Master’s in Development Practice

Master’s in Development Practice
 
The Global Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) is an interdisciplinary two-year graduate degree programme providing current and aspiring development practitioners the skills and knowledge to better understand, develop and implement integrated approaches to sustainable development. The launch of a Global MDP programme was the central recommendation of the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice (ICESDP), which discovered that there is a lack of comprehensive cross-disciplinary programme to train practitioners in the full range of challenges of sustainable development. The Royal University of Bhutan, in conjunction with and with initial financial support from DHIInfra, entered into an MOU with the Earth Institute at Columbia University, home of the Global MDP Secretariat, to launch an international Master’s in Development Practice programme at the College of Natural Resources, which was launched in July 2014.
 
Objectives
 
The primary purposes and intentions of the Master’s in Development Practice programme are to provide comprehensive and relevant holistic training in sustainable development practice for development professionals; to strengthen Bhutan€™s role in the global dialogue on sustainable development by providing opportunities for international development practitioners to experience and research sustainable development from a GNH-based context; and to improve the quality of life for the world’s poor while maintaining a healthy planet.
 

Curriculum Structure

The MDP is a two-year full-time programme which requires successful completion of 60 credits each semester and a total of 240 credits to gain an award.   The programme comprises of ten 15 credit modules, a field attachment of 30 credits and a dissertation of 60 credits. 

A mandatory one week bridge course will be offered to all students before the commencement of the programme given the diverse academic and professional backgrounds of the applicants. The bridge course will provide an introduction to basic statistics, sustainable development and academic writing to bridge the gap in knowledge required for the students to complete the programme successfully.

The first semester of Year I comprises of four taught modules of 15 credits each. These cover the study of Development Economics, Gender and Development, Environmental Science for Sustainable Development, and GNH, Public Policy and Development.

The second semester of Year I comprises four taught modules of 15 credits each. The modules on Statistics and Research methods introduce students to the fundamentals of research and statistical tools to prepare them for research and data collection during the field attachment and dissertation. In addition, instruction in multidisciplinary subject knowledge will continue with the study of Program and Project Development Management and Sustainable Agriculture Practices. 

The first semester of Year II will build upon the knowledge and skills gained in Year I with the study of two taught modules of 15 credits each that cover Global Health and Organisational Management. During this semester, students will undertake a field attachment worth 30 credits (equivalent to two taught modules) for three months from mid-October till mid-January. Further, students will attend a non-credited module called the Global Classroom/Emerging development issues and innovation/ offered by Earth Institute, Columbia University which is a cross-disciplinary collaboration that allows students and teachers from around the world in the Global MDP Network to participate in collective assignments and learning experiences. Through this experience, students will have the opportunity to learn from experts/development practitioners from around the world. Since the students will have to go for the field attachment from mid-October, the teaching and assessments for the three modules Global Health, Organisational Management and Global Classroom will be completed tentatively by first week of October.

The final semester (second semester of Year II) will comprise of the Dissertation which bears 60 credits.  The proposal for the dissertation will be developed during the second semester of Year I therefore students will be engaged in the field collecting data, analyzing the data and report writing.  Student will present and defend their dissertation at the College.  A designated supervisor will be appointed for each student with which the students will maintain regular contact.

 

Year

Semester

Modules

1 Week

Bridge Course (Statistics, Sustainable Development and Academic Writing Skills)

I

I

ECN502 Development Economics

DEV505 Gender and Development

EVS503 Environmental Science for Sustainable Development

DEV506 GNH, Public Policy and Development

60 Credits

(15 Credits/

module)

II

STS502 Statistics for Development Practice

RES501 Research Methods for Development Practice

DEV504 Program and Project Development Management

AGR503 Sustainable Agriculture Practices

60 Credits

(15 Credits/

module)

 II

I

PHD602 Global Health

MGT603 Organisational Management

ATT502 Field Attachment

(30 credits)

60 Credits

EMERGING DEVELOPMENT ISSUES AND INNOVATION /GLOBAL CLASSROOM)              0 credit

II

PWK603 Dissertation

60 Credits

 Note: For further details and fee structure contact Dean of Academic Affairs at + 975 2 376249 or send email enquiry.