Advancing equitable and sustainable solutions to global challenges

Global problems are becoming more interconnected. The Global Development major curriculum is a response to the complexification of the concept and practice of development. The major prepares students to interpret problems, clarify solutions, develop leadership and foster positive social change. Students in the Global Development major receive comprehensive training in the key ideas, issues and debates central to global development.

Global Development Core Requirements

8 courses; 20 credits

These core courses ensure that students can demonstrate a broad introductory knowledge in the major disciplines involved in global development. They enable students to interpret a comprehensive multi-disciplinary set of issues related to socio-economic development, agriculture & food systems, and environmental sustainability in developing countries.

  • GDEV 1102: Introduction to Global Development (3 credits; Fall first year)

  • GDEV 1105: Global Development Cornerstone (1 credit; Fall first year; previously 2 credits)

  • PLSCI/GDEV 1300: Just Food (3 credits; Fall first year; previously 4 credits)

  • GDEV 2065: Environment and Development (3 credits; Spring first year. Note: Students who have already taken NTRES 2010 Environmental Conservation can use that course for this requirement)

  • GDEV 4961: Perspectives in Global Development (1 credit; Fall and Spring)

  • GDEV 2130: Introduction to Social Science Research Methods (3 credits; Spring second year; previously DSOC 3130)

  • GDEV 2305: Planning for Change (3 credits; Fall second year; previously GDEV/DSOC/IARD 3305)

  • One Additional Methods Course (3 credits; applies to cohorts starting in Fall 2024 and beyond), choosing from:

    • GDEV 2295: Introduction to Data Science with R

    • GDEV 3140: Mapping Our Worlds: Cartography and Analysis in GIS

    • GDEV 3680: Environmental Decision Making

    • GDEV 3740: Applied Qualitative Methods

    • GDEV 4045: Data and Development

    • GDEV 4080: Demographic Techniques

Engaged Learning Requirements

2 courses, 1 internship

  • GDEV 2105: Preparing for Ethical Engagement (0.5 credits; Spring second year; previously 2 credits)
  • Pre-departure Portfolio, designed to help students thoughtfully prepare for their specific internship
  • 8-week field-based internship: Students may choose from a range of options for their eight-week experience, including Cornell internships in domestic and international contexts, independent domestic internships, study abroad programs that include an internship experience as part of their curriculum, and more
  • GDEV 3105: Post-Internship: Critical Reflection on Engaged Experiences (0.5 credits; non-standard meeting time during the first 7-weeks of Fall following the required internship experience, previously 1 credit)
  • Note: GDEV 3106: Professional Preparation for Global Development is no longer offered/required as of Fall 2024

Read the full Engaged Learning Requirements and guidelines on how to identify and select your learning experience.

Thematic concentration requirements

To gain more depth in a particular aspect of development, all Global Development majors choose to affiliate with one thematic concentration and take an additional 24-26 credits of coursework within that concentration.

​​​​​​The Social and Economic Development Concentration provides students an opportunity to explore global development issues, theories, policies, and practices in greater depth using the theories, approaches, and analytical frameworks of multiple social science disciplines. Students can develop individualized pathways through the concentration in consultation with their academic advisors. In addition, this concentration provides students planning to pursue graduate study in economics or sociology an opportunity to take advanced undergraduate coursework in those disciplines. The pathway for students planning graduate study in economics requires the four foundational courses coded with an (e). An additional four courses in economics are required for the economics pathway. For this pathway, advanced mathematics is highly recommended.

Required and Elective Courses

See the GDEV Advising Checklist for Social and Economic Development concentration requirements entering the program from Fall 2021-Fall 2023.

See the GDEV Advising Checklist for Social and Economic Development concentration requirements starting with students entering the program in Fall 2024.

​​​​​​This concentration is built on an integrative systems perspective that melds the biophysical, socio-economic, and nutritional sciences towards the sustainable development of inclusive agriculture and food systems. Students will learn about how food is produced, significant trends and drivers of change, and how to assess systems from an interdisciplinary perspective across cultural contexts. Critical contemporary debates about the future of food systems, such as sustainability, social justice, and resilience, will be examined from various perspectives. Students will also gain foundational skills in agriculture and food systems, including analytics for decision-making, monitoring and evaluation, and project management. This major is designed to support a range of career paths, including development practice, food policy, agricultural extension, and academia.

Required and Elective Courses

See the GDEV Advising Checklist for Agriculture and Food Systems concentration requirements for students entering the program from Fall 2021-Fall 2023.

See the GDEV Advising Checklist for Agriculture and Food Systems requirements starting with students entering the program in Fall 2024.

​​​​​​Students in this concentration will build their capacity to analyze how development affects the environment and how the environment shapes development. Through a range of courses, students will explore how society makes difficult choices concerning the control, use, and long-term management of land, freshwater, and marine resources. In engaging with these ethically complex and politically laden issues, students also examine how these topics are inextricably intertwined with issues of global food security and health, culture and identity, livelihood security, and intergenerational environmental justice.

Required and Elective Courses

See the GDEV Advising Checklist for Environment and Development concentration requirements for students entering the program from Fall 2021-Fall 2023.

See the GDEV Advising Checklist for Environment and Development requirements starting with students entering the program in Fall 2024.

Learning Outcomes

The following learning outcomes are general learning outcomes for the Global Development major. By the completion of the program, students will be able to:

  1. Describe, critique and debate competing global development paradigms, and craft and defend a personal philosophy of development. 
  2. Apply systems perspectives to analyses of current and future development problems, and to draw upon multiple disciplines for supporting evidence
  3. Demonstrate proficiency in research design and data collection OR analyzing and synthesizing quantitative, qualitative or geospatial data using at least one type of analytical method to reach defensible conclusions to inform science, policy, program design or practice. 
  4. Develop and apply professional and technical skills in the context of development research, practice and policy.
  5. Communicate to diverse audiences how their engaged experiences inform and enrich their understanding of research, practice or policy. 
  6. Exhibit attitudes of openness, humility and respect in interactions with others, including those who hold different perspectives and worldviews, or who differ along lines of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual identity, socioeconomic class or political or religious affiliation.

Policies

  • All required GDEV core and concentration courses must be taken for a letter grade (except for 1105, 3500/3501, 3502, and 4961 which are currently only offered S/U) unless there are extenuating circumstances to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. 

  • To receive credit for the required GDEV core and concentration elective courses, a student must receive a grade of C or higher unless there are extenuating circumstances to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. 

Questions? We're here to help!

John Sipple headshot
John Sipple

Professor

Department of Global Development

Director of Undergraduate Studies

Department of Global Development

John Sipple
Pk-12 education
Sociology of communities
Policy
Lynn Morris headshot
Lynn Morris

Undergraduate Program Coordinator

Department of Global Development

Lynn Morris