School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED)

The Master of Development Practice (MDP) offered by the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) is aimed at producing graduates with a set of practical skills and functional forms of knowledge in the interrelated areas of health, natural, social and management sciences as they relate to the practice of international development. Integrating these core areas of knowledge, the MDP program provides students with the substantive knowledge and practical skills required to analyze and diagnose the multi-dimensional challenges of sustainable development such as extreme poverty, climate change and infectious disease. Graduates with this integrated knowledge and expertise will constitute the foundation of a new kind of development practitioner who is a social innovator, helping to shape a just, humane and ecologically sustainable world.

The MDP program is a natural extension of the shared vision, mission and programs found in the Faculty of Environment, our International Development undergraduate program and the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED).
The MDP program provides an excellent setting for mid-career development professionals wishing to retrain themselves or to augment their current knowledge and skills for the complex challenges of the 21st Century, and for younger scholars eager to combine generalist management strengths with issue and area specific training and experience.

The MDP program is an outcome of the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice and the program at the University of Waterloo is part of the international Global MDP network of over 20 universities that offer the MDP program. The MDP program strives to educate students in practical and multi-disciplinary approaches to international development studies in ways that match the needs and aspirations of young people and leaders today. As important as the superb in-classroom training that students receive in our collegial state of the art facilities on campus, is the four month hands-on field experience in a development context that students complete after their first year in the program.

The MDP program is generously supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the MDP program, applicants must:

• Have completed 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.
• A minimum of two letters of reference are required; at least one needs to be from an academic referee, and at least one needs to be from a professional referee. One of the letters must be from a referee who can attest to the leadership competencies of the applicant.
• Upload a current curriculum vita (resume).
• Provide a Supplementary Information Form.
• Only qualified applicants will be invited to an interview (in-person or by telephone) to ensure that you have a background, both academically and experientially, in the areas of leadership and communication.
• Applicants who have not completed three or more years of post-secondary work at a Canadian institution or a university at which English was the primary language of instruction, or have not completed a graduate degree at a university where English is the primary language of instruction, or have not been employed for a similar period of time in a position in which English was the primary language of business will be required to provide certification of English language proficiency through one of the accepted examinations: TOEFL score of 580 (paper-based), or 90 (internet-based) or the equivalent on one of the following comparable tests: CAEL 70, IELTS 7.0, MELAB 85. (See the English Language Proficiency page for other acceptable tests of English.)

Degree Requirements

The MDP program consists of nine (9) required courses, three milestones, a four-month field placement and three elective courses selected in one area of specialization.

Year 1: Core Curriculum: the four pillars

Pre-programme orientation (September) 

Year 2: Specializations/areas of concentration (select one):

Term 4: September-December

Normally students will complete all three courses during the Fall semester (Sept-Dec); Some of the listed courses are not offered in the Fall semester, but will be available in Winter or Spring (to cater for cases where students are unable to complete during the normal time period). Note: some courses may not be offered in a given year. Students may be able to take equivalent courses at MDP partner universities. Students must consult with their advisor to determine an appropriate suite of courses.