The Master’s degree in International Development and Social Change (IDSC) is one of four MA programs in the Department of International Development and Social Change (IDCE). The IDSC/MA program emphasizes the connection between critical thinking and effective action. It is designed for scholars of international development, as well as for present and future practitioners of grassroots, community-based development and social change.
Offering alternatives to centralized planning and implementation paradigms, the IDSC/MA program has been a pioneer in participatory development and a leading force in creating tools for social change. A major challenge for 21st-century development is to promote development and sustain environmental resources through local planning and action. The IDCE participatory approach creates ownership of development initiatives on local levels and fosters partnerships between local institutions and external agencies.
The IDSC/MA program helps students to reach innovative solutions to development problems by building understanding of the complex causes, influences, and implications of poverty, social injustice, and conflict. Rooted in the belief that effective approaches draw on many disciplines, the IDSC/MA employs a trans-disciplinary focus, with faculty from anthropology, economics, environmental sciences, gender studies, geography, history, political science, and management. Links with collaborating institutions in countries such as Kenya, Nepal, Ghana, India, Senegal, Somaliland, and Mexico provide important real-world perspectives and fieldwork opportunities.
Through action-oriented and critical studies linking theory and practice, the IDSC/MA offers opportunities to specialize in such topics as political economy, conflict and development, culture and development, resource management, community-based development, education and development, gender and development, and global health and development.
The IDSC/MA Program has three key elements:
• Challenging conventional ideas about development and seeking innovative alternatives.
• Understanding how the interplay of power relationships gives rise to social injustice and economic inequity.
• Exploring the linkages between critical thinking and effective development at the community, regional, national, and global levels.
Course work introduces both alternative and traditional theories and provides practical skills to advance professional goals in development.
The unique blend of theory and practice enables students to link local planning and action to policy making at different levels. The program also focuses on cultural, gender, and social justice issues and addresses these issues in development as well as in relief and conflict/post-conflict contexts. Courses and research identify ways of building alliances among institutions and making room for the voices of marginalized people.
Clark IDSC, geography, and GES majors who have successfully completed an honors thesis on a topic in international development and social change may earn a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree, with the fifth year tuition free, provided that they meet departmental and University guidelines. The accelerated B.A./Master's degree in IDSC allows students to build on their undergraduate analytical skills and pursue a specific area in international development and social change in depth.
Qualified juniors who are interested in pursuing an accelerated IDSC Accelerated B.A./Master degree must meet with the Coordinator of the IDSC BA/MA Program and submit an Application for the Accelerated B.A./Master Program:
• Part 1 to the Clark Graduate School by April 1 of their junior year.
• Part 2 to the IDCE Department before October 15 of their senior year. Students must submit a complete application to the Accelerated B.A./Master Degree Program: Part 2 for graduate study in the International Development and Social Change MA program and submit that application to the IDCE Office at 10 Hawthorne Street. Students who wish to be admitted to the Accelerated B.A./Master Program in IDSC but who do not meet the above eligibility criteria may petition the Director of the IDCE Department to participate as a paying student.
For entry into the IDSC Accelerated BA/MA program, students must meet the following eligibility criteria:
1. IDSC major. Student must major in International Development and Social Change at Clark University
2. 3.25 overall GPA. At the time of application to the Clark graduate school, students must have an overall GPA of 3.25 and must maintain this overall GPA for the Sophomore, Junior and Senior years.
3. 3.5 GPA in the IDSC major. At the time of application, students need to have a 3.5 GPA in the IDSC major – and must maintain this GPA for the Sophomore, Junior and Senior years.
4. The honors thesis gives students the opportunity to carry out independent research during their senior year. Students must have a 3.5 grade point average in their major to qualify to be granted permission to undertake an honors thesis in their senior year. To graduate with honors, qualified seniors must successfully complete a two-semester independent honors research project conducted under the supervision of a core IDSC faculty member. A student must declare her/his intention to register for honors work no later than the end of spring semester of the junior year.
A typical program for an IDSC Accelerated B.A./Master's Degree Program student includes:
• In the senior year, students take two IDSC graduate seminars with core IDSC faculty related to their interests in international development and social change - and which are credited toward the 12 credit M.A. These must be 300-level IDSC seminars or IDSC advisor approved 200-level courses taught by core IDSC faculty.
• Two credits are earned for international development and social change internships (post-B.A.), usually taken in the summer before entering the Accelerated BA/MA program and in the summer after the spring semester of the Accelerated BA/MA year. A year-long academic internship after the senior year can be undertaken and counted as two internship course credits toward the Master's if that internship is part of a funded academic prestigious fellowship through Clark, such as year-long Fulbright, a Compton Mentor, or Boren Fellowships. This year-long internship must have prior approval from the University’s Graduate School for the returning student to remain eligible for the fifth year free scholarship.
• In the graduate year (two semesters), students take eight additional courses, including the five required courses: IDCE 314: Research Design and Methods; IDCE 360: Development Theory; IDCE 361: Program and Project Management; IDCE 30217: Economic Fundamentals for International Development; and IDCE 30213: M.A. Research Paper Workshop. The remaining three elective courses taken during the MA year – and the two graduate credits transferred in from the senior year - become the student’s focus or “area of specialization.” These might include Principles of Conflict Negotiation and Mediation; Humanitarian Assistance in Conflict/Postconflict Contexts; Participatory Research Methods; Third World Women and Gender in Economic Development; Qualitative Research Design and Methods; Religion, Identity and Violence in a globalizing World; or Famine and Food Security. Please note: The fifth-year scholarship requires students to complete all requirements within the prescribed year. However, students can extend their MA studies into subsequent semesters at their own cost.
Coordinator of the IDSC BA/MA Program (Signature Required on Application: Part 1)
David Bell, Core IDSC Faculty Member
508-793-7568
Students in the MA program benefit from field experience in international development. Students are encouraged to participate in field work abroad. Students can identify appropriate internships, work abroad, and other opportunities through Career Services or consult with their major advisors and the Accelerated B.A./Master's Degree Program advisor in IDSC.