Graduate Program Requirements
CGH Course of Study
The Master’s of Health Science in Community and Global Health requires 12 graduate course units. These include three core courses, two skills/methods courses, and six electives. Students pursue a concentration by taking six elective courses within one of ten possible IDCE concentrations. The final unit is an advanced methods course, a collaborative final project course, a Master’s paper, MHS thesis, or Practitioner paper.
Required MHS Core Courses
1a. IDCE 377 Approaches to Global Health explores the global and local determinants of disease in high, middle, and low-income countries and strives to achieve health equity for all people worldwide.
Or
1b. IDCE 30330 Approaches to Community Health focuses on the burden of disease in the United States with a focus on health policy and community-level determinants of health.
2. IDCE 308 Health (in)equity: social determinants and policy solutions explores the link between social, economic, political, and environmental factors that affect health status and access to health-enabling resources.
3. IDCE 30109 Introduction to Epidemiology and Biostastistics explores the principles of epidemiology and biostatistics and the use of epidemiological methods to study the associations between exposures and the risk of disease.
Two Skills and Methods Course Units
Six Elective Course Units
Students pursue a concentration by taking six electives courses within one of the ten possible IDCE concentrations.
As one of the elective credits, students have the option of undertaking an internship or a directed study under the supervision of an IDSC core or affiliate faculty member. Directed studies are an opportunity for students to engage in advanced level work (beyond what they learn in seminars)or issues of special interest to them. Directed studies take different forms (e.g. literature review, annotated bibliography, research paper, thesis preparation, grant proposal, etc.) depending on the interest and abilities of each student, and the degree of involvement and supervision from the faculty. Graduate internships require 210 hours of internship engagement and a substantive academic product in the form of either a practitioner report or an academic paper.
Final Course Unit
Community and Global Health students must complete a final course unit. There are several options for the 12th unit:
- An advanced Methods/Skills course related to the student’s concentration or self-designed course of study;
- Collaborative Final Project course. Students in CFP courses work in teams to produce deliverables for a community agency or research partner; or
- MHS thesis, research paper, or practitioner paper-student designed research project or professional consultancy culminating in a final paper.
Concentrations - IDCE
Students may select from one of the ten Concentrations within IDCE.
Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation
Reputation: Problem-centered, integrative thinkers who are engaged with the science of climate change and its impacts and/or the social science of adaptation, and can bring this expertise to the identification of climate-related challenges and their potential solutions.
Capabilities:
- Courses that teach students about the design of climate-resilient development projects and programs
- Training in the assessment of conflict risks associated with climate change
- Training in adaptation-related development program monitoring and evaluation
- Courses focused on the health implications of climate change
- Earth systems science courses offered by faculty in the Graduate School of Geography
- Capacity-building in defining and addressing environmentally-related vulnerability and resilience
- Tremendous capacity for extramural funding and policy impact
GEOG 305 Introduction to Hydrology
GEOG 333 Terrestrial Ecosystems and Global Change
GEOG 343 Human Dimensions of Global Change
GEOG 352 GIS & Land Change Science
GEOG 360 GIS & Land Change Models
GEOG 363 The Climate System and Global Environmental Change
GEOG 378 Emerging Issues in Climate Change Science
GEOG 392 Remote Sensing of Global Environmental Change
IDCE 320 Food Production, Environment, and Health
IDCE 329 Property and Community
IDCE 332 Sustainable Development Assessment and Planning
IDCE 395 Culture, Environment, and Development
IDCE 30101 The Political Economy of Food and the Ethics of Eating
IDCE 30102 Case Studies in Environmental Issues and Policy Analysis
IDCE 30109 Introduction to Epidemiology and Biostastistics
IDCE 30117 Place-Based Ecological Knowledge
IDCE 30205 Climate Change, Energy and Development
IDCE 30231 Humanitarian Assistances in Complex Emergencies/Disasters
IDCE 30243 Seeing Like a Humanitarian Agency
IDCE 30245 Natural Resource Management
IDCE 30264 Environmental and Social Epidemiology
IDCE 30272 Environmental Justice in Latin America
IDCE 30701 Beyond the Population Bomb: Rethinking population and the environment in an era of climate change
MGMT 5505 Introduction to Greening the Organization
MGMT 5615 Corporate Social Responsibility
Conservation and Development
Reputation: Practitioners and thinkers who integrate the science of conservation with the critical perspectives of social science that ask what is being conserved, for whom, and why?
Capabilities:
- Courses on natural resource governance, including the assessment of impacts of extractive projects on the surrounding populations and environment
- Courses that promote the integration of social science and natural science perspectives into a coherent frame
- Earth systems science courses offered by faculty in the Graduate School of Geography
- Opportunities to experience the direct application to the practice of enhanced environmental impact assessment (EIA); conventional EIA is a key policy step for most development projects, and one that requires reform in ways that IDCE can champion and lead
- Significant potential for extramural funding and policy influence
Courses (Note: the non-IDCE faculty who offer courses mentioned in this concentration have agreed to include their courses in this list):
GEOG 305 Introduction to Hydrology
GEOG 309 Historical Foundations and Trends in Forest Ecology
GEOG 323 Forest Ecology and Management Seminar
GEOG 330 Introduction to Species Distribution Modeling
GEOG 332 Landscape Ecology
GEOG 333 Terrestrial Ecosystems and Global Change
GEOG 336 Wildlife Conservation GIS Research Seminar
GEOG 360 GIS & Land Change Models
IDCE 332 Sustainable Development Assessment and Planning
IDCE 358 Advanced Topics in International Development
IDCE 395 Culture, Environment, and Development
IDCE 30101 The Political Economy of Food and the Ethics of Eating
IDCE 30111 Urban Development: Process and Change
IDCE 30117 Place-Based Ecological Knowledge
IDCE 30154 Mega Development: Exploring The Nexus Between Natural Resource Extraction, Infrastructure Development and Environment
IDCE 30209 Research Project Development for Environmental Science and Policy
IDCE 30235 Trafficking: Globalization and Its Illicit Commodities
IDCE 30243 Seeing Like a Humanitarian Agency
IDCE 30245 Natural Resource Management
IDCE 30264 Environmental and Social Epidemiology
IDCE 30272 Environmental Justice in Latin America
IDCE 30287 Fundamentals of Environmental Science
IDCE 30288 Applied Ecology
IDCE 30701 Beyond the Population Bomb: Rethinking population and the environment in an era of climate change
Refugees, Forced Migration, and Belonging
Reputation: Unique focus on a deeper understanding of the dynamics and interrelated processes of displacement that connect people on the move to multiple places, looking beyond the national context to understand mobility as constructed through other policy environments, multiple spaces of residence, transit, and belonging, and transnational livelihoods.
Capabilities:
- Courses that train students to work across policy categories that come together in particular mobility situations
- Courses that improve students’ ability to work with mobile, hidden, and vulnerable populations
- Training in the elicitation of the experiences, challenges, needs, and capabilities of people on the move
- Training in the elicitation of receiving communities’ concerns and perspectives
- Courses that enhance student ability to understand mobile populations and their experiences through simultaneous and shifting connections to multiple places (i.e. sending areas, places of transit, places of resettlement)
- Training on the monitoring and evaluation of refugee/displaced population outcomes
IDCE 332 Sustainable Development Assessment and Planning
IDCE 358 Advanced Topics in International Development
IDCE 30103 Networks and Analytics of Development
IDCE 30107 Development, Urban Refugees and Forced Migrants
IDCE 30108 Research Methods for Forced Migration: Hidden, Vulnerable, and Mobile People
IDCE 30111 Urban Development: Process and Change
IDCE 30231 Humanitarian Assistances in Complex Emergencies/Disasters
IDCE 30235 Trafficking: Globalization and Its Illicit Commodities
IDCE 30243 Seeing Like a Humanitarian Agency
IDCE 30248 Gender and Health
IDCE 30297 Displacement and Development in the Contemporary World
IDCE 30397 People on the Move Research Studio
Education and Development
Reputation: Transformational thinkers and practitioners seeking to shape education as a tool to bring about a more just, sustainable world. We advocate critical education that prepares practitioners for reflexive practice in especially challenging domestic and international contexts.
Capabilities:
- Innovative education programs for international development
- Experience in urban education, especially in medium-sized cities
- Courses on education for social movements
- Courses at the intersection of gender, education, social change, and justice in its various forms
- Courses in education studies, research and scholarship at the intersect/nexus of theory and practice
EDUC 308 Literacy Across the Curriculum
EDUC 327 Culture, Language and Education
IDCE 358 Advanced Topics in International Development
EDUC 361 Human Development and Learning
EDUC 381 Critical Pedagogies
IDCE 332 Sustainable Development Assessment and Planning
IDCE 333 Development Mgmt in Developing Countries
IDCE 364 Educational Policy Issues in “Developing” Countries: Governance, Management, and Financing
IDCE 30117 Place-Based Ecological Knowledge
IDCE 30221 Education and Development
IDCE 30365 Global Issues in Education
Youth Development
Reputation: Professional and applied expertise working in small and mid-size cities (gateway cities). Track record collaborating with, and supporting public, private, and non-profit organizations involved in funding, creating, implementing, and evaluating projects and public policies relevant to youth and community engagement, violence prevention, models of youth work and practice.
Capabilities:
- Courses promoting the direct engagement with youth work and practice professionals and organizations
- Courses taught by scholar-practitioners with academic and applied experience
- Youth Work Certificate Program
- Capacity to attract extramural funding
- Interdisciplinary faculty able to integrate insight form multiple fields relevant to youth development practice: non-profit management, juvenile justice, public policy, youth work, community organizing, research methods and evaluation
EDUC 381 Critical Pedagogies
IDCE 303 Youth Work: Practice and Social Justice
IDCE 332 Sustainable Development Assessment and Planning
IDCE 335 Strategies for Community Organizing
IDCE 340 Fundamentals of Youth Work
IDCE 345 CDP Practice: Reflection and Deliberate Practice
IDCE 358 Advanced Topics in International Development
IDCE 387 Workforce Development and Urban/Regional Employment
IDCE 30111 Urban Development: Process and Change
IDCE 30203 Program Evaluation for Youth and Community Development Initiatives
IDCE 30225 Grant Writing for Community Developers
IDCE 30281 Community Needs and Resource Analysis
IDCE 30296 Nonprofit Management
IDCE 30365 Global Issues in Education
Urban Resilience
Reputation: Professional and applied expertise working in cities ranging from small and mid-size gateway cities to major metropolitan areas like Boston. Track record collaborating with, and supporting public, private, and non-profit organizations involved in funding, creating, implementing, and evaluating projects and public policies relevant to workforce development.
Capabilities:
- Direct engagement with workforce development professionals and organizations
- Courses taught by scholar-practitioners with academic and applied experience
- Capacity to attract extramural funding
- Interdisciplinary faculty able to integrate insight from multiple fields relevant to workforce development: education, youth development, workforce development, research methods and evaluation
IDCE 303 Youth Work: Practice and Social Justice
IDCE 308 Health (in)equity: social determinants and policy solutions
IDCE 320 Food Production, Environment, and Health
IDCE 332 Sustainable Development Assessment and Planning
IDCE 334 Planning and Zoning for Community Developers
IDCE 344 Going Local: Community Development and Planning
IDCE 387 Workforce Development and Urban/Regional Employment
IDCE 390 CDP Research Seminar
IDCE 395 Culture, Environment, and Development
IDCE 30107 Development, Urban Refugees and Forced Migrants
IDCE 30111 Urban Development: Process and Change
IDCE 30203 Program Evaluation for Youth and Community Development Initiatives
IDCE 30204 Advanced Community Development Finance and Research
IDCE 30205 Climate Change, Energy and Development
IDCE 30225 Grant Writing for Community Developers
IDCE 30231 Humanitarian Assistances in Complex Emergencies/Disasters
IDCE 30245 Natural Resource Management
IDCE 30261 Immigration and Knowledge-Driven Industries
IDCE 30281 Community Needs and Resource Analysis
IDCE 30287 Fundamentals of Environmental Science
IDCE 30289 Community Development Finance
IDCE 30291 Qualitative Research Methods
IDCE 30296 Nonprofit Management
IDCE 30393 Seminar in Social Applications of GIS
Monitoring Evaluation, and Learning
Reputation: Experienced practitioners in M&E, across international and domestic contexts, and with experience in both social and environmental programs.
Capabilities:
- Courses in domestic and international project monitoring and evaluation
- Courses on both qualitative and quantitative approaches to monitoring and evaluation
- Program foci across the department which raise unique challenges for M&E (such as the evaluation of adaptation programs within a five-year project cycle, when adaptation cannot be measured on less than thirty-year timeframes), providing opportunities for projects and research
- The monitoring and evaluation certificate program
IDCE 319 Quantitative Methods and Statistics For Evaluators
IDCE 332 Sustainable Development Assessment and Planning
IDCE 30103 Networks and Analytics of Development
IDCE 30203 Program Evaluation for Youth and Community Development Initiatives
IDCE 30225 Grant Writing for Community Developers
IDCE 30229 Program Monitoring and Evaluation
IDCE 30245 Natural Resource Management
IDCE 30275 Gender in Development Planning
IDCE 30281 Community Needs and Resource Analysis
IDCE 30282 Community Based Health Research
IDCE 30306 GIS for International Development in Practice
IDCE 30360 Spatial Analysis for Health
Gender and Identity
Reputation: A uniquely strong and deep faculty interest in this broad area, thought leadership in this area with regard to climate change, extractive industries, monitoring and evaluation, and health.
Capabilities:
- Gender/identity-focused courses across all IDCE degree programs and concentrations
- Faculty engaged in gender- and identity-related research and projects with donors and implementing organizations
IDCE 329 Property and Community
IDCE 332 Sustainable Development Assessment and Planning
IDCE 354 Beyond Victims and Guardian Angels: Third World Women, Gender and Development
IDCE 358 Advanced Topics in International Development
IDCE 395 Culture, Environment, and Development
IDCE 30117 Place-Based Ecological Knowledge
IDCE 30221 Education and Development
IDCE 30103 Networks and Analytics of Development
IDCE 30154 Mega Development: Exploring The Nexus Between Natural Resource Extraction, Infrastructure Development and Environment
IDCE 30184 Gender Analysis of Power and Conflict
IDCE 30235 Trafficking: Globalization and Its Illicit Commodities
IDCE 30248 Gender and Health
IDCE 30275 Gender in Development Planning
IDCE 30360 Spatial Analysis for Health
IDCE 30365 Global Issues in Education
IDCE 30701 Beyond the Population Bomb: Rethinking population and the environment in an era of climate change
Health Equity
Reputation: Faculty with experience in transdisciplinary research and practice involving community stakeholders in the US and internationally. Faculty strengths include water and sanitation, youth violence, sexual and reproductive health, communicable and non-communicable diseases, and addiction. Longstanding collaborations with government and non-profit partners in central Massachusetts, Senegal, Kenya, Mexico, etc.
Capabilities:
- Courses taught by scholar-practitioners with academic and applied experience
- Capacity to attract extramural funding
- Leir grant seeding faculty Impact projects
- Soon to be launched Urban Healthscapes Collaboratory
IDCE 308 Health (in)equity: social determinants and policy solutions
IDCE 320 Food Production, Environment, and Health
IDCE 332 Sustainable Development Assessment and Planning
IDCE 377 Approaches to Global Health
IDCE 30101 The Political Economy of Food and the Ethics of Eating
IDCE 30103 Networks and Analytics of Development
IDCE 30248 Gender and Health
IDCE 30264 Environmental and Social Epidemiology
IDCE 30282 Community Based Health Research
IDCE 30306 GIS for International Development in Practice
IDCE 30360 Spatial Analysis for Health
IDCE 30701 Beyond the Population Bomb: Rethinking population and the environment in an era of climate change
Healthy People, Healthy Planet
Reputation: Engaged scholars who work at the intersection of health and environment and who bring multiple disciplines to bear on crucial contemporary challenges to health and sustainability (climate change, rapid and unplanned urbanization, rural/urban livelihoods, extractive industries, changing food systems).
Capabilities:
- Courses that explore the environment and human-environment interactions as key determinants of human health
- Courses on natural resource governance, including the assessment of impacts of extractive projects on the surrounding populations and environment
- Courses that promote the integration of social science and natural science perspectives into a coherent frame.
- Active faculty research portfolios in environmental health in central Massachusetts and abroad (Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire) with potential for development of field courses and integrative projects
- Significant potential for extramural funding and policy influence, including the potential to grow Clark’s reputation at the leading edge of the emerging field of planetary health
GEOG 343 Human Dimensions of Global Change
IDCE 308 Health (in)equity: social determinants and policy solutions
IDCE 320 Food Production, Environment, and Health
IDCE 332 Sustainable Development Assessment and Planning
IDCE 377 Approaches to Global Health
IDCE 395 Culture, Environment, and Development
IDCE 30101 The Political Economy of Food and the Ethics of Eating
IDCE 30117 Place-Based Ecological Knowledge
IDCE 30205 Climate Change, Energy and Development
IDCE 30231 Humanitarian Assistances in Complex Emergencies/Disasters
IDCE 30330 Approaches to Community Health
IDCE 30245 Natural Resource Management
IDCE 30360 Spatial Analysis for Health
IDCE 30701 Beyond the Population Bomb: Rethinking population and the environment in an era of climate change
MGMT 5505 Introduction to Greening the Organization
MGMT 5615 Corporate Social Responsibility
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