Development Practice - Master of Development Practice (MDP)

Environment 3

Environment 3 (EV3) Building located on Waterloo's Campus, across from Laurel Creek.

Become a global development professional and inspire change with the Master of Development Practice program.

This on-campus coursework-based program can be completed in one year of full-time study and offers courses from four intersecting areas including health, natural, social, and management sciences with a focus on sustainable development.  

Learn to better identify and address the challenges of extreme poverty and sustainable development and prepare for a career in an NGO, not-for-profit, or government organization through courses and a field placement where you’ll gain valuable practical experience in the development sector in countries like India, Madagascar, and Tanzania.

Program highlights

  • Opportunity to participate and present at the International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) in New York.
  • Opportunity to participate in a field placement project or other special graduate level project.

Program overview

Department/School: School of Environment, Enterprise and Development
Faculty: Faculty of Environment
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December)
Delivery mode: On-campus
Program type: Master's, Professional
Length of program: 12 months
Registration option(s): Full-time
Study option(s): Coursework*

*Information about the coursework delivery mode is available on the Master of Development Practice website.

Application deadlines

  • February 1 (for admission in September)

Key contacts

grad.seed-course@uwaterloo.ca

Lina Nassir and Talia Rodriguez

Master of Development Practice students Talia Rodriguez and Lina Nassir complete their field placements and empower communities around the world.

Admission requirements

  • A four-year honours bachelor's degree (or its equivalent) from a recognized university in a humanities, social science, health, engineering, environmental science, or business discipline, and have a minimum of 75% overall standing in the last two years of study.

Degree requirements

  • Review the degree requirements in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar, including the courses that you can anticipate taking as part of completing the degree.

Application materials

  • Resume
  • Statement of interest
    • A statement of maximum 500 words explaining your interest in and fit for the program you’re applying to, uploaded as a supporting document in the online application. Review the writing your personal statement resources for helpful tips and tricks on completion.
  • Program-specific questions (PSQ)
    • These are questions specific to the program you’re applying to. They can be viewed once you’ve started an application and are completed through a form in the online application.
  • Transcript(s)
  • References
    • Two references are required; one of the letters must be from a referee who can attest to the leadership competencies of the applicant.
  • Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable
    • TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)

Tuition and fees