the Master’s program in Development Studies at the University of Passau took off in the academic year 2015/16. Since then, more than 340 students from over 65 countries have joined the program. Today, it stands as one of the university's most successful and internationally diverse study programs. Our alumni are now making meaningful contributions around the globe – in government and non-governmental organizations, international institutions, private enterprises, and academia.

To celebrate this and to reunite we organize a symposium on “The future of development – Development 2.0 in a changing world” on October 31, 2025 at Passau University. The program features scientific debates and keynotes by Prof. Dr. Anna-Katharina Hornidge (Director of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability, Bonn Germany), Prof. Dr. Johannes Jütting (Paris21 OECD, France) and Prof. Chusak Wittayapak (University of Chiang Mai, Thailand). The symposium takes place at ITZ (Room 017) on campus, but you are most welcome to join online from far and wide to get inspired by the talks, catch up and network.

Preparing for the symposium, we will hold a Masterclass on October 30^th, 2025 for currently enrolled students. To attend the symposium (either in-person or online) and/or the informal dinner, please register here until October 1^st: dvs-symposium-2025@uni-passau.de

Help Us Make This Event Special:
We would love to showcase your time in Passau! Please consider uploading:
• Photos from your student days
• A short video message (up to 2 minutes)
sharing where you are now or a favorite memory

You can upload your contributions and complete >>> a short alumni survey. The survey takes just a few minutes and helps us better understand your career paths and experiences.

Please do spread this invitation widely with all former students and via your informal networks. You are most welcome to share this invitation via email, WhatsApp and social media, so that we celebrate the 10th anniversary accordingly! We would like to be in touch with as many Alumni as possible and learn about yous careers. Unfortunately, we cannot cover any travel or accommodation costs.

We are looking forward to seeing you in-person or virtually in Passau!

Professor Dr. Martina Padmanabhan
Professor Dr. Michael Grimm
Professor Dr. Wolfram Schaffar

The event is supported by the ‘Friends and Sponsors of the University of Passau’ association.

Full job description

Download

The workshop gathered academics, representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, especially the Board of Extension Services, extension workers and farmers. Baseline data for the experiment has been collected in February and March 2025. The randomized interventions will be implemented in May and June 2025. A follow-up survey later this year will allow to estimate the first impacts.

More detailed article on the DPE website

Local inequality and crime: New evidence from South Africa

Nicolas Büttner is alumni of the Master Program in Development Studies and a former PhD candidate of the chair. After his doctorate at the University of Passau in 2022, Nicolas continued his research activities at ETH Zürich, where currently works as a postdoctoral researcher and research manager of the Development Economics Group.

Full job description

A highlight of the seminar was the hiking tour on the snowy tip of the Lusen on Friday afternoon. The way downhill was done by sledge. For many participants this was the first experience and caused many spectacular flipflops, but no injuries.

The seminar will be held in English and is open to Master students of the University of Passau who have successfully participated in either "Natural and Field Experiments" or "Evaluation of Development Policies".

If you are interested in taking part, please submit your application documents (by e-mail to bianca.bittner@uni-passau.de) to the chair by Monday, 20th January 2025. Please use the application form. More information can be found in the syllabus.