Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service

In 2007, the first six seniors graduated from SFS with a Certificate in International Development. The number will increase over the next few years; 36 additional students signed up during the rolling application process.

The program is designed to help undergraduates think critically about international development

The Certificate in International Development was introduced in fall 2006 to respond to growing student interest in the field. International development is also one part of the Dean’s initiative entitled, “Improving the Human Condition.” The program is designed to help undergraduates think critically about international development as both an urgent global challenge and an evolving theoretical field. Students choose courses from a wide range of disciplines and perspectives to understand better the complexities of such issues as extreme poverty.

According to program director Maria Luise Wagner, the program is expanding to meet student interest in the practical aspects of development, including Q&A lunches with development practitioners and a mandatory skills clinic to teach analytical and planning skills used by development practitioners worldwide. The program will also include a course on micro-finance in fall 2007.