Developing countries are facing many critical problems that require increasing attention by their governments and civil society.  However development programs often lack enough planners, administrators, evaluators and others well trained on the emerging problems and processes of development.

Persons with training in such areas as demography, nutrition, agriculture, or engineering often find themselves charged with functions of policy planning and program administration for which they are not fully prepared. Similarly, persons with training in economics, city planning, law, or public administration often find themselves working on substantive development problems for which they have limited preparation and technical knowledge. 

Many institutions are discovering that successful development professionals require a combination of skills.  In addition to knowledge of the substantive areas for which they are responsible, practitioners need the analytical tools by which such knowledge is transformed into action. 

Recognizing the limited opportunities for development practitioners to obtain suitable training, the Cornell University Graduate School offers a professional degree program in International Development.  The Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD), based in International Programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, oversees this degree program. 

The first students enrolled in September 1973.  Designed for practitioners, the program consists of 1-2 years of interdisciplinary graduate-level study leading to the degree of Master of Professional Studies in International Development (MPS ID)

International Development graduate students in consultation with their advisors to select appropriate courses from the wide variety of offerings at Cornell. Half the course work is in some combination of the following areas of analysis: development administration and planning, development economics, communication and related analytical tools, the other half is devoted to one of five substantive concentrations:  International Nutrition, International Planning, International Population, Science and Technology Policy, or Development Policy in some designated area such as natural resource management or gender in development proposed by the student and accepted by the faculty. 

Degree Requirements

Participants may draw upon the broad range of courses throughout Cornell University (see the International Development Studies Directory). A candidate for the Master of Professional Studies in International Development must complete a minimum of 2 semesters of coursework, in residence, including at least 24 hours of graduate courses or seminars, half encompassing a concentration (international nutrition, international planning, international population, science and technology policy, or development policy in some designated area), and half in the following areas of analysis:  development administration and planning, development economics, development politics, development sociology, or international communications. 

Students with sufficient prior training in some of these areas of analysis take courses in other areas to round out their analytical and action skills.  Each student is also required to prepare a problem-solving project paper.  The aim of the project is to give students supervised experience in dealing intellectually and analytically with a professional problem related to a substantive area of international development. The project can be based either on library or fieldwork. The subject must be approved in advance by the students advisors (Special Graduate Committee).  Students receive 6 credit hours for acceptable projects, completing the requirement of 30 credit hours for the degree. 

Admissions

Most applicants are employed by governments, international agencies, foundations, applied research institutions, NGOs, or other action agencies concerned with problems of development.  Candidates who have sufficient academic background and demonstrated capability for performing well in an institution like Cornell are admitted.  Most MPS students are citizens of developing countries.  Many have done some previous graduate study, but often not in fields directly related to their current career responsibilities. 

It is expected that students will have personal funding or aid from outside sources, as Cornell does not have financial support available for students in this program.

Normal admissions standards of the Cornell Graduate School apply.  In addition, admission criteria for this program include professional experience and performance.  The field will normally only consider applicants who have at least 2 years of experience in development work, and preferably 4-5 or more, years of experience on which to build in their course work. 

To be considered for admission you must submit:

• A completed Cornell Graduate School Application, which should request MPS in International Development as the field of study, and also indicate the area of concentration : International Nutrition, International Planning, International Population, Science and Technology Policy or Development Policy
• A statement of purpose explaining why the applicant wishes to undertake graduate studies. This is given considerable weight in admission decisions.
• A minimum of 2 letters of recommendation are required. Most weight is given to recommendations by teachers who can assess ability to perform at a high academic level.
• Complete transcripts from all educational institutions previously attended.
• TOEFL is required for all international applicants; GRE scores are not required but useful for evaluation.
• A current CV or resume should also be included with the application. 
• The application fee or a letter requesting a fee waiver and the reasons, if appropriate.

Completed applications and credentials should be sent directly to:

Virginia (Ginny) Montopoli
International Programs/CALS
31 Warren Hall, Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853

Deadline: There is no deadline for applying to the MPS in International Development Degree Program. International applicants should apply 4-6 months in advance of the intended starting date, to allow for review, mailing, and visa processing.