Graduate School of Public and International Affairs—Master of International Development (MID)

The 48-credit MID degree offers three majors in development planning and environmental sustainability, nongovernmental organizations and civil society, and human security. Each of these majors can be combined with opportunities to study and intern in the nation’s capital in the Washington Semester program; earn another professional degree, with the MID, through GSPIA’s joint programs with the Graduate School of Public Health and the Schools of Social Work, Business, and Information Science; or acquire an areas studies certificate in Asian studies, Latin American studies, Russian and East European studies, or global studies, through the University Center for International Studies.

MID course work develops core skills in public policy analysis, builds critical understanding of development institutions and issues, and cultivates specific professional skills in development.

Requirements for the Master of International Development

The MID program requires a minimum of 48 credits, distributed as follows:

School-Wide Requirements (See Master’s Degree Requirements)	12 cr.
MID Core Courses (select three courses)	9 cr.
PIA 2501 Development Policy and Management
PIA 2510 Development Economics
PIA 2004 Microeconomics or
PIA 2005 Macroeconomics
Major Courses	15 cr.
Electives	12 cr.
Minimum Required Credits	48 cr.

MID students are required to select a major from among those listed below. These three majors are also offered as minors for the MPA and MPIA degree programs. These majors emphasize conceptual clarity; applied skills in communication, teamwork, and leadership; and specialized management, planning, and analytic methods. Each consists of four courses, plus a seminar on a geographical region. Concentrated 1.5-credit skill courses may also be combined to meet some of the course requirements for the major.

NGOs and Civil Society (NGOCS)

The NGOCS major emphasizes contemporary debates, trends, and practices relating to NGO’s roles in development and social change. Students choose among 25 courses approved for the major, plus related courses in fields such as sociology, social work, and public health. Courses emphasize management strategies, the politics of NGOs and civil society, and the unique contributions and limitations of civil society. Among the 25 courses approved for the major are:

Development Planning and Environmental Sustainability (DPES)

The development planning major emphasizes three themes: national development planning, project planning, and environmental policy and planning. Students gain a solid grounding in economics, planning, and program management. Students choose from the following courses that introduce clear, flexible strategies for dealing with aid donors, investment, and trade:

Development skills courses are concentrated 1.5-credit courses that train students in specific development-related skills. Recent offerings include: Training of Trainers, Focus Groups in Community Development, Logic Framework Planning in Development, and Budgeting and Accounting.

Human Security

In today’s increasingly globalized world, the most pernicious threats to human security emanate from the conditions that give rise to genocide, civil war, human rights deprivations, global epidemics, environmental degradation, forced labor, and malnutrition.  The major in human security responds to the breadth of threats that pose continuing, intractable, and sometimes overwhelming problems for governments, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations responsible for coping with them.

Threats to human security endanger individuals, and by extension, humanity, rather than states.  These threats cannot be dealt with by states acting individually nor can they be dealt with by national or international military forces, although the actions of such forces may make them worse or help reduce their impact.

The goal of the major in Human security is to prepare students for roles as analysts and practitioners with the skills to inform policymakers and others in governments, nongovernmental organizations, think-tanks, the United Nations, and other international affairs organizations.  Students will have the opportunity to pursue their research interests through GSPIA’s Ford Institute for Human Security; the institute is currently conducting research projects on genocide; slave and forced labor; corporate social responsibility; intrastate conflict and human rights; internal displacements.

This major complements existing MPIA majors in Security and Intelligence Studies (SIS) and Global Political Economy and existing MID majors in NGOs and Civil Society and Developmental Planning and Environmental Sustainability.

For the major in Human Security, students follow the curriculum below:

Four additional courses are to be selected from among the following:

Human Rights/Rule of Law

    PIA  2129 Law and Civil Society

    PIA 2348 Rules of War

    PIA 2361 Liberty and Security in the Age of Information and the War on Terror

    PIA 2366 International Organizations

    PIA 2507 Principles and Issues of Global Human Rights

    PIA  2513 Religion and Development

    PIA 2555 Forced Migration: UNHCR and Durable Solutions

Conflict and Violence

    PIA 2101 Managing Emergencies and Disasters

    PIA 2324 Peacekeeping and Peacemaking

    PIA 2343 Humanitarianism in World Politics

    PIA 2347 Sex, Power and Security

    PIA 2392 Post Conflict Resolution (DC Semester)

    PIA 2365 Transnational Crime

    PIA 2406 Conflict Theory

    PIA 2742 NGOs and Humanitarian Disasters

Economic Security

    PIA 2308 Topics in International Political Economy

    PIA 2312 Globalization and Welfare in Developing Countries

    PIA 2331 Poverty and the World Economy

    PIA 2492 Europe, Human Security, and the Security-Development Nexus

    PIA 2502 Global Environmental Policy and Development

    PIA 2551 Women, International Development and Global Health   

    PIA 2553 Global Health Policy and Development

    PIA 2572 Earnings and Employment in the Third World

    PIA 2574 African Development Seminar

Regional Seminars (3 credits required)

The following are some Regional Seminars offered by GSPIA, although students are not restricted to these courses.  Consult with faculty advisor for additional options outside of GSPIA.

    PIA 2571 The Economics of the Middle East and North Africa Region

    PIA 2573 Latin American Development Seminar

    PIA 2574 African Development Seminar

    PIA 2575 Seminar in South east Asia Development

MID Program Course Listings

PIA 2000 Administration of Public Affairs

PIA 2001 Quantitative Methods 2 (prerequisite: PIA 2007 Quantitative Methods)

PIA 2003 Research Methods

PIA 2004 Microeconomics for Public Management and Policy (prerequisite: PIA 2008  Economics for
Public Affairs or waiver)

PIA 2005 Macroeconomics (prerequisite: PIA 2008 Economics for Public Affairs or waiver)

PIA 2007 Quantitative Methods

PIA 2008 Economics for Public Affairs

PIA 2009 Policy Analysis (prerequisite: PIA 2007 Quantitative Methods)

PIA 2011 Managing International Organizations

PIA 2090 Foreign Study

PIA 2094 Professional Development Seminar

PIA 2096 Capstone Seminar

PIA 2097 Independent Study

PIA 2098 Internship

PIA 2099 Thesis

PIA 2101 Managing Emergencies and Disasters

PIA 2103 Managing People in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors

PIA 2011 Managing International Organizations

PIA 2115 Environmental Economics and Management

PIA 2116 Topics in environmental Management

PIA 2117 Public Program Evaluation

PIA 2125 City and Region: Theory and Practice

PIA 2129 Law and Civil Society

PIA 2170 Management of Nonprofit Organizations

PIA 2171 Legal Issues for Nonprofits

PIA 2175 Governance of Nonprofits

PIA 2176 Training and Development in Nonprofit Organizations

PIA 2185 Strategic Management

PIA 2188 Economic Development Strategies and Practices

PIA 2302 International Financial Policy

PIA 2308 Topics in International Political Economy

PIA 2309 Business Strategies and Operations in Emerging Markets

PIA 2310 States and Markets

PIA 2312 Globalization and Welfare in Developing Countries

PIA 2319 International Trade

PIA 2324 Peacemaking and Peacekeeping

PIA 2330 Topics in Global Political Economy

PIA 2331 Poverty and the World Economy

PIA 2343 Humanitarianism in World Politics

PIA 2347 Sex, Power, and Security

PIA 2348 Rules of War

PIA 2358 International Affairs Regional Policy

PIA 2361 Liberty and Security in the Age of Information and the War on Terror

PIA 2365 Transnational Crime

PIA 2392 Post Conflict Resolution (DC Semester)

PIA 2393 Crisis Communication (DC Semester)

PIA 2394 Financial Issues and Development (DC Semester)

PIA 2397 Trade and Economic Negotiation (DC Semester)

PIA 2406 Conflict Theory

PIA 2492 Europe, Human Security, and the Security-Development Nexus

PIA 2502 Global Environmental Policy and Development

PIA 2507 Principles and Issues of Global Human Rights

PIA 2510 Economics of Development

PIA 2513 Religion and Development

PIA 2515 Planning and Policymaking for Development

PIA 2520 Agricultural and Rural Development

PIA 2526 Micropolitics: NGOs and Development in Civil Society

PIA 2527 Accounting for NGOs

PIA 2528 Governance, Local Government, and Civil Society

PIA 2542 People-Centered Development

PIA 2551 Women, International Development, and Global Health

PIA 2552 Managing Organizations in Development

PIA 2553 Global Health Policy and Development

PIA 2555 Forced Migration: UNHCR and Durable Solutions

PIA 2561 Grassroots Project Planning

PIA 2571 The Economics of the Middle East and North Africa Regions

PIA 2572 Earnings and Employment in the Third World

PIA 2573 Latin American Development Seminar

PIA 2574 African Development Seminar

PIA 2575 Seminar in South east Asia Development

PIA 2577 Environmental Affairs in the European Union

PIA 2707 Urbanization and Sustainable Development in an International Context

PIA 2715 GIS and Public Policy

PIA 2730 Community Development and Focus Groups

PIA 2731 Training of Trainers

PIA 2732 Log Frame and Development Planning

PIA 2737 Advocacy for NGOs

PIA 2739 Project Monitoring and Evaluation

PIA 2741 Tools for Working in International Development

PIA 2742 NGOs and Humanitarian Disaster