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

  • Real-world experience through a minimum 3-month long overseas field placement or internship.
  • Opportunity to participate and present at the International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) in New York.

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: 16 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

For program-specific inquiries: Graduate Program Coordinator
 

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
  • Supplementary information form (SIF)
    • The SIF contains questions specific to your program, typically about why you want to enrol and your experience in that field. Review the application documents web page for more information about this requirement
    • If a statement or letter is required by your program, review the writing your personal statement resources for helpful tips and tricks on completion
  • 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