Advanced Master of Development Evaluation and Management

• Are you a current or aspiring monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practitioner or researcher looking to complement your practical skills with deeper theoretical knowledge? 
• Do you want to sharpen your understanding of the past and present aid policies of multilateral and bilateral donors, and learn how to critically analyze the major aid modalities and instruments deployed by these actors?​
  

In the Advanced Master of Development Evaluation and Management at the University of Antwerp’s Institute of Development Policy (IOB), you’ll assess the strengths and weaknesses of prevailing development paradigms and gain insights on different actors and institutions, from the local to the international level. You will be equipped with multidisciplinary analytical tools that will enable you to confidently conduct academic research on development policies and programmes using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. Electives offered in this programme address some of the most pressing issues in contemporary development practice, including natural resources, migration, gender and development, land access and tenure, climate finance and the ‘greening’ of aid, and access to public goods and services.

Theories of Development

This course introduces the major political, cultural and economic perspectives shaping development thinking. Students examine how politics and power, culture and agency, institutions and markets, and concepts such as poverty, inequality and well-being influence development trajectories. Across four thematic units, you gain a multidimensional, critical and decolonial understanding of development and its determinants.

Research Methods I

Research Methods I provides the foundations of knowledge production in development studies. Students explore key research paradigms, learn to critically read and assess academic work, and reflect on ethics and positionality. The second half of the course focuses on research design, introducing both quantitative and qualitative approaches, sampling strategies, measurement, and questions of validity and reliability.

Evaluating Development effectiveness

This course trains students to design, conduct, and critically evaluate development interventions. Starting with the principles of development effectiveness, students learn the foundations of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and explore its organizational, political, and ethical dimensions. They can then specialize in qualitative and transformative evaluation, quantitative impact assessment, or political economy analysis, gaining hands-on experience through Action Labs that include case studies, surveys, interviews, and data analysis. By the end of the course, students are equipped to produce rigorous, socially aware, and context-sensitive evaluations, preparing them for careers as development evaluators, policy analysts, program managers, or researchers who can turn evidence into impactful decision-making in diverse development contexts.

Track 1: Local Institutions, Structure & Agency

Focusing on the local level, this course explores how everyday institutions, norms, power relations and collective action influence development processes. Topics include gender, local governance, migration, community-driven initiatives and citizen-led accountability. Field-based components—such as community monitoring in Tanzania or the Justice Co-Laboratory in Antwerp—allow students to apply concepts in real contexts.

Track 2: (Inter)national Institutions and Global Public Goods

Explore how aid, global public goods, and monitoring and evaluation shape development outcomes worldwide. Gain practical skills to design and assess M&E systems, engage with governance, sustainability, or gender issues, and critically analyse real-world challenges. Apply your knowledge in an end-of-module paper, building a strong foundation for impactful careers in global development.

Research Methods II

Research Methods II offers applied, hands-on training through a modular set of quantitative and qualitative units. Options include data handling, descriptive statistics, regression and causal inference; qualitative interviewing and fieldwork design; discourse analysis; NVivo-based data analysis; and transformative methodologies such as participatory, feminist and decolonial approaches. An optional research stay in Tanzania or the DR Congo provides immersive field experience within ongoing research projects.

Master Dissertation

The programme concludes with a written dissertation, defended orally, allowing students to apply theoretical and methodological skills to a governance and development issue of their choice.

Examples of topics studied

• Evaluating the effectiveness of foreign aid programs (e.g., impact of USAID projects in Ethiopia).
• The role of NGOs in poverty alleviation (e.g., microfinance programs in India).
• Assessing healthcare interventions in developing countries (e.g., malaria prevention in Ghana).
• Measuring the success of gender equality initiatives (e.g., women’s empowerment programs in Afghanistan).
• Using qualitative and quantitative research methods to assess development projects.

Real-world applications

• Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Specialist → Assessing the impact of development programs and improving effectiveness.
• Development Consultant → Advising governments and NGOs on best practices in program design.
• Impact Analyst in an NGO or International Organization → Measuring project outcomes and ensuring accountability.

Example career path

A graduate might work at the World Bank, evaluating the success of agricultural development projects in Sub-Saharan Africa to ensure that funding is used effectively.