Curriculum

Requirements

Both the BA/MPA and BA/MAIPD require the following 118 credits:

Transfer credits (60 credits)

Introduction to Policy & Data Analysis (4 credits)

Development Paradigms, Discourses, and Theories (4 credits) sample courses:

• Development, Theory, and Practice
• Introduction to Conflict Resolution
• Politics of Development
• Power, Social Change, and Organizations

Economics (8 credits) sample courses:

• Development Economics
• Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
• International Trade: Theory and Practice

Seminar and/or Applied Practice Workshops (6 credits) sample courses:

• Proposal Writing for International Development
• Behavior Changing Strategies in Public Health
• US Immigration Policy in the 21st century
• Negotiating Global Development Policy
• Qualitative Data Analysis

Specialization (16 credits)

Practicum (4 credits)

Language/Intercultural Competence

• Spring 2020 entrants: 16 credits, minimum 8 credits of language studies required.
• Fall 2020 (and beyond) entrants: one intercultural competence course is required, language studies are optional (using electives).

To complete the BA/MPA, the following additional 32 credits are required:

Management and Leadership (4 credits)

Finance and Administration (4 credits)

Program Evaluation for Social Change Organizations (4 credits)

Electives (20 credits)

• Electives by advisement build on your expertise in areas that can benefit your career

Transfer Credits

Upon matriculating, BA/MA students are required to transfer 60 credit hours with grades of B or above that cover the following requirements:

• Composition (3 credits)

• Math (3 credits)

• Four courses (12 credits) from at least two of the following:

  • Social Science

  • Arts/Humanities

  • Physical and Biological Sciences

• Language Semester 1 (at least 3 semester credits required for spring 2020, optional for fall 2020)

• Language Semester 2 (at least 3 semester credits required for spring 2020, optional for fall 2020)

• Electives (as needed to reach 60 semester credits total)

Specializations

Students choose a specialization (required for IPD students and optional for MPA students) from the options below:

• Conflict Resolution and Social Justice
• Evaluation and Analytics
• Migration and Global Governance
• Financial Crime Management (available to students in any degree program at the Institute)
• Intercultural Competence (available to students in any degree program at the Institute)

Professional Practicum

Put theory into practice through a semester-long practicum in the field or through a capstone research course:

International Professional Service Semester

An immersive learning experience, the International Professional Service Semester integrates academic work with professional opportunities. Students serve as junior professional staff members in an international organization while producing specific deliverables for academic credit.

Frontier Market Scouts

The Frontier Market Scouts program selects and trains students and professionals seeking careers in social venture management and impact investing. Two weeks of training is followed by a two- to 12-month field placement. To choose the fellowship program for your practicum, you must apply for admission to the program and complete the fieldwork, including an impact research report.

Practicum Project Seminar

This four-credit seminar helps students demonstrate, integrate, and apply competencies central to their degrees. The course is designed to support customized projects depending on your interests and career aspirations. You are required to produce high-quality deliverables related to the issues you explore, either with client organizations or in non-client-based research projects.

Independent Practicum

The independent practicum (four to six credits) is self-directed and requires independent academic planning and responsibilities. You can choose to complete an internship or field-based research. Both require you to engage a faculty sponsor, develop a work plan with that sponsor, submit specified deliverables to be evaluated at the conclusion of the project, and present the deliverables in a final colloquium.

Language and Intercultural Competence

Courses taught in your chosen language combine language skills development with topics related to your degree work and professional interests. Our intercultural competence (ICC) offerings provide the cross-cultural communication skills needed to pursue global careers. 

Sample language studies courses:

• Arab-African Relations (in Arabic)

• Citizenship, Security, and Development in Latin America (in Spanish)

• Challenges in Peacebuilding—Congo (in French)

Sample ICC courses:

• Intercultural Group Dynamics

• Multilingual Communications in Multicultural Settings

Internships/Study Abroad

Gaining professional development experience during the course of your academic program is essential. The Institute helps support student opportunities to apply their skills, build their résumés, expand their connections, and advance their international careers through innovative real-world learning experiences. Learn more.

Additional Program Options

Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) are encouraged to apply for the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program.

Options for Peace Corps Service

Interested students can integrate Peace Corps service into their degree.

Sample Course Schedule

Fall Start, Full Time, Six Semesters