Bachelor of Arts/Master of Arts in International Development & Social Change, BA/MA

Overview

The master’s degree in International Development and Social Change (ID&SC) emphasizes the connection between critical thinking and effective action. It is designed for scholars of international development, as well as for present and future practitioners of grassroots, community-based development.

Offering alternatives to centralized planning and implementation, the ID&SC M.A. program has been a pioneer in participatory development and a leading force in creating tools for social change. A major challenge for twenty-first-century development is to promote development and sustain environmental resources through local planning and action. The IDCE participatory approach creates ownership of development initiatives on local levels and fosters partnerships between local institutions and external agencies.

The ID&SC M.A. program helps students to reach innovative solutions to development problems by building understanding of the complex causes, influences, and implications of poverty, social injustice, and conflict. Rooted in the belief that effective approaches draw on many disciplines, the ID&SC M.A. employs a cross-disciplinary focus, with faculty from anthropology, economics, environmental sciences, gender studies, geography, history, political science, and management. Links with collaborating institutions in countries such as Kenya, Nepal, Ghana, India, Senegal, Somaliland, and Mexico provide important real-world perspectives and fieldwork opportunities.

Through action-oriented and critical studies linking theory and practice, the ID&SC M.A. offers opportunities to specialize in such topics as political economy, conflict and development, culture and development, resource management, community-based development, or gender and development.

Departmental eligibility requirements

ID majors who have successfully completed an honors thesis in international development may earn a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree, with the fifth year tuition free, provided that they meet departmental and University guidelines. The B.A./M.A. degree in International Development allows students to build their analytical skills and pursue a specific area in international development in depth.

Qualified juniors who are interested in pursuing an accelerated B.A./Master’s degree must meet with the IDCE Coordinator for the program and submit an Application to the Accelerated B.A./Master’s Program: Part 1 to the Graduate School by April 1 of their junior year. Before October 15 of their senior year, students must complete an Application to the Accelerated B.A./Master’s Degree Program: Part 2 for graduate study in the International Development and Social Change M.A. program and submit that application to the IDCE Office at 10 Hawthorne Street. Students who wish to be admitted to the Accelerated B.A./Master’s Program in ID but who do not meet the above eligibility criteria may petition the Director of the IDCE Department to participate as a paying student.

The Honors Thesis gives students the opportunity to carry out independent research during their senior year. Students must have a 3.5 grade point average in the ID major to qualify for an invitation to undertake an honors thesis. To graduate with honors qualified seniors must successfully complete a two-semester independent honors project conducted under the supervision of a core ID faculty member. A student must declare her/his intention to register for honors work no later than the end of spring semester of the junior year.

Program of Study

The ID master’s degree requires 12 course credits. Students enter the fifth year with two graduate credits that transfer from the undergraduate degree into the graduate year—these are the two upper-level courses required for the major. In the graduate year, five credits are required core courses, and the remaining three are electives reflecting the student’s special interest. Two course credits are earned in internships after the senior year.

B.A./M.A. timetable

A typical program for an Accelerated B.A./Master’s Degree Program student includes:

In the senior year, students take two upper-level courses (cross-listed as graduate courses) related to their interests in international development to be credited toward the M.A.. These must include 300-level courses or an approved 200-level course. Seniors must also complete an Honors Thesis.

Two credits are earned for internships (post-B.A.), usually taken in the summer before and the summer after the spring semester of the fifth year.

A year-long academic internship after the senior year can be undertaken and counted as two course credits toward the master’s if that internship is part of a funded academic fellowship through Clark, such as year-long Fulbright, a Compton Mentor, or Boren Fellowships. This year-long internship must have prior approval from the University’s Graduate School for the returning student to remain eligible for the fifth year free scholarship.

In the graduate year, students take eight additional courses, including the five required courses: IDCE 314 - Research Proposal Writing in Geography ; IDCE 360 - Development Theory ; IDCE 361 - Development Program and Project Management ; IDCE 30217 - Economic Fundamentals for International Development ; and IDCE 30213 - Master’s Final Research Paper .

The remaining three elective courses become the student’s focus or “area of specialization.” These might include Principles of Conflict Negotiation and Mediation; Humanitarian Assistance in Conflict/Postconflict Contexts; Participatory Research Methods; Third World Women and Gender in Economic Development; Qualitative Research Design and Methods; Religion, Identity and Violence in a Globalizing World; or Famine and Food Security. [Please note: The fifth-year scholarship requires students to complete all requirements within the prescribed year. However, students can extend their M.A. studies into subsequent semesters–at their own cost.] 

Program Advisor

(Signature Required on the Accelerated Degree Program Advisor Form)
Professor David Bell
dbell@clarku.edu
508-793-7568

Advice for prospective students

Students in the M.A. program benefit from field experience in international development. Students are encouraged to field work abroad. Students can identify appropriate internships, work abroad, and other opportunities through Career Services or consult with their major advisors and the Accelerated B.A./Master’s Degree Program advisor in ID. Students are also welcome to view the IDCE Career Development files, Room 24 at 10 Hawthorne Street to explore various internships.