Master of Science in Development Management

The MSDM combines the fields of development and public administration to provide state of the art education, training, and practice in development management. The program is designed both for practitioners and students with prior field experience who plan to work on development programs and projects either within the United States or in developing countries. It provides an opportunity to focus on innovative approaches to development management that are presently being developed both in the United States and in the Third World, with particular attention to the issues of self-reliance, sustainability, and poverty alleviation. The approach emphasizes social learning, action research, institutional development, and social development management, with the objective of increasing the responsiveness of organizations to the publics they are designed to serve and enhance the capacity of these communities to further their own development.

The program also is concerned with such issues as improving management effectiveness in donor and locally funded projects and programs, public service reform, the role of non-governmental organizations, and management of both national level and decentralized institutions.

The MSDM requires 42 credit hours of study. Specifications for admission, general requirements, and certification in a foreign language are the same as those for all Master of Arts degrees in the School of International Service, except that MSDM applicants should also normally have at least two years of prior field experience in the Third World, the U.S., or Europe. For more information on general SIS admissions click here. Specific program requirements include the following:

Click here for a PDF of the MSDM Advisement Sheet (which shows a breakdown of credit requirements)

SIS-637 International Development
SIS-636 Micropolitics of Development
ECON-603 Intro. to Economic Theory**
ECON-661 Survey of Economic Development
PUAD-614 Development Management
PUAD-612 Public Administration OR MGMT-609 Org Behavior and Human Resources

**ECON-603 may be waived by students who have extensive economics background and who can pass an examination given by the Economics Department. Waiver of this course will reduce the total required for the degree to 39 credit hours.

Two courses, including SIS-600 - Introduction to Quantitative Analysis, and one additional research course approved by the program.

The concentration allows students to focus on a particular area of interest. Students should meet with their advisor early in their program of study to work out an appropriate concentration. Students need a general statement, plus the list of courses from which they will select for their concentration. The statement and concentration must be approved before a student advances to candidacy. The concentrations listed below are examples of those taken most frequently. Alternative courses and concentrations not specified below are also possible, if approved in advance by the advisor and the program director. Additional concentration options can be found on the MAID advisement worksheet.

*Most skills institutes are appropriate for DM Concentrations. As there are 1- and 2-credit institutes, the concentration can include up to a total of 6 credits of institutes.

The capstone of the MS:DM program is a special practicum, which includes two components: a semester-long course, and a field activity in the community approved by the practicum director and the IDP faculty. Students need to be sure to take the practicum course work either concurrently with or prior to the field involvement in the community. Click here for a PDF of Practicum Requirements

Community Development
SIS-533 Demography, Migration, and Development
SIS-635 Rural Development
SIS-635 Community Development*
SIS-635 Urban Development
SIS-638 Skills Institutes - 1 credit hour each
SIS-648 Women & Development
SIS-649 Environment & Development
SIS-696 Children in Development
ACCT-.607 Accounting Concepts & Applications
EDU-642 Training Program Design
EDU-713 Advanced Training Program Design
George Washington University
PubH 270 International Health & Development

Conflict, Peacebuilding, and Development
SIS-516 Peacebuilding in Divided Socities
SIS-517 Gender & Conflict
SIS-536 Complex Emergencies
SIS-540 Conflict & Development
SIS-596 Transition from War to Peace
SIS-603 Peacebuilding and Development Institutes - 2 credit hours
SIS- 606 Culture, Peace Conflict Resolution: Alternatives to Violence
SIS-609 Conflict Analysis & Resolution: Theory and Practice
SIS-610 Theory fo Conflict, Violence & War
SIS-619 NGOs and Conflict Resolution
SIS-639 Skills Institutes in IPCR - 1 credit hour each
SIS-696 Children in Development

Development Management and Information Systems
ITEC-612 Applied Production and Operations Management
ITEC-630 System Requirements and Design for Managers
ITEC-636 Management Information Systems
ITEC-640 Global Connectivity
ITEC-652 Strategic Management of Global Information Systems- 1.5 credit hours
ITEC-656 Topics in Management of Global Information Technology- 1.5 credit hours
ITEC-654 Nations, Policy, and Information Technology
ITEC-702 Quantitative Analysis for IT Management
ITEC-705 Systems Analysis and Design

Development Policy
SIS-539 Comparative Development Strategies
SIS-616 International Economics in Open Economies
SIS-635 Social Policy and Development
SIS-650 Global Economy and Sustainable Development
SIS-651 Managing Economic Policy Reform*
ECON-552 Economics of Transition
ECON-555 Economic Development of Latin America
ECON-610 Cost Benefit and Planning
ECON-696 Theory/Practice of Successful Developing Countries
EDU-648 Education and Development: Sector Analysis
PUAD-602 Methods of Probelm Solving II
PUAD-604 Public Program Evaluation
PUAD-606 Foundations of Policy Analysis
PUAD-607 Economics and Politics of Public Policy
George Washington University
PubH-271 International Health Policy Analysis

Entrepreneurship and Small Business
SIS-632 Microfinance
SIS-638 Skills Institutes - 1 credit hour each
ACCT-607 Accounting Concepts & Applications
MKTG-612 Marketing Management
MGMT-661 New Venture Management
MGMT-662 Managing Small & Growing Companies - 1.5 credit hours
MGMT-663 Managing a Family Business - 1.5 credit hours
MGMT-664 Entrepreneurial Leadership & Organizational Creativity

Environment and Development
SIS-513 Computer Applications in IR Research
SIS-541 Systems Analysis
SIS-649 Environment & Development*
SIS-650 Global Economics and Sustainable Development
SIS Courses on global environment issues taught by Wapner, Shapiro, or Gutner
ECON-579 Energy, Economics Resources & Environment
PUAD-614 Development Management
PUAF-743 Ecological Economics (UMD)

NGOs and Development
SIS-603 Managing a Non-Profit NGO - 1 credit hr
SIS-619 NGOs and Conflict Resolution
EDU-642 Training and Program Design
EDU-713 Advanced Training Program Design
PUAD-680 The Nonprofit Sector
PUAD-681 Managing Nonprofit Organizations
George Mason University
PUAD-505 Introduction to Management of Nonprofits
PUAD-636 The NGO: Managing the International Nonprofit Organization
PUAD-660 Public and Nonprofit Accounting and Finance
PUAD-664 Advanced Topics in Nonprofit and Public Financial Mangement
PUAD-702 Nonprofit Law, Governance, and Ethics

Program and Project Management
SIS-638 International Development Skills Institute (1 credit each)
SIS-651 Managing Economic Policy Reform
ACCT-607 Accounting Concepts and Applications
ECON-665 Project Evaluation in Developing Countries
EDU-642 Training Program Design
EDU-713 Advanced Training Program Design
PUAD-604 Public Program Evaluation
PUAD-617 Project Management
PUAD-633 Financial Aspects of Public Management

Other Approved Courses--may be used in conjunction with above referenced concentrations
SIS-533 Demography, Migration, and Development
SIS-635 Social Policy and Development
SIS-635 Community Development
SIS-635 Rural Development
SIS-635 Urban Development
SIS-647 Governance, Democracy, and Development
SIS-648 Women and Development
SIS-649 Environment and Development
SIS-650 Global Economy and Sustainable Development
SIS-696 Children in Development
SIS-696 Health & Development

*Strongly suggested for this concentration