The Master of Philosophy  (MPhil) in Population Sciences at the University of Dhaka is a two year program which offers a multidisciplinary approach to development, providing the skills and knowledge needed by development policymakers, practitioners and researchers. It includes in-depth study of the historical, ideological, economic, social and political dimensions of change.

The Master of Philosophy  (MPhil) in Population Sciences at the University of Dhaka is a two year program which offers a multidisciplinary approach to development, providing the skills and knowledge needed by development policymakers, practitioners and researchers. It includes in-depth study of the historical, ideological, economic, social and political dimensions of change.

 The two-year full-time MPhil in Population Sciences is designed for student who combine high academic potential with first-hand development experience. It provides students with a solid grounding in development concepts and theories, depth of knowledge and competency in using applied research methods within a particular field of inquiry, and the and the analytical and practical skills needs to engage critically in current debates on development issues from a multidisciplinary perspective. The approach adopted is both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary.

In the first year (consisting of two semesters), students receive a theoretical and applied grounding in major subject areas. economics, administration and politics, and social anthropology. All students take a course in research methods for the social sciences which provides training appropriate for advanced study and research. Successful completion 8 courses in the first year is a pre-requisite for progressing to the second year. The degrees are awarded on the basis of successful completion of a course work and dissertation.

 In the beginning of the second year, the candidate has to present his/her research proposal before the department. Faculty members and students from other department s will also join. Satisfactory performance in presenting the proposal will permit the student to work on his/her thesis with the consent of the supervisor. The thesis does not exceed 30,000 words.  Undertakinging field research by the student is preferred. The dissertation should be submitted towards the end of the second year.

In the third semester of first year, MPhil students are expected to make a comprehensive literature review on the research topic and write a research outline under close supervision of an appointed DDS faculty member/supervisor. A substantial portion of the MPhil, in the third semester of year one, and the second and third terms of year two, will be dedicated to desk-based or field-based research, using a variety of research methods and drawing upon secondary and in some cases primary sources. In the first semester of year two, the Research Methods course will focus on a range of qualitative and quantitative methods and on the design and implementation of an independent research project. Throughout the programme each student is encouraged to develop their particular focus of interest with the assistance of supervisor. The DDS faculty are leading researchers in a number of development fields and the programme is designed so that students benefit from knowledge of the very latest research and methodologies.

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