International development is a complex challenge. To drive meaningful progress, we need passionate skilled professionals devoted to improving lives globally. A Master’s degree in International Development equips students with the knowledge and capabilities to tackle systemic inequities and empower communities across borders.
This guide covers key details on International Development degrees including typical curriculum careers, and reasons to pursue this specialized graduate program.
What is a Master’s in International Development?
A Master’s in International Development is an interdisciplinary, graduate-level degree preparing students to address global development issues.
The curriculum explores topics like:
- Poverty reduction
- Gender equality
- Sustainable economic growth
- Global health
- Human rights
- Environmental sustainability
Students gain an in-depth understanding of the societal, political, and economic factors influencing prosperity in developing nations. They learn evidence-based approaches to promote systemic change through policy, technology, social initiatives, and governance.
The programs teach hard and soft skills to collaborate across cultures and drive community-led development. Graduates emerge prepared for purposeful careers improving lives worldwide.
Typical International Development Curriculum
While specific focus areas vary, most International Development Master’s feature courses in:
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Development theory and policy – Evolution of development thought, theories of progress, policy impacts
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Research methods – Data analysis, monitoring and evaluation, survey design
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Sectoral issues – Agriculture, infrastructure, education, health systems, microfinance
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Population and demography – Urbanization, migration, population trends
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Economics and poverty – Inequality, economic growth, global trade
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Politics and governance – Democracy, corruption, human rights, role of institutions
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Environment and sustainability – Climate change, natural resource management, ecological models
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Cultural understanding – History, power dynamics, participatory processes
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Project management – Planning, budgeting, risk assessment, stakeholder engagement
Programs balance coursework with hands-on learning like case studies, development research, and field work.
Common Concentrations and Specializations
Within International Development Master’s, students often specialize in areas like:
- Global Health and Nutrition
- Human Rights and Social Justice
- Gender and Development
- Public Policy and Governance
- Environmental Sustainability
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- Entrepreneurship and Private Sector Development
Choosing a focus allows tailored skill-building to match career aspirations.
What are Typical International Development Careers?
An International Development degree opens doors to make an impact across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Common career paths include:
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Development Program Managers – Design, implement, and evaluate development programs for NGOs, government, or philanthropic organizations.
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Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists – Track program effectiveness and promote data-driven improvements in strategy.
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Project Coordinators – Lead project teams to deliver infrastructure, technology, health, or community development initiatives.
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Technical Specialists – Provide expertise in a niche area like microfinance, waste management, or food security.
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Policy and Advocacy Professionals – Influence decision-makers and shape policy reforms to benefit developing communities.
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Social Entrepreneurs – Launch innovative and sustainable ventures addressing economic or social needs.
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Researchers – Produce insights to guide funding and interventions through academic institutions or think tanks.
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Public Health Specialists – Design and implement initiatives promoting health and wellbeing in developing regions.
Why Pursue a Master’s in International Development?
There are many compelling reasons to pursue this degree:
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Gain a global perspective – Learn about development theories along with social, cultural, political and environmental influences on progress.
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Build hard skills – Develop technical abilities in areas like data analysis, project management, and research methodologies.
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Strengthen soft skills – Improve cultural competency, empathy, communication, and emotional intelligence.
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Open career opportunities – Enter a growing field with roles across sectors making an impact worldwide.
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Increase earning potential – Command higher salaries by gaining specialized expertise in community development.
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Make connections – Network and collaborate with like-minded students passionate about social justice.
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Be the change – Seed transformation by advancing equitable, sustainable models of growth globally.
Individuals passionate about human rights and social change can amplify their impact through an International Development Master’s degree.
What to Look for in an International Development Master’s Program
When researching programs, consider these indicators of quality:
Interdisciplinary Approach
Look for a curriculum integrating insights from diverse fields like policy, economics, health, environment, and anthropology. Tackling multifaceted global challenges requires an interdisciplinary lens.
Hands-On Learning
Programs emphasizing practical knowledge through case studies, practicums, research projects, and field work produce career-ready graduates. Applied learning allows you to bridge theory with practice.
Global Network
Study abroad exchanges, renowned faculty, multinational classmates, and partner institutions abroad provide exposure to diverse viewpoints and models.
Career Guidance
Mentorship, internship support, career fairs, and alumni networks help position graduates for success post-graduation.
Prestigious Reputation
Program recognition, expert faculty, and graduate outcomes signal an elite, rewarding educational experience.
By comparing offerings at both public and private universities using these criteria, you can find the best fit for your goals.
Spotlight: Top International Development Master’s Programs
Here are 5 highly-ranked International Development Master’s programs to consider:
- Harvard University – Master in Public Administration/International Development
- Johns Hopkins University – International Development & Management
- Columbia University – Development Practice
- Oxford University – International Development
- Duke University – International Development Policy
Leverage tools like MastersPortal to find programs and compare worldwide universities side-by-side.
How to Get Started
Advancing your education with an International Development Master’s degree can launch you into a meaningful career improving lives. Follow these steps to get started:
- Research programs aligned with your interests and career goals
- Prepare for standardized admissions exams like GRE or GMAT
- Connect with students and alumni to learn insider perspectives
- Secure letters of recommendation highlighting your capabilities
- Polish application materials emphasizing cross-cultural experience
- Apply to 5-8 suitable programs to expand options
- Complete financial aid and scholarship applications
With passion and preparation, you can gain access to this transformative and empowering educational experience.
The world faces complex humanitarian and environmental challenges. But dedicated development professionals, armed with leading-edge education, can drive solutions. An International Development Master’s degree allows you to join the ranks of agents of change working to build a more just, resilient and inclusive global society.
International Development Careers
Whether you seek to live abroad or remain in the United States, a degree in International Development will prepare you to make an impact on people’s lives and the development of nations around the world. Our graduates go on to pursue careers in prominent nongovernmental organizations, research groups, governments, intergovernmental organizations, and the private sector.
Many of our program’s internationally diverse and cosmopolitan graduate students return to their home countries to become leaders in government, business, and nongovernmental organizations. Many other graduates go on to influence international development from within the United States or to work abroad in any number of impactful local, national, or international organizations. Our alumni are a testament to the value and manifold uses of the International Development degree, and additionally provide powerful professional networking opportunities through their careers in such organizations as:
- The US Agency for International Development
- The United Nations Development Program
- The Organization of American States
- The Firelight Foundation (grants-making for community-based African initiatives on HIV/AIDS)
- Church World Service (overseas relief and development agency of the US National Council of Churches)
- The Peace Corps
- PYXERA Global (“The New Frontier of Global Engagement”)
- Verité (committed to fair labor worldwide)
- The US Government Accountability Office
- Amnesty International, International Secretariat, London
- Catholic Relief Services
- Freedom House
- World Wildlife Fund
- Citizens for Global Solutions (devoted to issues of global interdependence)
- Global Links (brings surplus medical materials from U.S. hospitals to developing countries)
- Brothers Brother Foundation (provides relief and development work in 121 countries).
If you are passionate about improving the lives of others, if you seek a unique approach to the study of international development, or if you are eager to acquire the specialized expertise that will help to shape the future of global change, we invite you to explore our curriculum and concentrations and to reach out and contact Danae Williams, Director of Recruitment & Admissions, at [email protected].
Our curriculum prepares students with essential skills including development planning and administration, economic and social development, policy analysis, program evaluation, and research methods, as well as a range of diverse course options in six areas of concentration:
- Our legacy NGOs and civil society concentration seeks to make development participatory and empowering, focusing especially on vulnerable and excluded groups, and provides the management and organizational skills needed for careers in nongovernmental social change organizations.
- The cutting-edge human security concentration addresses links between development, human rights, and security issues in order to maximize impact and address neglected topics. It emphasizes influential collaborative approaches to development issues.
- Our innovative energy & environment concentration integrates expertise in development sustainability with the study of global energy industries and alternatives.
- The comparative concentration in governance & international public management explores governance models alongside wide-ranging collaboration and management issues, which are critical to pursuing development in politically, economically, and socially diverse countries worldwide.
- Our social policy and urban affairs & planning concentrations offer comparative and regional expertise on urgent topics for development policies and services, such as health, identity, discrimination, employment, transportation, and urbanization.
Our flexible curriculum design gives students essential and cutting-edge skills which prepare them as future researchers, analysts, and practitioners able to solve diverse development challenges. For example, students can learn to harness the forces of nongovernmental social change and civil society participation; address government and private sector collaboration and management challenges; develop human rights-based policies and programs across UN Sustainable Development Goals; integrate gender and intersectional analysis and tackle inequality; utilize micro and macro economic development tools and confront multifaceted causes of poverty; advance environmental sustainability and urban resilience planning; master policy analysis, program design, project evaluation, and data analytics; and innovate multisectoral responses that center development in wider human security problems that involve human rights violations and humanitarian issues.
Alongside traditional development topics and Sustainable Development Goals, students can therefore study inter-related issues such as human trafficking, gender and ethnic violence, climate change and global warming. We empower MID students to choose their own path, pursuing the issues that drive their passion for advancing the well-being, dignity, and empowerment of people worldwide.
Students also complete a Capstone course or project on a topic of importance to them, and an approved internship locally or abroad. You can access the full concentration descriptions including customized MID plans of study.
Our multidisciplinary course offerings are built on MID faculty expertise and bridge GSPIA’s renowned programs in public administration and international affairs. Students also utilize GSPIA’s path-breaking Centers on social innovation, governance and markets, human security, responsible leadership, and international security studies. Given MID student interests in promoting the well-being of peoples in diverse contexts worldwide, we also are especially well served by the University Center for International Studies which offers access to numerous elective courses on world regions through its National Resource Centers on Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, Russia and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and Global Studies.
Master of International Development Internships
In pursuit of a better understanding of the political environments and social change processes that influence development, we encourage our students to gain international experience through internships and specialized expertise in such areas as policy analysis, advocacy, service delivery, or project monitoring.
Pittsburgh offers a wealth of internationally-minded NGOs that provide jobs and internships outside the traditional East Coast corridor. MID students can gain direct experience through GSPIA’s high-impact local development initiatives with the Congress of Neighboring Communities (CONNECT), or benefit from GSPIAs Washington Center for study and internships, with formal access to D.C.s plethora of national and international organizations. And, MID students can coordinate internships abroad while accessing GSPIA’s international programs in Colombia, Japan, Korea, China, Spain, and France, in addition to numerous Pitt-wide study abroad opportunities.
GSPIA offers dedicated support for student placement in meaningful internships locally and globally. For example, MID students have interned with local refugee organizations in Pittsburgh, federal environmental agencies, national and international development and rights organizations in D.C., and a wide range of international, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations in developing countries in all regions of the world.
Advice for Students Interested in International Development
FAQ
Is a Masters in international development worth it?
What do you do in international development?
Is international development a good field?
What are the benefits of studying international development?
What is a Master’s in international development?
A master’s in international development is a graduate program that focuses on finding effective solutions to global problems. Most programs combine theoretical knowledge and practical applications to address issues like poverty, education, health care and human rights.
What are the benefits of a Master’s in international development?
Here are some benefits of earning a master’s in international development: The challenging coursework of a graduate international development program helps you develop essential skills for your career. For instance, students learn how to write proposals and manage budgets for nonprofit organizations.
Is an International Development Studies Master of Arts a good choice?
The International Development Studies Master of Arts (IDS) degree from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University has been an effective career choice for many graduates who have gone on to have a significant impact in the world. This is the right master’s degree for you if
Does American University offer a Master’s in international development?
American University The School of International Service at American University allows students to earn a Master of Arts in International Development. The program has been around for more than 40 years and prepares students to address global humanitarian challenges.
