Curriculum
Regular Standing: 45-50 Credits
The regular standing two-year program requires 45-50 credits of coursework and at least 300 hours of internship. Students in the regular two-year program complete the social science foundation courses, as well as the advanced courses. Following is an outline of course requirements. For more detailed information on these classes, see the Andrews University Bulletin.
Social Science Foundations—8 cr.
SOCI520 (2cr) Concepts of Community Development
SOCI550 (2cr) Social Policy
SOCI508 (2cr) Emergency Preparedness
ANTH600 (2cr) Seminar in Cultural Anthropology
Planning/Evaluation—6 cr.
SOCI530 (2cr) Community Needs Assessment & Capacity Mapping
SOCI535 (2cr) Program Planning, Budgeting & Grantmanship
SOCI545 (2cr) Program Implementation & Evaluation
Economics—2 cr.
ECON500-002 (2cr) Survey of Economics—Macro
Management—5–6 cr.
PSYC515 (2cr) Organization & Human Resources*
* If PSYC515 is not available, a student may take
BSAD515 (3cr) Organizational Behavior
Prerequisite: BSAD355 (3cr) Management & Organization
BSAD530 (3cr) Management of NPO
Prerequisite: BSAD355 (3cr) Management & Organization
Individual and Organizational Accountability—7–8 cr.
ACCT500 (2cr) Survey of Accounting*
*If student has ACCT500 or equivalent in last 2 years, take
ACCT620 (3cr) Financial Statement Analysis
SOCI640 (2cr) Ethics in Development
SOCI580 (2cr) Seminar in Community Development Leadership
PSYC640 (1cr) Professional Development Seminar
SOCI677 (0cr) Colloquium
Research Requirements (Capstone Activities)—8–10 cr.
SOCI432 (2cr) Research Methods II: Introduction
Prerequisite: BHSC230 Research Methods I (or equivalent)
SOCI533 (2cr) Research Methods III: Advanced Research Design—Exp.
and Survey
SOCI534 (2cr) Research Methods IV: Advanced Statistical Analysis &
SPSS©
SOCI698 (2cr) Research Project
OR
SOCI699 (4cr) Master’s Thesis
Practicum Requirements—2 cr.
SOCI680 (2cr) = 300 hours Field Practicum
Concentration Electives—6–8 cr.
TOTAL credits required—45–50 cr.
Advanced Standing: 30+ Credits
The advanced standing one-year program requires 30+ credits of coursework and at least 300 hours of internship. This alternative will allow students to finish their MSA in one year, provided that they have taken the following courses (or courses of similar content) during their junior and senior years in college: Social Policy, Emergency Preparedness, Anthropology, macroeconomics, Organization and Human Resources, Survey/Fundamentals of Accounting, Research Methods II, III, & IV. As a result, requirements for the one-year advanced standing program are reduced by 18 credits. Following is an outline of course requirements. For more detailed information on these classes, see the Andrews University Bulletin.
Social Science—2 cr.
SOCI520 (2cr) Concepts of Community Development
Planning/Evaluation—6 cr.
SOCI530 (2 cr) Community Needs Assessment & Capacity Mapping
SOCI535 (2 cr) Program Planning, Budgeting & Grantmanship
SOCI545 (2 cr) Program Implementation & Evaluation
Management—3 cr.
BSAD530 (3 cr) Management of NPO
Prerequisite: BSAD355 (3cr) Management & Organization
Individual and Organizational Accountability—5 cr.
SOCI640 (2 cr) Ethics in Development
SOCI580 (2 cr) Seminar in Community Development Leadership
PSYC640 (1 cr) Professional Development Seminar
SOCI677 (0 cr) Colloquium
Research Requirements (Capstone Activities)—2–4 cr.
SOCI698 (2cr) Research Project
OR
SOCI699 (4cr) Master’s Thesis
Practicum Requirements—2 cr.
SOCI680 (2 cr) = 300 hours Field Practicum
Concentration Electives—8–12 cr.
TOTAL credits required—30+ cr.
It is expected that all majors will present at least one paper at a professional conference and publish at least one article in a professional journal before graduation.
Click here for more information on Concentration Electives.
Research Project and Thesis Information
Student Supervisory Committees - Master’s Degree Committee
A student’s project supervisory committee normally consists of a minimum of two members nominated by the department chair/ program director/ area coordinator in consultation with the student and appointed by the appropriate dean or graduate program coordinator. For a master’s thesis, the committee consists of the thesis advisor and normally two other members. Exception: For an interdisciplinary master’s degree, a committee is appointed before initial registration. All other master’s-degree student committees are appointed after some course work has been completed and before registration for thesis credits. Only rarely may a student’s committee be changed while study or research is still in progress. This may be done only in consultation with the appropriate dean or graduate program coordinator. The chair of the supervisory committee is the student’s chief advisor. The function of the committee is to guide the student in his/her research and writing of the project/thesis. A student’s supervisory committee may be augmented with additional members for the oral defense of the thesis. These additional committee members have full voting rights. The term of service of a student’s committee is deemed to have expired when a student has graduated or when registration has been terminated.
Master’s Project
The student who elects to complete a research project or projects as part of fulfilling the research requirement for the master’s degree reports it/them in conformity to the Andrews University Standards for Written Work. One copy of each report is submitted to the instructor under whose supervision it was prepared. It becomes the property of the department. Completed and signed approval forms for the project(s) must be filed in the Academic Records Office no later than noon on Friday, one week before graduation, unless an earlier time is specified by the department. Some departments require approval of the project(s) before writing the comprehensive examinations. If students need time for project preparation beyond the semester(s) when regular project credits are accumulated, they may register for project continuation. Project continuation is a non-credit enrollment status that requires a small fee for each semester of registration.
Master’s Thesis
To fulfill the thesis option for the master’s degree, a student is required to write a thesis and successfully defend it in an oral examination at an officially designated time and place.
The master’s thesis must demonstrate the candidate’s capacity for original and independent work, include a critical evaluation of previous research, and emphasize new conclusions. The format of the thesis also must conform to the guidelines found in the Andrews University Standards for Written Work.
The oral defense must be completed no later than four weeks before a candidate plans to graduate.
Comprehensive Examination
Each student in the Community and International Development Program is required to pass a written Comprehensive Examination at the end of his/her studies. The Comprehensive Examination questions will be based on the concepts and principles taught in the core courses and from the concentration requirement the student has taken during the program.
An MSA/CIDP student is not permitted to sit for the Comprehensive Examination until s/he satisfies four criteria: 1) completion of all core course work; 2) completion of all concentration requirements except the final Research Project or Master’s Thesis; 3) regular admission status in the program; 4) official advancement to degree candidacy.
Format of the Comprehensive Examination
The Comprehensive Examination will be given in a one-day session over eight hours.
A. Core Courses – 6 hours (morning)
Part A will consist of ten essay type questions covering the topics of the core courses. Students are required to select six questions to answer.
Social Science Foundations – 3 questions, choose two
Economics – 1 question, required
Accountability – 2 questions, choose one
Planning and Evaluation – 2 questions, choose one
Management – 2 questions, choose one
B. Research and Concentration - 2 hours (afternoon)
One comprehensive essay question is intended to cover the student’s area of specialization or concentration. Each student will identify in advance the area of Concentration to be covered on this portion of the Comprehensive Examination.