About the Master of International Development Policy Program

The Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) is a flexible interdisciplinary degree program focused on early to mid-career professionals who will dedicate their careers to policymaking and public service in developing countries.

Design your own unique course of study, guided by your passions and career interests. In addition to the MIDP core courses and practicums, you may choose elective courses from the Sanford School of Public Policy, as well as departments and schools across Duke. Our staff and faculty advisors will help you create a course plan.

The core curriculum of the MIDP program includes:

• Policy Analysis for Develpment
• Economic Foundations for Development
• Empirical Analysis for Development (Statistics)
• Applied Development Economics.

The program also includes required, but ungraded practicums and a capstone Master's project.

See more course detail.

Traditional Program

48 course credits are required to obtain the traditional degree. These credits are typically completed over four academic semesters.

Explore degree requirements for the traditional program.

Accelerated Program

30 course credits are required to obtain the accelerated degree. The accelerated degree program can be completed over three traditional semesters (fall, spring, fall), or may be completed within a calendar year if the student enrolls in a summer semester and takes a sufficient number of credits courses (fall, spring, summer).

Explore degree requirements for the  accelerated program.

The MIDP Program offer a diverse range of focus areas which are designed to guide you in selecting your elective courses.  

Students may take elective courses (500 level or above) at Duke or these other universities nearby:

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• North Carolina State University
• North Carolina Central University

Focus areas do not appear on your transcript or diploma. 

Applied Development Economics

Explore the economic policy aspects of development—including issues of international trade and competitiveness, public finance and evaluation of public expenditures, banking and financial sector management, privatization, external debt management, factors that bolster economic growth, domestic revenue generation, and international capital markets. Focus areas:

Institutions, Governance and Organizations

This area has a strong foothold in political science and covers issues of public and private partnerships, civil society and governance, fiscal decentralization, political risk analysis, aid coordination, regional planning, or other sector development issues.

Social Welfare Policy

Focus on how to improve the lives of citizens by supporting their education, welfare, work and well-being. This area focuses on safety net policies as well as on issues of gender, ethnic and economic inequality, poverty reduction, building human capital, and social entrepreneurship.

Explore social policy

Environment and Energy Management and Policy

This area emphasizes international environmental and energy policy, security, regulation, and institutional development. Sanford expertise is complemented by the resources from the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability in areas such as natural resource economics, energy access, climate change, and environmental advocacy and regulation.

Explore environment and energy policy.

Global health and development

This area focuses on health equity and policy alternatives for current global health challenges. Sanford expertise is complemented by the resources of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy and the Duke Global Health Institute. Those interested may pursue the Global Health graduate certificate offered by the Duke Global Health Institute.

Explore health policy.

Peace and Conflict Resolution

This area equips future leaders to promote greater tolerance, cooperation and peace among people. Course choices focus on democracy, negotiation and conflict resolution, and the promotion of effective cooperation in international development. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers a certificate in peace and conflict resolution for two-year MIDP fellows through the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center. Students also have the opportunity to explore national security curriculum. 

Technology Policy and Development

Technology plays a crucial role in sustainable and inclusive development. This area focuses on the impact that technology has on society across industries as well as the role of technology in governance and democracy.

Explore tech policy. 

Private Sector and Development

This area focuses on the range of strategies that promote economic growth in developing countries by creating healthy enabling environments for private enterprises, whether small, medium or large. Strategies include political risk analysis, regulation, and global value chains. Additional options are also available through Duke's Fuqua School of Business.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Drawing on Duke’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship and its pioneering leadership in policy and social entrepreneurship education, this focus area aims to further enhance fellows’ abilities to explore the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems and complexities, as well as develop innovative and entrepreneurial methods to address local and global challenges. Those interested may pursue a graduate certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

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The faculty at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy have earned national and international recognition for excellence in research, policy engagement and teaching. 

Sanford has a diverse mix of academic scholars and professors of the practice whose practical experience in top leadership roles enhances the classroom experience.

Faculty members collaborate across disciplines to explore questions relating to income inequality, obesity and hunger, energy policy, child neglect and abuse, access to health care, democratization, foreign policy and global concerns.

• Browse all Duke Sanford faculty bios
• Sort Duke Sanford faculty by theme
• Look at Duke Sanford faculty & research overview

Internships

A summer internship or consultancy for traditional, two-year MIDP fellows is a required component of the program. Internships are optional for accelerated degree seekers. MIDP students have interned at organizations around the world such as:

• The International Organization for Migration
• U.S. Institute of Peace
• The World Bank
• International Finance Corporation
• Asian Development Bank
• UNICEF
• Partners Global
• Heifer International
• Oxfam
• The Organization for European Development and Cooperation.

Master's Project

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All students work closely with a faculty advisor while completing a yearlong capstone project. For example, Goharik Tigranyan MIDP'24 completed a project focused on reforming the financial mechanisms that support disability-inclusive education in Armenia.

Read Goharik's story.

Concurrent Certificates

Many students opt to earn a concurrent certificate offered by another department or school at Duke, including:

• African and African American Studies
• East Asian Studies
• Global Health
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• International Peace and Conflict Transformation: This certificate, offered by the University of North Carolina, requires 15 credits on topics related to international peace and conflict transformation plus participation in the Duke-UNC Rotary seminars. It is only open to Duke MIDP students. Contact Susan Carroll.
• Latin American and Caribbean Studies
• Middle East Studies
• Russian Legal Studies
• Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies

International Development Policy Certificate

Current, full-time graduate or professional students at Duke or nearby inter-institutional partners who are not enrolled in the MIDP program can pursue a concurrent graduate certificate in international development policy (IDP). Learn more about the IDP graduate certificate.