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The Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Global Development is a one-year, interdisciplinary graduate program that blends a customizable curriculum with a culminating capstone or applied project. This program aims to strengthen hands-on and technical competencies, equipping students for careers in grassroots development and policy positions focused on underserved rural and low-income populations worldwide. With guidance from distinguished faculty advisors possessing extensive international expertise, Cornell's Global Development MPS enables students to critically evaluate development frameworks while exploring innovative methodologies, technologies, and global trends in the field. Societies worldwide confront accelerating transformations and intricate, novel problems demanding inventive approaches and immediate action. Yet many governmental bodies and private organizations lack specialists adequately trained to tackle these evolving issues. Likewise, professionals with specialized backgrounds frequently encounter development scenarios where they have insufficient training or technical understanding. The MPS program's objective is to empower graduates to competently analyze development obstacles and implement solutions using current technical expertise while collaborating within cross-disciplinary teams.
Admission criteria for the Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in International Development (ID) program include professional experience and performance. The field will normally only consider applicants who have at least two years of development work experience.
Baccalaureate degree from a college or university of recognized standing.
English Language Proficiency Requirement
IELTS Academic - 7.0; TOEFL - The Graduate School’s official minimum sub-scores for each element of the TOEFL iBT are: Speaking: 22, Reading: 20, Listening: 15, Writing: 20.