This is a defining moment for the field of international development.
Poverty, gender inequality, forced migration, education and health disparities, and climate change are among the world’s most pressing challenges. For some, these challenges can be overwhelming. For you, they are a call to action to help build a socially just and sustainable world.
Why the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice?
Our degrees inspire you to develop equitable solutions to urgent social, political, and ecological challenges. Through our program, students are equipped to build a more just and sustainable world.
- Deepen your knowledge of international development challenges
- Develop critical skills to catalyze institutional change
- Collaborate across disciplines to understand and address complex social-ecological challenges
- Gain real-world experience to build professional skills and knowledge
Critical Knowledge, Skills, and Experience:
The International Development Curriculum
| Curricular Feature | 10-unit | 12-unit practice | 12-unit research |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required Core Courses: Degree Specific | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Sustainability Studies | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Social Change and Institutional Transformation | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Fundamental Skills: Project Management Monitoring & Evaluation Organizational Leadership Spatial Analysis | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Methods of Inquiry & Subject Matter Electives | 1.5 – 2 | 1.5 – 2 | 2.5 – 3 |
| Intersectional Analysis | 0.5 – 1 | 0.5 – 1 | 0.5 – 1 |
| Principles and Ethics in Community Engagement (Common Seminar) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Experiential Learning: Studio courses Summer Global Learning Collaboratives Internships | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Directed Study | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Thesis writing | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Choice of three program tracks
10-unit track completed in three semesters (Fall or Spring start)
12-unit research track completed in four semesters, with students conducting primary research in the summer between their two years of study (Fall start only)
12-unit practice track completed in four semesters, with students engaging in two experiential learning opportunities.
Join our successful alumni
Our International Development graduates craft policy, design and manage interventions to increase social and economic well-being, and monitor and measure intervention outcomes to promote continuous learning. They serve in a range of professional capacities:
- Refugee Policy and Data Analyst at Office of Global Michigan
- Senior Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation Advisor at Palladium
- Business Development Manager at World Vision USA
- Senior Project Manager at Chemonics International
- Communications Director at Green New Deal Network
- Executive Director at the Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organizations
- Climate Science Program Manager at The Nature Conservancy
“The people in International/Community Development are amazing. SSJ has taught me how to unravel the complexities within Development, and how to measure and manage socially oriented projects.
—Benjamin Gowdy-Chase M.A. ’22 – International Development
Foreign Service Officer
Meet our engaged faculty
The M.A. in International Development program leverages its faculty’s vast field experience in North America, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean and their dedication to fostering environmental sustainability, social justice, and economic well-being in communities of all sizes around the world. Faculty are intellectually and professionally active. They are continuously engaged in research projects in the United States and around the world, consulting contracts for federal and local government, and serving on the boards of local, national and global non-profits and foundations.
Faculty Research Areas
Nigel Brissett
Associate Professor
Addressing how education policy shapes opportunity
Professor Brissett’s research focuses on education in small island development states (SIDS), and the impact of skilled emigration from the Caribbean on regional and national education policy.
Cynthia Caron
Associate Professor
Land and resource access in the wake of natural disasters
Professor Caron spent nine years working in humanitarian assistance in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa before returning to academia to research the cultural politics of natural resource access.
Anita Fabos
Professor
Creating a place for the dispossessed
Professor Häusermann Fábos researches a range of issues related to forced migration: how ethnic and racial boundaries develop and change; gender and migration; refugee narratives and representations; and more.
Jude Fernando
Associate Professor
Disaster response – and the lingering, long-term impact of catastrophic events
Professor Fernando studies post-disaster adaptation and governmental and non-governmental response efforts in diverse cultural and geographic contexts – from Haiti and Sri Lanka to New Orleans.
Ellen Foley
Professor
How social forces contribute to human disease
Professor Foley researches disease vulnerability and access to medical care in urban areas. Her projects include efforts to promote global reproductive health rights and to combat malaria in West Africa.
Ken MacLean
Associate Professor
Grappling with humanity’s darkest actions
Professor MacLean has over two decades of experience working on issues related to human rights violations, conflict-induced displacement, state-sponsored violence, and territorial disputes across South East Asia.
Denise Bebbington
Research Associate Professor
The far-ranging impact of natural resource extraction
Professor Bebbington researches the political ecology of natural resource extraction. Her recent projects have focused on the expansion of the extractive industry and infrastructure development in South America.
David Bell
Professor of Practice
Empowering change through education
Professor Bell has worked extensively in Southern Africa, and his current research addresses the role of higher education in promoting social change within sub-Saharan Africa.
Nigel Brissett
Associate Professor
Addressing how education policy shapes opportunity
Professor Brissett’s research focuses on education in small island development states (SIDS), and the impact of skilled emigration from the Caribbean on regional and national education policy.
Cynthia Caron
Associate Professor
Land and resource access in the wake of natural disasters
Professor Caron spent nine years working in humanitarian assistance in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa before returning to academia to research the cultural politics of natural resource access.
Anita Fabos
Professor
Creating a place for the dispossessed
Professor Häusermann Fábos researches a range of issues related to forced migration: how ethnic and racial boundaries develop and change; gender and migration; refugee narratives and representations; and more.
Jude Fernando
Associate Professor
Disaster response – and the lingering, long-term impact of catastrophic events
Professor Fernando studies post-disaster adaptation and governmental and non-governmental response efforts in diverse cultural and geographic contexts – from Haiti and Sri Lanka to New Orleans.
Ellen Foley
Professor
How social forces contribute to human disease
Professor Foley researches disease vulnerability and access to medical care in urban areas. Her projects include efforts to promote global reproductive health rights and to combat malaria in West Africa.
Ken MacLean
Associate Professor
Grappling with humanity’s darkest actions
Professor MacLean has over two decades of experience working on issues related to human rights violations, conflict-induced displacement, state-sponsored violence, and territorial disputes across South East Asia.
Denise Bebbington
Research Associate Professor
The far-ranging impact of natural resource extraction
Professor Bebbington researches the political ecology of natural resource extraction. Her recent projects have focused on the expansion of the extractive industry and infrastructure development in South America.
David Bell
Professor of Practice
Empowering change through education
Professor Bell has worked extensively in Southern Africa, and his current research addresses the role of higher education in promoting social change within sub-Saharan Africa.
Nigel Brissett
Associate Professor
Addressing how education policy shapes opportunity
Professor Brissett’s research focuses on education in small island development states (SIDS), and the impact of skilled emigration from the Caribbean on regional and national education policy.
Cynthia Caron
Associate Professor
Land and resource access in the wake of natural disasters
Professor Caron spent nine years working in humanitarian assistance in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa before returning to academia to research the cultural politics of natural resource access.
Anita Fabos
Professor
Creating a place for the dispossessed
Professor Häusermann Fábos researches a range of issues related to forced migration: how ethnic and racial boundaries develop and change; gender and migration; refugee narratives and representations; and more.
Jude Fernando
Associate Professor
Disaster response – and the lingering, long-term impact of catastrophic events
Professor Fernando studies post-disaster adaptation and governmental and non-governmental response efforts in diverse cultural and geographic contexts – from Haiti and Sri Lanka to New Orleans.
Academic Excellence. Global Reach. Career Success.
Join our supportive community of scholars. Ready to take the next step?