[citation needed] QEH was constituted by Royal Charter in 1954 to provide a residential centre which people concerned with the study of Commonwealth affairs could visit to make contacts and exchange ideas.

[citation needed] The Department provides postgraduate research training (DPhil and MPhil) and four MSc taught courses to some 200 students.

These programmes involve advanced research methods, personal supervision, subject specialisation and fieldwork.

[4] The Department forms part of the ESRC-funded Doctoral Training Centre for the Social Sciences at the University of Oxford.

[citation needed] ODID currently offers the following degree courses: The Department hosts some 80 active researchers working on four broad themes: Economic Development and International Institutions; Migration and Refugees in a Global Context; Human Development, Poverty and Children; and Political Change, Conflict and the Environment.