legal studies
- Philosophy of science