Field Training Overview

MDP students participate in “hands-on” field-training sessions of up to three months’ duration. Begun typically after completion of the first academic year, they constitute a structured, “clinical” training program, giving students the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of integrated development approaches in a real-world context. Students may work in Africa, Asia, or Latin America, for example, in teams dedicated to solving development challenges.

With careful input from collaborating MDP organizations, appropriate development projects for students to join are identified. Site visits, meetings, lectures, and other academic events are examples of activities that may be organized to complement the students’ fieldwork.

Students, on completion of their field training, reflect on their experiences, prepare a consolidated field-training report, and may provide recommendations for addressing the complex development challenges that they encountered in the field. They offer a comprehensive analysis of local conditions, explain possible measures for reducing poverty, and suggest a roadmap for working toward sustainable development.