The year-and-a-half MGP with a Specialization in Developmental Policy is perfect for students interested in improving quality of life for people throughout the developing world in an environmentally sound manner. The program prepares students for development policy careers in government, nonprofit institutions, international organizations, and the private sector.
Students complete a set of universal requirements, including core courses on quantitative analysis, international economics, negotiation and diplomacy, and global policy analysis. In their final semester, students take a four credit course as part of a capstone project.
Actual year to year course offerings vary depending on faculty availability. Most classes are taught once per year, but some may be taught less frequently.
Curriculum
The MA in Global Policy requires a total of 48 credits divided among core global policy courses (16 credits), functional specialization coursework (16 credits), a final capstone course (4 credits) and sufficient elective coursework to bring the student’s credit total to at least 48.
Core Courses
GLOBAL POLICY CORE (16 CREDITS)
- GRS IR 602 B* Quantitative Analysis for Global Affairs
- GRS IR 603 B* Economics for Global Policy
- GRS IR 604 Negotiation and Diplomacy
- GRS IR 605 Global Policy Analysis
*MGP students are required to take the B sections of these courses.
Developmental Policy Specialization Courses
Students in the MGP with Specialization in Developmental Policy must take two required courses (8 credits):
- CAS EE 522: The Development of Sustainable Environmental Responsibility
- CAS IR 592 Economic Development and International Institutions
- CAS IR 593 Technology & Economic Inclusion in the Developing World
- GRS IR 606 Global Economic and Developmental Policy
- GRS IR 626 NGOs and the Practice of Development
Students in the MGP with Specialization in Developmental Policy take an additional two classes (8 credits) from the list of pre-approved courses below (or other courses with pre-approval from the Director of Graduate Studies):
- CAS IR 512 Global Resource Geopolitics
- CAS EC 522 Development Strategies
- CAS IR 591 Political Economy of gender Inequality
- GRS EE 600 Environment and Development
- GRS IR 621 Global Governance, Economic Development and Human Rights
- GRS IR 680 Political Economy of Human Development
- GRS IR 759 Understanding Global Money
- GRS IR 789 Globalization Development and Governance
- SPH GH 770 Poverty, Health, and Development
Electives
Students in the MGP with Specialization in Developmental Policy take three approved elective courses (12 credits) based on their specific interests. Students may choose their elective coursework from the specialization listing above, from the graduate level offerings of the Pardee School, or from the list of approved electives below. Students may also request approval from the Director of Graduate Studies to take other coursework, provided that coursework fits with the intent of the degree program and contributes to the preparation of students for their intended career paths:
- CAS EC 521 Development Theory and Policy
- CAS EC 565 Economic Institutions in Historical Perspective
- CAS EE 519 Energy, Society, and the Environment
- CAS IR 500 BRICS and Global Environmental Politics
- CAS IR 513 (PO 525) Bureaucracy & Governance: A Comparative Inquiry
- CAS IR 532 Trade Law and Development
- CAS IR 520 (PO 562) The State and Public Purpose in Asia
- CAS IR 527 (PO 527) Political Economy of China
- CAS IR 587 Political Economy of the Middle East
- CAS IR 590 (PO 550) Political Economy of Latin America
- CAS IR 597 (GE 597) Development & Environment in Latin America
- GRS EE 660 Resource Economics
- GRS IR 711 (AN 711) Civil Society and the State
- GRS IR 723 (PO 528) The Political Economy of Advanced Industrialized Societies
- GRS IR 758 Comparative Political Economy of China and India
- GRS IR/SOC 825 Women & Social Change in the Developing World
- GRS SO 839 State Building & Failure in the Developing World
- GRS SO 890: Global Health: Politics, Institutions, and Ideology
- LAW BK 935 (2 credits) Microfinance & Development
- QST PL SI 870 (3 credits) Strategies for Sustainable Development
Foreign Language
Students are required to demonstrate graduate-level reading proficiency in a foreign language prior to completion of the degree. Graduate-level proficiency is the ability to understand newspaper and professional journal articles in the field of foreign relations accurately, using standard reference materials. Language proficiency must be demonstrated through a language examination. Language exams are offered by the Pardee School Graduate Office several times per year.
In the case of non-native English speakers who were required to submit a TOEFL score report as part of their application for admission, knowledge of English fulfills this requirement.
Capstone
In their final semester, students take a capstone seminar (4-credits) in which research teams design and carry out an interdisciplinary policy analysis comparable to those performed for a government or nonprofit agency, often for a real-world client.