Undergraduate Program

The Payson Center for International Development offers an undergraduate coordinate major and a minor in International Development (ID) which is paired with a separate major in a traditional discipline. This traditional discipline is the primary major which determines whether a student earns a B.A. or a B.S. degree. The coordinate major in International Development (ID) provides students with an education firmly rooted in the liberal arts tradition, while also providing them with a focused and international framework for analysis of current international events. A student in the ID program will graduate with a sophisticated understanding of contemporary global issues, especially as they pertain to the developing world.

This coordinate major program in ID is designed to complement other majors while drawing upon international courses in the social sciences, arts and humanities. The program is designed around the convergence of the traditional social sciences and ID thought and practice. The coordinate major program will cater to those students whose general interests are international and interdisciplinary.The coordinate major in International Development must be coordinated with a separate major in a traditional discipline. This traditional discipline is the primary major which determines whether a student earns a B.A. or a B.S. degree. The coordinate major in International Development provides students with an education firmly rooted in the liberal arts tradition, while also providing them with a focused and international framework for analysis of current international events.

A student in the ID program will graduate with a sophisticated understanding of contemporary global issues, especially as they pertain to the developing world. International Development is a social science that embraces the theory and practice of improving the quality of life of people in the developing world. The program emphasizes a comprehensive approach to standard international development analysis by incorporating not just economic, but social, environmental, legal and cultural dimensions as well. ID, as a field of study, is relatively new. It emerged from critiques of post-World War II programs designed to alleviate poverty and promote economic, democratic and social development in second and third world countries after independence.   International sustainable development promotes a cross-disciplinary understanding of economics, law, sociology, political science, anthropology and language, in the context of sustainable or environmentally friendly positive social change. Courses will be taken in various departments in the Liberal Arts and Sciences as well as in at the Payson Center for International Development.

Students will declare the major with a member of the faculty. Faculty will meet with students in the program at least once a semester to discuss their degree status in order to ensure progress toward the completion of the degree. The core curriculum will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of world issues and the appropriate foundation to design the rest of their program. International Development (ID) studies promote a cross-disciplinary understanding of economics, sociology, political science, anthropology and language, among others. Courses will be taken in various departments throughout the University as well as in the Payson Center for International Development.