Columbia University
The Master of Public Administration in Development Practice (MPA-DP) trains current and aspiring practitioners to develop, implement and manage integrated approaches to development challenges. The MPA-DP combines technical knowledge in the major areas of development with the management, problem solving, communication and analytical skills to connect across disciplines and sectors to address global challenges in innovative ways.
Graduates of the MPA–DP are well prepared for working in a range of organizations that address sustainable development issues, including: international and national NGOs; UN development agencies; private sector companies, consulting firms, and social enterprises with operations in developing and emerging economies; government institutions; international finance institutions; bilateral aid agencies; foundations and other philanthropic organizations; and academic institutions.
Drawing upon the Earth Institute’s rich scientific expertise and SIPA’s outstanding international record in public policy research and education, the MPA-DP curriculum trains students to integrate the many fields of development, including food systems, public health, education, infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and business enterprise. Technical knowledge in each sector is underscored by practical, crosscutting skills, such as project design and management, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting and financial management, decision-making, and human resource management.
The rigorous academic coursework is supplemented by practical, hands-on experience. Through the field internship program, students work on the ground in an integrated, multi-sectoral development project, working closely with skilled practitioners, community members and faculty mentors. The internship program includes 3-months at a selected field location and several additional months of preparation and follow-up activities from New York.
Given Columbia University's relationship with the Millennium Village Projects, primarily located in Sub-Saharan Africa but expanding to other world regions, there is a focus on the Millennium Development Goals and the Millennium Village Projects.
In the three-month field training in the MPA-DP program at Columbia, students work typically in teams of two to five. In 2010, for example, they worked with the Millennium Villages Project at five different sites across Africa and at one in Cambodia.
Field training includes a comprehensive orientation program, visits to the sites at local development projects, mentorship with local faculty and students, an immersion experience in the host project, and a reflective and analytical exercise to allow students to share and present their findings. The proposed activities can be divided into five parts:
Orientation
Clinical rotations
Mid-training retreat
Project design and implementation
Debriefing and project presentations
Total - $67,800, per year
* Application form (biographical information filled in on the application site) * Personal statement * Standard Résumé/CV * Quantitative/Language Résumé/CV - click here for samples/instructions. * Test Scores ** GRE or GMAT ** TOEFL or IELTS (for non-english native speakers) * Three letters of recommendation * Academic Transcripts - please see details below. * Application fee - $85
