Program Information
Director: G. Galloway
Program Coordinator: A. Noss
The Master of Sustainable Development Practice (MDP) Program offers the following academic programs:
- An interdisciplinary Master’s degree in Sustainable Development Practice (MDP)
- A graduate certificate in Sustainable Development Practice (SDP)
The MDP Program is jointly administered by the Center for Latin American Studies and the Center for African Studies. The Master’s degree is described in the Other Master’s Degrees section of the Graduate Catalog.
The MDP prepares development practitioners to address development challenges in creative and dynamic ways, integrating the academic and development pillars of natural sciences, social sciences, health sciences and management through a vigorous and innovative program curriculum. The MDP Degree requires 45 credits of course work: 24 major or core credits across the four pillars, and 21 elective credits through which a student focuses on a specialization (for example entrepreneurship, agriculture, ecotourism, gender, community forest management, nonprofits, or M&E). The MDP is a non-thesis degree. Each student must successfully complete a set of requirements including a summer field practicum with a host organization, the development of a poster presented in a public poster session, a final practicum report approved by their committee, and a public presentation and private defense with committee members of the final report. All students will be expected to meet learning outcome objectives defined for knowledge, skills and professional behavior. Students are required to develop a study plan approved by the MDP Program Graduate Coordinator and by their supervisory committee.
The SDP certificate provides training in interdisciplinary knowledge and skills related to sustainable development practice. The 12 credits for Master’s students and 15 credits for Ph.D. students include one required cross-cutting overview course plus 3-4 additional courses in the fields of social sciences, health sciences, natural sciences, and management skills.
MDP major or core courses are listed below under the listing for Sustainable Development Courses. Other courses listed, for example, under the College Agricultural and Life Sciences and the College of Public Health and Health Related Professions may also count toward the major, but only those with relevance to the MDP program will be candidates for inclusion by the department in a student’s program of study. Please visit the MDP Program website for additional information on the SDP certificate, MDP degree and curriculum, including detailed course descriptions and syllabi: http://mdp.africa.ufl.edu.
Degrees Offered with a Major in Sustainable Development Practice
- Master of Sustainable Development Practice
- without a concentration
- concentration in Climate Science
Requirements for these degrees are given in the Graduate Degrees section of this catalog.
Sustainable Development Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AEB 6933 | Special Topics | 1-6 |
| AFS 6905 | Individual Work in African Studies | 1-3 |
| AGR 5277C | Tropical Crop Production | 3 |
| EVR 5705 | Natural Resources and Innovation Systems | 3 |
| LAS 6291 | Conservation and Development Skills | 3 |
| LAS 6938 | Seminar in Modern Latin American Studies | 3 |
| LAS 6943 | Development Theory and Practice in Latin America | 3 |
| PHC 6445 | Global Public Health and Development II | 3 |
| PHC 6764 | Global Public Health and Development I | 3 |
African Studies Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AFS 5061 | Africana Bibliography | 1 |
| AFS 6060 | Research Problems in African Studies | 3 |
| AFS 6305 | Development Theory and Practice Intro | 3 |
| AFS 6307 | Foundations of Economics for Sustainable Development | 3 |
| AFS 6357 | Anthropology of Humanitarian Intervention | 3 |
| AFS 6905 | Individual Work in African Studies | 1-3 |
Latin American Studies Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FOT 6941 | Translation Studies Practicum | 3 |
| LAS 6008 | Ecological Principles | 3 |
| LAS 6220 | Issues and Perspectives in Latin American Studies | 3 |
| LAS 6290 | Tropical Conservation and Development | 3 |
| LAS 6291 | Conservation and Development Skills | 3 |
| LAS 6292 | Tropical Conservation and Development Research Methods | 3 |
| LAS 6293 | Design and Methods of Research in Latin American Studies | 3 |
| LAS 6295 | Latin American Business Environment | 2 |
| LAS 6905 | Individual Work | 1-3 |
| LAS 6938 | Seminar in Modern Latin American Studies | 3 |
| LAS 6941 | Tropical Conservation and Development Practicum | 3 |
| LAS 6943 | Development Theory and Practice in Latin America | 3 |
| LAS 6949 | Internship In Latin American Studies | 1-6 |
| LAS 6971 | Research for Master's Thesis | 1-15 |
Sustainable Development Practice
SLO 1 Knowledge Outcome
Students will define, identify and describe complex interdisciplinary dimensions of sustainable development
SLO 2 Skills Outcome
Students will plan and utilize participatory methodologies and/or tasks related to the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development initiatives
SLO 3 Professional Behavior Outcome
Students will interface with professional peers with honesty, ethical behavior, cultural sensitivity, teamwork, and effective communication