Pioneer class: Master of Philosophy in Development Policy and Practice 2014

On the 14th of February 2014, the GSDPP welcomed its first intake of the part-time Master of Philosophy in Development Policy and Practice. The course runs predominantly as a distance learning course with two contact sessions at the beginning and the middle of the year. Students have enrolled from across East and Southern Africa, creating a platform for exciting and intensive debate across a variety of public sector issues for the first two weeks of classes.

The programme provides a holistic approach to working with the challenges of development faced by African public sector officials. Thus far, the lectures have covered varied topics from leadership and meditation to the interpretation and use of statistical data for public policy management - all in service of an express goal to help shape the idea of what it means to be a public sector agent of change in the twenty first century.

The course has drawn students from a wide range of fields and academic backgrounds creating a diverse mix of skills and vantage points. The combination of the broad mix of skills and the limited contact time has meant that the lecturers have had to design intensive programmes that take students from basic theory to application in the work place. The first of the contact sessions will draw to a close on the 2nd of March. However, the programme will continue throughout the year with guided assignments and a further contact session in July 2014.