MASTER OF COMMERCE IN DEVELOPMENT FINANCE
BUILDING CAPACITY TO MOBILIZE & ALIGN FINANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
TERM DATES 2025/26
Block |
Date |
Delivery |
|
First Block |
10 March - 1 April 2025 |
In-person at GSB Campus |
|
Second Block |
2 – 24 August 2025 |
In-person at GSB Campus |
|
Third Block |
2 – 12 February 2026 |
In-person at GSB Campus |
MCOM IN DEVELOPMENT FINANCE FORMAT
The MCom in Development Finance is a rigorous modular programme which is taken over two years. The programme covers nine compulsory core courses and students must choose 1 elective and deliver a research report.
Students attend classes at the UCT GSB Breakwater campus in Cape Town twice a year of between 2–-3 weeks each during February/March and in August. Lectures are structured to cover theories in development finance, development finance practice and real-life case studies in development finance.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
This programme is broken down into 4 main blocks spreading over a two year cycle.
| Year 1: Block 1 (March) | Year 1: Block 2 (August) | Year 2: Block 3 (February): | Year 2: February to December |
Contact sessions for 4 courses | Examines for the 4 courses in Block 1 | Examines for the 4 courses in Block 2 | Completion of a 60-credit minor dissertation |
4 assignment submissions at monthly intervals after the block | Contact sessions for 4 courses (after 2 days' break) | Contact sessions for 2 (1 core and 1 elective) courses (after 2 days' break) | |
| 4 assignment submissions at monthly intervals after the block | 2 assignment submissions at monthly intervals after the block | ||
| Completion of a 60-credit minor dissertation |
*Please note: Course designs are updated and adapted annually, therefore the topics listed for each course are a guideline as to what students can expect will be covered on each course. A minimum of 13 students are required in order to run any elective.
PRE-READING PREPARATION
Before arriving for the contact sessions at the GSB, students are expected to read all prescribed material.
CONTACT / BLOCK SESSIONS
Students are required to attend and fully participate in all contact sessions at the GSB during the three block periods. The lectures are designed to facilitate interactions and knowledge sharing among students to draw on the diverse experiences of the student profile and enrich the theoretical and practical insights provided by the lecturer.
During block sessions, students are allocated into syndicate groups and rooms for after-lecture discussions during evenings.
INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT
There are two assessments for each course (except for research methods), made up of invigilated final examination (during block sessions) and individual assignment submitted post-block. Students are required to submit a research proposal (assignment) as the only assessment for the research methods course.