The 2021 MDP Curriculum

Some interesting facts about the MDP Curriculum

  • MDP students require 50 credits to graduate.

  • Required credits take three forms: core, flex-core, and elective. Core courses are specific, preselected courses that MDP students must take to graduate. Flex-core courses are pre-selected course sets from which students choose the best fit. Elective courses (not listed below) are courses that MDP students use to reach the 50 credit requirement and are chosen to meet their specific areas of interest not covered by the core and flex-core requirements.

  • Inter-disciplinary program = inter-departmental coursework. Whenever possible, classes are offered in the specific academic units (colleges, departments) where the research and knowledge reside and taught by faculty from that area.

  • Many of the core and flex-core courses put students one step closer to a minor in a particular focus area. Popular minors include program evaluation, non-profit management, natural resource sciences and management, and human rights.

  • A minor is not required but many students elect to pursue a minor.

  • This link directs to the University Graduate School's programs and minors catalog.

  • This link re-directs to the 2020 Program Planning Worksheet (PPW).

Students choose *one* of the following courses, taken where their schedule permits, [1.5-3 credits]

  • PA 5003 (1.5 cr) | Introduction to Public Financial Analysis & Management OR

  • PA 5032 (2 cr) | Intermediate Regression (recommended concurrent with PA 5521) OR

  • PA 5044 (2 cr) | Advanced Regression OR

  • PA 5311 (3 cr) | Program Evaluation OR

  • OLPD 5501 / EPSY 5243 (3 cr) | Principles and Methods of Evaluation

2021 Fall Semester, First Year [11-12 credits]

  • MDP 5001 (2 cr) | Ways of Knowing for Sustainable Development [Wilsey]

  • PA 5501 (3 cr) | Theories & Policies of Development [Friedemann-Sánchez]

  • PA 5031 (4 cr) | Statistics for Public Affairs or PA 5045 Statistics for Public Affairs, Accelerated [How to decide?]

  • Public Health Flex Core:

    • PUBH 6134 (2 cr) | Global Public Health [Instructor To be Determined] OR

    • PUBH 6320 (3 cr) | Fundamentals of Epidemiology [Var.]

    • PUBH 6108 (3 cr) | Course Name [Muñoz-Zanzi]

  • PA 5011 (3cr) | Management of Organizations [Oelberger] (this is an optional extra course for this semester, should be offered in fall of year 2 also)

2022 Spring Semester, First Year [13 credits]

  • MDP 5002 (3 cr) | Program Development Workshop [Wilsey]

  • MDP 5005 (3 cr) | Qualitative Methods for Development Practice [Valentina Salas]

  • AGRO 5321 (3 cr) | Ecology of Agricultural Systems [Jordan]

  • PA 5521 (4 cr) | Development Planning & Policy Analysis [Assaad]


Summer [3 credits]

  • MDP 5004 (3 cr) | Summer Field Experience

2022 Fall Semester , Second Year [7 credits]

  • MDP 5100 (1 cr) | Capstone Prep Workshop

  • PA 5503 (3 cr) | Economics of Development [Assaad]

  • PA 5151 (3 cr) | Organizational Perspectives on Global Development & Humanitarian Assistance [Oelberger]

  • International Education Flex Core:

    • OLPD 5104 (3 cr) | Strategies for International Development Education [Johnstone] OR

    • OLPD 5107 (3 cr) | Gender, Education & Development [DeJaeghere].


2023 Spring Semester, Second Year [6-7 credits]

  • MDP 5200 (3 cr) | Capstone Workshop in Development Practice [Var.]

  • Environmental Sciences Flex Core:

    • GEOG 5401*** (4 cr) | Geography of Environmental Systems & Global Change [Klink] OR

    • GCC 5008 (3 cr) | Policy and Science of Global Environmental Change [Polasky, Reich, and Hobbie ]