Master in International Development, Education, and Sustainabilities

Master in International Development, Education, and Sustainabilities is one of 10 English-taught Sustainable Development programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 7 institutions. 10 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

This master's at OsloMet looks at how education, development and sustainability connect, with a focus on social conditions in the Global South and North. It is a two-year full-time degree taught in English at the Pilestredet campus in Oslo.

What you study

The programme gives you knowledge and insight into international development, education and sustainabilities. The emphasis is on the dynamics of social conditions in the Global South and North. It consists of five courses. Some are common to all students, others let you specialise and go deeper into your own interests.

The work covers development programmes and projects focused on economic and social development, on education, or on ecological sustainability, at local, national, regional and international levels. That includes policy analysis and policy making, and practical work in the INGO sector or other agencies, with a particular focus on the Global South.

How the programme is organised

You study full time over two years. Teaching varies between lectures, seminars, presentations, supervision, and discussions in large or small groups. You write essays and scholarly articles, and you write your master's thesis. All classes are in English, and all coursework, assessment tasks, the written thesis and the oral examination are completed in English.

The programme encourages you to do fieldwork in the Global South when feasible, and to include an explicit Global South dimension in your research. Where appropriate, the fieldwork can be combined with a study exchange at a university abroad.

Who it suits

You need a bachelor's degree in education (early childhood education, preschool, primary or elementary school, secondary school, higher education, pedagogy, or equivalent), or a bachelor's degree in development studies or another relevant social science discipline. Relevant social sciences include human geography, sociology, social anthropology, political science, social economics, history, and area studies that cover developing regions or other development-related areas.

You also need an average grade of at least C on the ECTS scale for your bachelor's degree, and proof of English proficiency. Applicants are ranked on the grade average from their bachelor's degree.

Admission, language and next steps

You apply through Søknadsweb, where you fill in your details and upload the required documents. Deadlines depend on where you apply from. Applicants from outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland have a deadline of 1 November. Applicants from the EU/EEA/Switzerland, and non-EU/EEA citizens with a Norwegian national ID number living in Norway, have early admission on 1 March and ordinary admission on 15 April. Nordic and Norwegian applicants apply by 15 April. Check the programme page for the exact dates and requirements.

Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland are normally exempt from tuition fees at state institutions; here the semester fee is the only cost. Students from outside the EU/EEA/EFTA normally pay a tuition fee set by the institution, in addition to the semester fee. The programme is taught in English.

Master’s applications go straight to Oslo Metropolitan University, not through the national admission service (NUCAS). Study in Norway states that you need a bachelor’s degree comparable to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS), including courses equal to at least one and a half years of full-time study relevant to the programme. The institution lists its deadline as: Non EU/EEA/Switzerland: November 1 EU/EEA/Switzerland: March 1 (early admission)/ 15 April (ordinary admission) Nordic/Norwegian applicants: April 15. The register shows 1 November 2026 as a deadline date for this programme. Deadlines are set by each institution for each programme, so confirm yours. Entry requirements and language tests are also set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, study permits and housing.