TERI University receives support to launch new programme to train students in sustainable development

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New Delhi: TERI University has been selected by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, globally headquartered in Chicago, as one of 10 universities worldwide to receive significant support in the amount of $ 900,000 to create a new master’s degree program in Development Practice.

The MacArthur Foundation has awarded $7.6 million to seed the creation of Master’s Development Practice (MDP) programs that will provide rigorous post-graduate training for a new generation of development experts over the next three years.

Dr. Arabinda Mishra, Dean, Faculty of Policy & Planning, TERI University, said “TERI University is a research institution offering postgraduate education and training in the niche areas of energy, biosciences, environment, public policy, infrastructure management, and business sustainability. All the programmes are interdisciplinary in nature with a strong focus on practice. It allows students to study real life problems through a structured system that progresses from short-term development practicum to 'learn-on-the-job' internships and finally to semester-long field-based rigorous research work. This has led to extensive networking with development agencies and the corporate sector resulting in wider societal participation in the university’s academic programmes. The support from the MacArthur Foundation has come at a key time when there an urgent global need to build core competencies in sustainable development practice. It is a unique endeavour involving partnerships with leading educational institutions to reorient the current approach to development education and training. TERI University gratefully acknowledges the support and hopes to soon achieve the goal of developing a committed cadre of 'generalist' development practitioners in the South and South-east Asian countries.”

The MDP programs are designed to provide graduate students with training beyond the typical focus on classroom study of economics and management found in most development studies. The program’s core curriculum bridges the natural sciences, health sciences, social sciences and management. It combines classroom study with field experiences in a range of disciplines, including agriculture, policy, health, engineering, management, environmental science, education, and nutrition.

“Through our work around the globe, we at MacArthur understand that poverty, population, health, conservation, and human rights are all interconnected, requiring sustained and comprehensive interventions,” said Foundation President Jonathan Fanton. “These new programs are a model for training the next generation of these critically needed professionals.”