Community Development Policy and Practice: Executive (M.A.)
The online Executive MA in Community Development Policy and Practice program (Executive MCD) prepares you for a career in community and economic development. While earning this online, cohort-based community development degree, you will tackle real-world situations through a capstone community project and engage with leading experts and academics in a program designed for working professionals just like you. Through coursework and experiential opportunities, you will learn practitioner-focused and community-centered approaches and strategies in development finance, policy analysis, organizational development and project management for participatory and impactful change. Professionals with less than five years of relevant work experience can enroll in the 36-credit MCD program.
- The Executive MCD program is fully online and is ideal for working professionals
- Gain effective community development skills and tools through an applied four-term capstone project in your community which can be done with your organization as part of your work
- Connect with respected field experts across disciplines, including faculty and peers
- Start in the fall, spring, or summer and graduate in as little as 12 months (Executive MCD) or 14 months (MCD)
- The Executive MCD program consists of 10 courses (30 credits)
- The GRE is not required to apply to this degree program
Program Delivery & Location: Core academic courses for the Executive MCD degree are offered online with choices for taking elective courses online or in person on UNH campuses. Students who choose to participate in the Washington DC Colloquium experience will join students from other Carsey programs for a week in Washington, DC. And, students are free to carry out their capstone projects in their chosen community.
Students enrolled in the Carsey School's Executive Master in Community Development Policy and Practice program (MCD) are required to complete a 30-credit program, consisting of 10 courses including a four-term capstone project:
- Five (5) CORE Curriculum Courses
- Four (4) EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Courses
- One (1) ELECTIVE Course
These provide the applied foundational community and economic development skills in strategy, practice, and analysis for a successful career in community development. In this program, students will examine each of the core interdisciplinary areas within the cross-cutting lenses of public policy, data collection, and analysis as students directly apply what they learn in the classroom through a capstone project centered on community engagement for sustainable development. Further opportunities for depth and specialization are provided through a variety of elective courses which vary each year as well as the opportunity to conduct independent studies to delve deeper into a specific aspect of a student's community or capstone project.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CORE Required Courses (5 Courses) | ||
| DPP 801 | Integrative Approaches to Development Policy and Practice | 3 |
| DPP 802 | Economic Analysis for Development | 3 |
| DPP 805 | Fiscal Management for Development Organizations | 3 |
| DPP 806 | Organizational Management and Leadership | 3 |
| DPP 808 | Policy Seminar | 3 |
| EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Required Courses (4 Courses) 1 | ||
| DPP 980 | Introduction to Community Development Projects | 3 |
| DPP 981 | Project Design and Planning | 3 |
| DPP 982 | Project Implementation and Monitoring | 3 |
| DPP 983 | Project Evaluation | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| One MCD-Approved Elective Course 2 | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
With full faculty support, students carry out a four-term capstone project in their communities by completing actionable assignments throughout the series of four (4) applied project courses.
- 2
A variety of MCD elective courses and other Carsey graduate courses are offered each term (ELECTIVES). This includes the MCD Independent Study course (DPP 990) taken under the guidance of an MCD faculty member. Students wishing to pursue elective courses outside of the MCD program should consult with their Graduate Academic Advisor for guidance and approval.
Sample Degree Plan
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| Term 1 | ||
| DPP 801 | Integrative Approaches to Development Policy and Practice | 3 |
| DPP 980 | Introduction to Community Development Projects 1 | 3 |
| Term 2 | ||
| DPP 806 | Organizational Management and Leadership | 3 |
| DPP 981 | Project Design and Planning 1 | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| Term 3 | ||
| DPP 802 | Economic Analysis for Development | 3 |
| DPP 982 | Project Implementation and Monitoring 1 | 3 |
| Term 4 | ||
| DPP 805 | Fiscal Management for Development Organizations | 3 |
| DPP 983 | Project Evaluation 1 | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Summer | ||
| Term 5 | ||
| DPP 808 | Policy Seminar | 3 |
| MCD-Approved Elective Course 2 | 3 | |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
With full faculty support, students carry out a four-term capstone project in their communities by completing actionable assignments throughout the series of four (4) applied project courses.
- 2
A variety of MCD elective courses and other Carsey graduate courses are offered each term (ELECTIVES). This includes the MCD Independent Study course (DPP 990) taken under the guidance of an MCD faculty member. Students wishing to pursue elective courses outside of the MCD program should consult with their Graduate Academic Advisor for guidance and approval.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Develop interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to integrate theory, policy, data collection, and analysis.
- Acquire an understanding of complex development issues and problems.
- Apply learning to real-world situations.
- Effectively communicate findings to various audiences both verbally and in writing.