宾夕法尼亚大学

Political and economic shifts in the relationship between international organizations, states, civil society, and markets worldwide have had a significant impact on educational purposes, policies, and practices across national contexts. Working in the field of educational development in the 21st century requires analysts to be able to understand the complex interrelationships between local and global political, economic, and cultural dynamics.

The IEDP is an interdisciplinary program with affiliated faculty drawn from across the University. Our strengths include four federally-funded regional resource centers on campus (African Studies, East Asian Studies, Middle East Studies, and South Asia Studies), as well as institutes, centers and professional schools with a wide range of international specializations.

The IEDP is designed to prepare students with the distinctive skills required for working in the field of education and development in an era of globalization through both academic course work and hands on experiences. The program provides students with:

• Foundational knowledge of the history of international development institutions, their efforts as well as key theoretical frameworks in the field.
• Disposition and ability to understand issues of educational policy and practice from a comparative and international perspective, as well as within specific cultural contexts.
• Enhanced understanding of the interplay of local, national and international politics, policies and priorities in the dynamics of educational change.
• Quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation skills necessary for examining educational issues and assessing the value and contribution of programs and projects in cross-national contexts.
• Preparation for reading critically and communicating evidence-based knowledge persuasively to a variety of stakeholders ranging from local to national to international decision makers.
• Internship experience that will foster the application of academic knowledge to policy and practice in the applied settings.

The M.S.Ed. degree requires a minimum of 10 courses of approved graduate work beyond the baccalaureate degree. Students are expected to take courses in four areas: a core curriculum; a thematic area that includes both an area concentration as well as an area studies course; electives; and the IEDP internship experience. The program is designed to be as flexible as possible to meet the individual needs and goals of IEDP students. Our recommended course of study is to complete the program in 1.5 years (fall, spring, summer, fall), this allows students to build relationships with faculty and make the most of their time at Penn.