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SIPA Sends off Inaugural Class of MPA in Development Practice
The first class of SIPA’s newest degree program, the Master of Public Administration in Development Practice, graduated in 2011.
Twenty-three students graduated from the 22-month program, which trains students to understand, develop, and implement integrated approaches to sustainable development.
Program director Professor Glenn Denning introduced the students and they each received congratulations from SIPA Dean John H. Coatsworth and Kofi Annan, graduation speaker and former UN Secretary-General.
The MPA in Development Practice emphasizes knowledge and skills in food systems, public health, education, infrastructure, environmental sustainability, business enterprise, economics and management.
A “hands on” experience is emphasized. Last summer, five student teams completed field internships with the Millennium Villages Project, which helps rural African communities overcome extreme poverty through coordinated improvements to infrastructure, water supplies, education, agriculture, public health, and the environment. Another team did a similar field internship in rural Cambodia.
View photos here.
The MPA in Development Practice program is a partnership between SIPA and Columbia University's Earth Institute, which pioneers an integrated approach to sustainable development.
Alex Burnett, June 8, 2011