Is the MA Community Development Studies a social-work qualification?

No. Social work is a separately regulated profession with its own qualification routes (BA Social Work or MA conversion). The MA Community Development Studies sits adjacent to social work but does not by itself confer social-worker registration. Many MA graduates work alongside social-work teams in the public and third sectors.

Does the MA Community Development Studies include real participatory research?

Yes. The participatory research module requires students to design and run a co-designed or community-led research project under supervision. Topics are agreed with tutors and reviewed for ethics. Distance learners complete participatory work in their own communities with remote supervision.

Can the MA Community Development Studies be studied online or part-time?

Yes. The MA Community Development Studies can be taken over 24 months part-time or fully online. Online students join the same seminars by video, complete the same fieldwork and dissertation, and benefit from the same industry masterclasses.

Is the MA Community Development Studies useful for INGO leadership?

Yes. The advanced community-practice frameworks and programme-design and evaluation modules map directly to INGO and donor agency programme leadership roles. Several recent graduates have moved into INGO senior programme roles after the MA Community Development Studies.

What kind of dissertation works well on the MA Community Development Studies?

A 12,000-to-15,000 word empirical study grounded in real community context. Past examples include a participatory study of housing satisfaction in a London estate, a mixed-methods evaluation of a youth mentoring programme and a critical analysis of a local authority's engagement model.

MA Community Development Studies | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MA Community Development Studies at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a one-year UK postgraduate degree for senior practitioners and graduates moving into leadership roles in community development, applied social research and third-sector programmes. You will work through advanced community-practice frameworks, participatory and qualitative research methods at master's level, and produce a 12,000-to-15,000 word dissertation grounded in original empirical work.

The MA Community Development Studies is taught around the assumption that community development is a serious working discipline — with its own ethics, methods and policy literacy — and that senior roles in the sector demand both practice depth and research-grade analytical skill. Cohorts include senior practitioners from across the UK third sector.

Key Features

UK-recognised master's degree aligned with Social Research Association standards and Community Development Foundation frameworks.
Advanced community-practice frameworks — community organising, asset-based development, participatory governance.
Participatory research methods at master's level alongside core qualitative methods.
UK policy leadership module covering devolved governments, statutory consultation and current legislative landscape.
Field-based dissertation with academic and practitioner supervision.
Industry-led masterclasses from senior community development practitioners, local-authority leads and INGO programme directors.

What You Will Learn

The MA Community Development Studies is structured around the working competencies of a senior community development leader — practice theory, applied research, policy literacy and ethical fieldwork at master's level. You leave able to design and lead a substantial community programme, run participatory research with proper ethical care, and write at strategic level for funder, governance and academic audiences.

Advanced community-practice frameworks — organising, asset-based development, participatory governance.
Applied social research at master's level — qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods.
Participatory research methods — co-design, community-led inquiry, peer research.
UK policy leadership — devolved governments, statutory consultation, current legislation.
Programme design and evaluation — theory of change, monitoring, evaluation, impact measurement.
Third-sector governance — charity law basics, trustee structures, funding governance.
Funding and resource development — grant writing, contract bidding, social investment.
Research ethics — informed consent, working with vulnerable participants, power and reflexivity.

Who This MA Is For

Senior practitioners in third-sector, local-authority and INGO community development roles.
Graduates in community development, sociology, social work or related fields progressing to master's.
Civil servants and public-sector officers with community remits.
Career-changers from teaching, social work or journalism moving into senior community-sector leadership.

Career Pathways

MA Community Development Studies graduates move into senior community-sector, policy and research leadership roles. Typical post-MA destinations include:

Community Development Officer (senior, local authority or housing association)
Social Researcher (research agency, public-sector body, think tank)
Local Authority Officer (senior engagement, equalities, regeneration)
Charity Programme Manager (mid-to-large third-sector organisation)
Public Engagement Lead (university, NHS trust, public body)
Policy Adviser (community, regeneration, social cohesion)

The MA also supports doctoral study, senior consultancy work and progression into INGO leadership roles.

Entry Requirements

A UK 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) in a related subject, OR a 2:2 in any subject with two years of relevant professional experience.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement (max 1 page) outlining your motivation, relevant experience and intended specialism.
Two academic or professional references.
Applicants without a related undergraduate degree may be considered with significant industry experience and a written sample.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.