Economic & Social Development of Regions Masters Program

Offered by the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the ESDR program is designed to serve students from a variety of backgrounds, from both the United States and abroad. It attracts recent undergraduates from liberal arts fields such as social sciences (economics, sociology, psychology, political science) and history, and also from practice-oriented fields such as management, education and engineering. For those already working in public or private sector fields related to economic and social development, it can enhance skills and provide opportunities for career advancement.
 
This program gives students the opportunity to earn either a Graduate Certificate or a Master of Arts degree that is designed to prepare them to understand, analyze, and intervene in the economic and social development of regions. Students learn how to look at a region as a whole, discover innovative solutions, and intervene in communities for positive change.

Interdisciplinary in nature, the program draws on the fields of economics, history, political science, psychology, sociology, and urban planning. Program flexibility allows students to chose an appropriate mix of research and practitioner skills to meet their individual interests and goals. Students learn how to use technical tools such as geographic information systems and statistical analysis, while simultaneously conducting field research in actual communities and industries. Students investigate the relations between local development and the national and international economies. Opportunities are presented to examine the social and environmental dimensions of development, and to compare regional strategies for development from around the globe.

Graduates of the program will be prepared to assume professional roles in local, state, and national government agencies (in the United States and abroad); in research, consulting, and planning aspects of business; and in civil society (non-profit) organizations working on economic or social development. Students who choose to do so will also be prepared to go on to doctoral programs in social sciences, history, public policy, planning, and management.