University of Peradeniya

The Master in Development Practice (MDP) in the Department of Economics and Statistics at the University of Peradeniya is a two-year program with an emphasis on South Asia, the sustainable development of tropical coastal areas and small islands, and climate change and the reduction and management of related risks.

Each incoming class, or cohort, numbers approximately 25 to 30 students. The curriculum includes 18 core courses and, in the final semester, three electives. Three credits of applied field training are integrated into core courses, usually in the first semester. Students take an introductory course in a local language in which their fluency is limited.

After their first year, they undertake a three-month internship at a public, private, or nongovernmental organization to gain hands-on real world experience in development practice. An internship fitted to the interests, training, and experience of each student will be coordinated with an appropriate nongovernmental agency or department of the Sri Lankan government.

The University of Peradeniya, established in 1942 and located in University Park, a spacious campus outside Kandy, is heir to the oldest university tradition in Sri Lanka. Of its approximately 8,000 students, about 15 percent of are enrolled in graduate programs. It has faculties including the arts and medicine as well as the Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture and the Postgraduate Institute of Science.