Certificate in Development Economics Introduction
Course Overview
The Certificate in Development Economics Introduction at LSLPE is a UK Level 3 introductory qualification running 3 to 6 months across on-campus, online and distance routes. The course is a first-entry route into the economics of low- and middle-income countries: growth, poverty, inequality, human capital, agriculture, industrialisation and the workings of aid, drawing on ODI, IDS-adjacent and IFS-aligned commentary.
By graduation you are reading development economics briefs with confidence, running simple growth and poverty calculations, writing short structured commentary on development questions, and completing a guided assignment that prepares you for a Diploma in development or economics.
Key Features
- Content introduced with reference to Royal Economic Society (RES) coverage of development economics.
- Themes aligned with Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and Institute of Development Studies (IDS).
- Public finance framing drawing on Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) themes.
- Rolling intakes and small tutor-visible cohorts with named programme-tutor support.
- Progression route to the LSLPE Diploma in Development Economics or a related Diploma.
- Distance and online cohorts share the same weekly seminar timetable as on-campus students.
What You Will Learn
- Growth theory at introductory level: Solow, endogenous growth, structural transformation.
- Poverty measurement: headcount, poverty gap, MPI.
- Inequality measurement: Gini, Theil, quintile ratios.
- Human capital, education and health in development.
- Agriculture, industrialisation and structural change.
- Aid effectiveness debates.
- Basic development microdata and how to read it.
- Structuring a short evidence-based development economics argument.
Who This Course Is For
- Sixth-form leavers and mature applicants exploring development economics.
- Career changers moving into NGO, multilateral or public sector work.
- International applicants seeking a UK Level 3 development economics grounding.
- Volunteers and community workers wanting a formal foundation.
- Applicants planning to progress to an LSLPE Diploma in development economics.
Career Pathways
- Trainee Development Economist
- NGO Programme Officer trainee
- Public Sector Consultant trainee
- International Development Officer entry route
- Trainee Research Economist on development themes
- Trainee Economic Policy Analyst
- Global Affairs Analyst trainee
The LSLPE careers service connects Certificate students to entry-level roles across NGOs, multilateral offices and development consultancies, and refreshes foundation content annually against Royal Economic Society and ODI-aligned coverage.
Entry Requirements
- GCSE English at grade 4/C or equivalent; open access for mature applicants at admissions review.
- No prior study of economics required — the Certificate in Development Economics Introduction is designed as a first-entry route.
- IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.0) for non-native English speakers, or equivalent.
- A short personal statement of 250 words describing your interest in development economics.
- International applicants supported through visa, accommodation and English-language guidance.
Why Study at LSLPE
LSLPE teaches development economics from central London, within a short tube ride of the FCDO, ODI, IFS-adjacent research teams and international development consultancies. That geography turns an introductory Certificate into something practical: policy briefings and programme evaluations are drawn from bodies operating in walking distance of the classroom.
Three parallel study modes let progressors, working professionals and international applicants complete the Certificate without leaving employment, and the LSLPE careers service connects graduates to entry-level roles across NGOs, multilateral offices and development consultancies.
Apply for Certificate in Development Economics Introduction
The Certificate in Development Economics Introduction is a considered first step into the discipline for applicants who want the subject taught alongside its policy institutions. Start with a UK Level 3 Certificate at LSLPE — rolling intakes, early applications receive the widest choice of tutors and elective modules. Enrol Now
