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CDP Course of Study
The master’s program in Community Development and Planning requires a minimum of 12 graduate course units. These include six core CDP units, two skills courses, and five elective courses related to your particular interests. The final requirement for a CDP degree is the successful completion of a final MA project, which is either a research paper, practitioner project, or a thesis. We recommend students do an internship with a community organization to provide training in practical skills.
Find information here about the course of study for students participating in the GSOM joint MBA degree.
Required Core Courses
1. IDCE 344 Going Local: Perspectives on Community Development and Planning – introduces the various theories, debates, and strategies regarding the development of urban communities.
2. IDCE 346 Practicum in Community Development and Planning – operates within a community-based participatory research framework.
3. IDCE 30250 People and Places: Theories of Community Development and Planning – deepens students understanding social, economic, and political forces that shape places and of various models and theories of community development and planning.
4. Research Design and Methods – Students choose one of the following three courses (other methods course can be substitutes with permission from advisor). One research design and methods course should be taken during year one of the program:
a. IDCE 314 Research Design and Methods – covers major topics in empirical social research design and methodology: problem definition, research strategies, measurement, sampling, data collection techniques and procedures, and proposal writing.
b. IDCE 30291 Qualitative Research Design and Methods – provides an introduction to qualitative inquiry and explores the major assumptions, language, and logic of qualitative research.
c. IDCE 390 CDP Research Seminar – advances research and skills by working on specific projects proposed by students.
5. IDCE 30289 Community Development Finance – introduces students to the field of community development, with a particular focus on finance.
6. Students will take both of the following two ½ semester skills courses:
a. IDCE Community Needs and Resource Analysis – students develop skills in identifying and analyzing community issues through community resources and first-hand community observations and contacts.
b. IDCE 30218 Negotiations in Community Development – daily compromises and negotiations characterize the community development profession.
Required Skills Courses (2)
A sampling of Community Development Skill Courses:
Required Elective Courses (4)
A sampling of Elective Courses:
Please refer to Clark University’s Academic Catalog for a full overview of course options at www.clarku.edu/academiccatalog. We encourage you to look for courses in other Clark University departments, such as Geography, Sociology, Government, Management, Education, and Economics.
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