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Master of Development Studies (MDS)
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The 21st century world is experiencing drastic economic, social, cultural, political, technological, and environmental changes. These changes have far reaching global implications for poverty, economic growth, social harmony and political stability. This is especially true for developing countries, where these changed are posing fresh challenges in human development. There are no simple answers to these problems, yet the quest for sustainable human development remains a matter of utmost importance. Development is the instrument as well as the process through which people strive to achieve the goals of peace and prosperity. A systematic and multi-disciplinary examination of the factors affecting development is essential for identifying appropriate policies and processes necessary for the promotion of equitable and sustainable development.
BDI has designed the Master of Development Studies (MDS) program to provide an in-depth understanding of development concepts and issues from a broad inter-disciplinary perspective. On satisfactory completion of the program, students will be able to approach and analyze development issues in the context of globalization, economic transformation, and social, cultural and political changes. The program keeps provision for a wide range of elective courses so that students can pursue their studies in accordance with their respective academic interests and career objectives. The program will prepare graduates for higher studies or to pursue fulfilling careers in teaching, research, consultancy and management in organizations with development goals and objectives.
Program Content
The Master of Development Studies (MDS) is a postgraduate program of 48 credits. It consists of 3 Foundation courses (9 credits), 6 core courses (18 credits), 3 elective courses (9 credits) and a comprehensive course on Research Concepts, Methods and Application (12 credits). In addition, a student may be required to take one or more preparatory courses if his/her undergraduate preparation is not deemed adequate for the program.
Considering the diversity of courses included in the curriculum, the MDS Program provides for a wide variety of teaching-learning methods like lecture-discussion, debate, seminar, role plays, case study, workshop, project work, teamwork, research, etc. The teacher offering a course will carefully select and utilize the methods that are appropriate for the course and lesson objectives. Emphasis will, however, be given on choosing methods that enable a student to learn and apply theories in practice.
To facilitate placement in jobs, a student without job experience may avail of the option of internship for a semester so as to gain practical experience in development organizations. The internship will be supervised by a faculty and on completion the student will submit an internship report for the purpose of evaluation and grading. A certificate will be issued upon passing the internship.
Duration of the Program
The duration of the program will vary depending upon the number of credits a student registers for. If a student registers for 12 credits every semester, she\he will complete the program in 4 semesters.
Prospective Students
As the program is a multi-disciplinary one, students are selected from different disciplines.
The student body of MDS may include:
- Graduates and post-graduate diploma holders in development or related studies who want to deepen their understanding of the subject;
- Social science and other graduates who want to specialize in development studies;
- Professionals who are working in NGOs, development organizations or in the private sector with a development focus;
- Academics and researchers who want to refine their knowledge and research skills in development issues.
Please see the 'Admission Requirements' if you are interested in this program.
Contact
Ferdous Jahan
Academic Coordinator
Email: jahan@bracu.ac.bd
