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MDP Programs

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has committed $15 million to create MDP programs at up to 15 universities worldwide over the next three years.  On June 30, 2009, the MacArthur Foundation announced that 10 universities across the globe will receive significant grants to establish new MDP programs.  The universities will produce approximately 250 graduates with a Master’s in Development Practice degree by 2012, with a total of 750 students enrolled.

The first universities to join the Global Network of MDP programs are:

• Columbia University (New York, New York), supported by a MacArthur grant from 2008, will launched the first Master’s in Development Practice program September 2009. Columbia has helped develop the MDP core curriculum with courses bridging the natural sciences, health sciences, social sciences and management. Students will conduct field training in several Millennium Village sites in Africa.
• Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia) will offer training in the core curriculum, while emphasizing the health-related aspects of sustainable development through its work with partners that include the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information, please contact Dr. David Nugent (email: mastdev@emory.edu.)
• TERI University (New Delhi, India) will emphasize energy and climate sciences, building on its contributions to scientific and policy research in energy, environment, and sustainable development.   For more information, please contact Dr. Mala N Reddy (email: mnreddy@teri.res.in).
•  James Cook University (Cairns and Townsville, Australia) will offer coursework at its two campuses and field training in the Philippines and Indonesia, focusing on the challenges to sustainable development and governance in tropical island nations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. For more information, please contact Dr. Steve Turton (email: steve.turton@jcu.edu.au)
• Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin (Dublin, Ireland) will integrate their teaching in international development and also partner with the National University of Rwanda to offer field training and coursework in conservation and sustainable development.  For more information, please contact  Dr. Padraig Carmody (email: carmodyp@tcd.ie)
• Tsinghua University (Beijing, China) will build on its English-language degrees and master’s programs in international development and public administration to focus on development models for China. For more information, please contact Dr. Zhang Yanbing (email: zhangyanbing@tsinghua.edu.cn)
• University of Cheikh Anta Diop (Dakar, Senegal) will focus on current development challenges facing Africa by integrating health, social and natural sciences, engineering, information technology, and management. It will also serve as the MDP program hub for French-speaking West African nations.  For more information, please contact: Dr. Aly Mbaye (email: mbayealy93@yahoo.fr)
• University of Botswana (Gaborone, Botswana) will create a modular program designed for working professionals. Rigorous independent study will be complemented by two to three weeks of on campus training each semester. University of Botswana will partner with University of Florida to offer field training experiences in Botswana.  For more information, please contact: Dr. Uli Schmitt (email: schmittu@mopipi.ub.bw).
• University of Florida (Gainesville, Florida) will implement a program that includes the core curriculum, building on University of Florida’s expertise in conservation and sustainable development, especially in Latin America. The program also incorporates faculty and student exchanges and a field-training program in Botswana, in partnership with University of Botswana.  For more information, please contact Dr. Brian Child (email: BChild@africa.ufl.edu) or Dr. Grenville Barnes (email: gbarnes@ufl.edu).
• University of Ibadan (Ibadan, Nigeria) will build on existing graduate programs in health, science, and natural resources with the long-term goal of creating a Centre for Development Studies. It will also serve as a MDP program hub for English-speaking West African nations. For more information, please contact: Dr. Labode Popoola (emails: labopopoola@yahoo.com or l.popoola@mail.ui.edu.ng)
• University of Denver (Denver, Colorado) trains development generalists by drawing on 10 of its own graduate schools and partnering with campuses and NGOs in Bangladesh, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mozambique and Vietnam for applied international studies, environmental/agricultural science, management and leadership, law and policymaking, and community/global health.  For more information, please contact Dr. Dan Wessner (email: dwessner@du.edu)
• University of Minnesota (Twin Cities, Minnesota) MDP program will enroll its first cohort of students in August 2010. The UMN MDP program will focus on developing practices to support sustainable and poverty-reducing livelihood strategies across the global south, through interdisciplinary policy-oriented training in public health, environmental processes, economic analysis, societal change, agriculture, education, mixed methodologies, management and leadership.  For more information, please contact the U of M Admissions office (email: hhhadmit@umn.edu )

In October 2009, the MacArthur Foundation welcomed five additional academic institutions that will join the Global Network of MDP programs. (Updates and more information will be provided soon. For specific information (ie. Enrollment timeline, cost, scholarships, please use individual contact information below):

• BRAC Development Institute, BRAC University (Dhaka, Bangladesh)  For more information, please contact Dr. Syed Hashemi (email: smhashemi@yahoo.com)
• CATIE (Turrialba, Costa Rica)  For more information, please contact Dr. Glenn Galloway (email: galloway@catie.ac.cr)
• University of California, Davis (Davis, California)  For more information, please contact Dr. Paul Marcotte (email: plmarcotte@ucdavis.edu)
• University of Peradeniya (Peradeniya, Sri Lanka)  For more information, please contact Dr. Dileni Gunewardena (email: dilenigun@yahoo.com)
• University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)  For more information, please contact Dr. Larry Swatuk (email: lswatuk@envmail.uwaterloo.ca)

The universities were selected for a number of reasons, including support from top university leadership and the quality of faculty across four core competencies: natural sciences, health sciences, social sciences and management. They also were chosen because of the strength of their infrastructure and academic programs; their ability to serve as a regional hub; the geographic representation among students; and a timeline and business plan for financial sustainability when funding ends in three years.