The LUMID Master programme

Interdisciplinary and International

LUMID welcomes applicants from a variety of academic disciplines and countries. LUMID is hosted by the Department of Human Geography at Lund University, but takes a multidisciplinary approach. This is accomplished through teachers’ teams recruited from a number of faculties. Three thematic courses are offered by LUMID: 1. Sustainable Development and Natural Resource Management, 2. Rural Development and Rural Livelihoods and 3. International Public Health.

Applied knowledge and critical thinking

LUMID focuses on two major types of learning: learning by doing and critical, academic thinking based on empirical investigation. To achieve this, the first year courses on campus are matched by field based courses during the second year. The combination of academic and applied knowledge is an essential component of the program. The programme comprises a total of 120 ECTS divided among nine courses. The Master thesis is worth 30 ECTS, while the remaining six courses are worth 15 ECTS each. LUMID runs over two years.

First year campus based courses

Students prepare for the field based courses through campus based courses in development theory, research design and methods (where the focus is on quantitative methods), one thematic course and finally a campus based course in development and management.

First semester/Autumn semester

International Development Perspectives, MIDA11

Theory of Science and Methods, MIDA21

Second semester/Spring semester

Pluridisciplinary Perspectives on Development, MIDM30

Programme and Project Management, MIDM41

Second year field based courses

During the second year, students apply their academic knowledge to a field setting in a developing country of their choice. The development management course is put into practice within the context of an organisation working with development issues either directly in a developing country or indirectly in a developed country. The field based methods course is carried out in a developing country, with a focus on qualitative methods. During this course students collect data for their theses. The writing of the thesis may be carried out either in Sweden or elsewhere.

Third semester/Autumn semester

Field studies of Programme and Project Management, MIDM51

Field Methods, MIDM61

Fourth semester/Spring semester

Masters thesis, MIDM71

Please note that LUMID programme is constantly developing and therefore the courses offered can vary from year to year.

Admission requirements and criteria for selection

Admission to LUMID requires at least the equivalent of 120 Swedish credits (180 ECTS credits), comprising at least three years worth of full time study. In addition to this formal prerequisite the recommended prerequisite is a completed first degree by the time the course starts. This means that applicants fulfilling the recommended prerequisite will be prioritized in the selection procedure. Since the programme is conducted entirely in English, candidates must demonstrate their proficiency in English. For applicants who have not gained their first degree in a Nordic country or from a university where the language of instruction is English, and whose first language is not English, this should be done by an internationally recognized test, for example the TOEFL test. The prerequisite for LUMID in this respect is a TOEFL score of at least 550 (paper based) or 213 (computer based), or an IELTS score of at least 6.0 (with a score of at least 5.0 in each section). This corresponds to the Lund University criteria for the specific prerequisite in English.

To be eligible for the programme students must have a minimum average grade in their Bachelor´s studies equivalent to 3.0 in cumulated grade point average (CGPA) out of 4, C in the ECTS grading scale, and B in the American grading scale. For students with Swedish undergraduate studies the minimum requirement is G.

The credit system

In Sweden the academic year is divided into two semesters of 20 weeks each, giving in total 40 weeks. Each semester is worth 30 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits. To graduate the student must acquire 120 ECTS credits: 90 credits from course work, and 30 credits from thesis work.

The grading scale

The grades awarded are A, B, C, D, E and Fail. The highest grade is A and the lowest passing grade is E. The grade for a non-passing result is Fail. The student's performance is assessed with reference to the learning outcomes of the course. For the grade of E the student must show acceptable results. For the grade of D the student must show satisfactory results. For the grade of C the student must show good results. For the grade of B the student must show very good results. For the grade of A the student must show excellent results.For the grade of Fail the student must show unacceptable results.

Course components such as conversation practice, study visits and group exercises  are exempted from the grading scale above. The grades awarded for such components are Pass or Fail. For the grade of Pass the student must show acceptable results. For the grade of Fail the student must show unacceptable results.

Academic calendar 2012/2013

The academic year is divided into two semesters of 20 weeks each. The autumn semester begins on 27 August and runs until 15 January 2012 and is immediately followed by the spring semester which ends on 3 June 2013. There are short breaks for Christmas and Easter.

Tillbaka