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Strengths of the programme are open-minded lecturers, group work and strong cooperation with fellow students.

Recruiting, training and supervising a local team, designing a good quality household survey, analysing public health policies or facilitating a focus-group discussion – these and many more skills and pieces of knowledge I had the chance to acquire thanks to the International Development Studies Programme (IDS).

One of the greatest pros of the programme is undoubtedly the semester-long research internship. I passed that in Ethiopia and together with my great fellow student Hannah we had the chance to work with an amazing team of young Ethiopian female researchers on the aspects of reproductive health care access, women´s empowerment or health accountability. Other strengths of the programme are open-minded lecturers, group work and strong cooperation with fellow students required during any course. That prepared me practically to a large extent for my professional career.

Apart from the technical aspects of research techniques and methods, leadership skills and certain level of diplomacy, I learnt to be humble. I learnt to distinguish. Each of the countries and their regions has its own specificities and challenges which require unique approaches. People living in those places are critical drivers of the change they anticipate and I learnt I cannot behave like ‘the architect of the solution’. I learnt to listen and analyse instead.

I can honestly state that studying IDS at UU moved both my professional and personal life further.