MODEV

MODEV is a specialization within the Master's program in Economics and International Development offered by the University of Clermont Auvergne (UCA).

It is a collaborative effort involving UCA's School of Economics, the Fondation pour les études et recherches sur le développement international (FERDI), and the Campus AFD, the training center of the French Development Agency (AFD).

Face-to-face teaching takes place at the AFD Campus in Marseille and at the UCA School of Economics and FERDI in Clermont Ferrand. 

The training program will take place over a total period of 9 months in 2025/2026, alternating distance and classroom teaching according to the schedule below. 

This multi-disciplinary training combines economics, finance, and management. It develops autonomy in the management of sustainable development projects. 

This 9-months training course has the following objectives:

• To reinforce the knowledge, know-how and interpersonal skills of the participants to make them actors of change (entrepreneurs within their institutions);
• To contribute to the emergence of a network of development professionals.

The overall aim is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the public and private project leaders in the South who contribute to transitions towards sustainable development.

Priority is granted to managers and executives from ministries, local authorities, public institutions, companies (both public and private), financial institutions (both public and private), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The MASTER program is exclusively open to individuals from AFD member countries or areas where AFD operates. 

The courses are in French.

For the class of 2025/2026, 25 scholarship places are foreseen (half of which are reserved for female applicants) and approximately 10 non-scholarship places. 

For both scholarship applicants and non-scholarship applicants, the selection process is conducted using a range of criteria, including educational attainment, professional background, applicant profile, the significance of the dissertation project, and performance on a written examination. The goal of the selection process is to maintain a balanced representation in terms of geographical diversity and gender.

NON-SCHOLARSHIP APPLICANTS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Minimum 4 years of higher education
• 5 years of professional experience
• Fluency in French and basic knowledge of English
•  Professional interest in development project management
• B1 level in French for applicants from non-French-speaking countries (B1 proof required for application, B2 expected in September)

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICANTS SELECTION CRITERIA

• Be under 45 years old
• Minimum 4 years of higher education
• 5 years of professional experience, mainly in the field of development
• Fluency in French and basic knowledge of English
• Be currently employed in an institution in the South that works for the Sustainable Development Goals, preferably in relation with the French Development Agency or likely to be, and have the commitment of this employer concerning the partial coverage of the MASTER fees (see below)
• B1 level in French for applicants from non-French-speaking countries (B1 proof required for application, B2 expected in September)

CAUTION! Scholarship recipients means that the AFD covers the cost of living in France. Students with scholarships are not exempt from paying registration fees and AFD does not pay for their flights. It is up to their employers to pay for these two expenses. 

Non-scholarship holders must pay - or find a sponsor capable of paying - all living expenses for the 3-month period in France, as well as flights and registration fees. 

AFD executives, professors from UCA (School of Economics and School of Management), and professionals teach the Masters class.

The nine-month training cycle consists of two academic semesters comprising 10 teaching units, the content of which is detailed below. 

The first semester will be delivered by distance learning. It will continue at CAM/VAL in Marseille for 6 weeks, then at the UCA School of Economics and FERDI for 6 weeks during the second semester. The course is multidisciplinary. 

It provides fundamental knowledge of economics, practical approaches to project management, concrete focus on specific themes and fun, participative workshops to mobilize collective intelligence and enable the sharing of ideas. 

Students are also required to write a dissertation on a development issue related to their professional activity. The course is particularly intensive and requires a high level of work capacity.

Applications are open from 5 December 2024 to 15 February 2025. 

 ↪ Emeline CAMPAGNE - emeline.campagne@ferdi.fr
Gestion administrative du Master MODEV et référente handicap.

↪ Elisabeth KREMPP - modev@afd.fr
Co-responsable du MASTER MODEV, Agence Française de Développement

↪ Michaël GOUJON -  michael.goujon@uca.fr
Enseignant-chercheur en économie, Université Clermont Auvergne, IAE Clermont Auvergne - School of Management. Centre d’Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International (Cerdi).

Created in 1963, and transformed into a master's degree in 2006, this course has already nearly 2,800 alumni, including more than 400 since its approval as a master's degree. It has created a network of alumni who now hold positions of responsibility in government ministries, local authorities, businesses, financial institutions, and NGOs in countries of the South, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean. 

The diversity of origins - West Africa, Maghreb, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, and profiles - engineers, researchers, analysts, program managers, heads of services in private companies and public organizations, bring great richness to this master's program during which exchanges are unique and stimulating.