ANNOUNCEMENTS
The TERI SAS’s master’s programme in Sustainable Development Practice (MA SDP) seeks to address a critical gap in sustainable development education in South Asia. It aims to develop an international cadre of development professionals, well-equipped to tackle interwoven challenges of poverty, diseases, climate change and ecosystem vulnerability specific to the region.
The course comprises of innovative pedagogy and a multi-disciplinary team of faculty members. It provides field trainings, which are rigorous and structured to help students have a real world experience of dealing with development issues. The MA SDP programme is part of the Global Association of MDP programmes, which consists of 26 MDP programmes, offered in 19 universities across countries. The TERI SAS was one of the few universities selected worldwide by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to receive seed funding to create the new master's degree programme in development practice. The programme provides an interface between the students of 26 MDP programmes and is reviewed by a team of experts from academia, national and international development organizations. For more details please refer to http://mdpglobal.org/
By the end of MA SDP programme, the students:-:
• Gain in-depth knowledge of development, theories, approaches and practices
• Learn about the latest practices promoting sustainable development from national and international experts (academicians and practitioners), from partner universities, research institutes and development agencies
• Gain experience in real world problem analysis and problem solving through global classroom, minor and major project
• Develop skills for project design and management, development communication, social research, cross-cultural and intercultural adaptation, entrepreneurial and innovative business development
•Get substantive fieldwork experiences through group practicum for integrating knowledge and skills taught in the course
The students get myriad opportunities to work with national and international development organizations, research institutes, CSR division of corporate groups, just to name a few. Out of the total sixty-eight alumni, nearly half found research opportunities across government/ autonomous academic/research institutes.
The package of remuneration varies with an average of INR 40,000 per month for fresh post-graduates, without prior work experience.
Many students with strong inclination towards policy and research have found opportunities to pursue other courses/higher studies in India and abroad and are also placed in research institutes. Some, with tremendous passion for development have gone to create their own social-entrepreneurial ventures, testing a hard career option to bring-in real changes.
MA-SDP course at the TERI SAS has indeed been an experience of discovering a diverse range of approaches to development through a new set of eyes. Sustainable Development as a new gizmo has been conceptualised by scholars, policy makers and development organisations as capable of addressing the growing developmental and environmental challenges. The MA-SDP course has taken this gizmo of ‘Sustainable Development’ and transformed it into a more practical and on-field experience through its multi-dimensional coursework and diverse domain knowledge of its faculty. This course has encouraged students to critically and analytically evaluate and appreciate the theoretical formulations of the concept through a pragmatic and applied approach to development and environmental challenges. The course has thus been a discovery of merging new practical techniques with theoretical knowledge through strong research grounding; the discovery and moulding of new ideas to address emerging challenges and lastly a discovery of a spirit of collaborative team work with peers and faculty alike.
Indeed just like trees, ideas too take time to sprout and grow, and TERI School of Advanced Studies is one such place where not only ideas originate, but they are also nurtured and cared for until they bear fruits
Enrolling in the Master’s programme in Sustainable Development Practice (MA-SDP) at TERI SAS was one of the major decisions for me. The Programme, with its emphasis on the interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning engages students in such a manner that every assignment requires reflecting upon the learning from other subjects of the curriculum. Besides theoretical orientation, intense field exposure through the course ‘Group Practicum’ not only helped me to grow as a person but also helped me to develop the team spirit and provided opportunity to overcome the complex challenges encountered in the field and get experienced in real-life situations. Moreover, the vast array of the subjects offered, guest lectures delivered by eminent speakers, workshops conducted, and the support received from the faculty-led to broaden my thinking and added new perspectives to my learning and knowledge gaining. The programme and its international connect through the course ‘Global Classroom’ added a new dimension to the learning process. Henceforth, I feel privileged to be a part of this programme.
I had a background in engineering, and pursuing an MA in SDP was a great decision. I wished to work in the social sector and often lacked the tools to contribute. The first two semesters of the Programme introduced us to a wide range of topics and tools in environment, policy building, project management and a practical experience working with a grassroots organisation. The third and fourth semesters can be tailored according to individual goals, developing skills as required by selecting from a wide range of electives and internships. The project I developed during my final internship got funded by the Alexander von Humboldt foundation for further research.
Masters in Sustainable Development Practice aided me to view issues in the world as interwoven. This systems thinking approach not only assisted me to get a birds eye view but also an in depth understanding of the problems on ground. With an intensive field based curriculum, it equipped for my job as a manager to understand the nuances in the Public Health Care System of Bihar. The uniqueness of the programme is also its diversity with students from different subject backgrounds and cultures come together to comprehend complex issues at hand. Joining the programme was indeed an enlightening and thought provoking experience that shall stay with me for a life time.
Being from an engineering background, switching to the development sector wasn’t easy. But M.A. (SDP) at TERI SAS offered me the much-needed flexibility to gradually adapt to the required skill set and learn the fundamentals of ‘Sustainable Development’.
Apart from being a perfect blend of theory and practice, the hands-on experience one gets in the field does wonder to one’s understanding of the real developmental challenges.
To say the least, the programme developed an integrated approach in me which helped me see the development from the perspective of being environment-friendly, economically feasible and socially inclusive.
The TERI SAS is one of the foremost universities selected for starting the MA SDP programme. Students of MA SDP get unique opportunity to learn about the latest practices promoting sustainable development from national and international experts (academicians and practitioners), from partner universities, research institutes and development agencies. The programme hones the skills of students in project design and management, development communication, social research, cross-cultural and intercultural adaptation, entrepreneurial and innovative business development.
In the context of complex global challenges like extreme poverty, chronic hunger, stagnating crop yield, abysmal nutritional, educational and health standards, the MA SDP curriculum tries to address the gap of effective cross-disciplinary problem solving. It has a strong practice focus with cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral orientation. Training for integrated solutions that cuts across disciplines is the highlight of MA SDP curriculum.
The pedagogy strongly focuses on problem-based learning, case studies, seminars, and field visits. The group practicums integrate knowledge and skills taught in the course. Field visits allow students to learn and use practical skills to analyze and solve development problems holistically.
The pedagogy strongly focuses on problem-based learning, case studies, seminars, and field visits. The group practicums integrate knowledge and skills taught in the course. Field visits allow students to learn and use practical skills to analyze and solve development problems holistically.
