International Development Studies - Minor | Kellogg Institute For International Studies

Undergraduate Opportunities

International Development Studies Minor

Conduct RESEARCH in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

Gain RESOURCES to prepare you and fund your research

Build RELATIONSHIPS with faculty and peers

The goal of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies’ minor in International Development Studies (IDS) is to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to learn about and contribute to international development discourse and practice. IDS will provide context and an academic foundation for students to analyze the dynamics of development across the globe, as well as help students develop skills for effective engagement in a complex world.

International Development Studies Minors News & Spotlights

Development studies is interdisciplinary in nature, so students are required to take courses in a variety of disciplines.

This equips students with the broad lens through which to view and investigate international development challenges. Students from all colleges and departments are welcome to enroll in the program.

The IDS minor prepares students for a variety of post-graduate options related to international development, including graduate work in development studies, volunteer work or employment in the field, ranging from international and advocacy organizations, businesses, consulting firms, and policy and research groups. Regardless of what career path IDS students follow, the breath and diversity of academic and field work training help prepare them to apply their learning from the classroom to the world around them.

The IDS minor was founded by the Kellogg Institute’s Ford Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity, and today the minor is managed by the Kellogg Institute, working closely with the Ford Program. To supplement their course work, students can take advantage of the many opportunities made available by the Kellogg Institute and the Ford Program: a calendar of events, grants and internship opportunities, an annual student-led human development research conference, and other resources.

Students interested in enrolling in the minor should ensure that they can meet all requirements (see tab above).

The director of the minor is Steve Reifenberg, Sr. Strategic Advisor, Kellogg Institute. Interested students may schedule a meeting with Holly Rivers, Associate Director, Kellogg Institute.

Learning Goals

The minor in International Development Studies has four distinct learning goals:

Students will gain a firm grounding in theories of international development studies and current debates in the field. They will have a solid grasp of how various competing theories have risen to prominence at different times over the last 60 years, and how these theories play out in practice.

Through case study analysis, students will investigate how theory and practice are linked. This analysis includes exploring the dynamics between the developed and developing worlds and the debates within individual countries including, among other topics, poverty, inequality, health, education, gender, and environment.

All students will engage in an original research project in the field (typically after their junior year), and, through their senior capstone project seminar, will have a chance to systematically analyze, synthesize, and present what they have learned.

Students will learn from their fellow IDS classmates and a broad range of faculty how to approach development from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, and the ways that these different approaches and ideas can relate to the real world.

Requirements for all classes starting with the class of 2020

Students enrolled in the minor in International Development Studies (IDS) are required to complete 15 course credit hours as well as a significant field-based research project in the developing world:

Gateway - 3 credit hours

Two Electives - 6 credit hours

Research Methods Course - 3 credit hours
Students are expected to take a research methods course either through the designated IDS courses or through a methods course in a student’s major. (Courses that meet this requirement must be approved by the IDS office.)

Research Project

Junior Review Process

Capstone - 3 credit hours

Requirements for class of 2019

Gateway - 3 credit hours

Three Electives - 9 credit hours

Research Project

Junior Review Process

Capstone - 3 credit hours

International Development Studies - Minor - Enroll

Read over the requirements of the minor and ensure you have room in your schedule for the IDS minor. (It is a good idea to meet with a dean in your college to discuss how your courses are currently counting toward University, College, major and minor requirements.) Then schedule a meeting with the associate director to discuss the requirements and to learn more about the program.

Holly Rivers
Associate Director, Kellogg Institute
1130H Jenkins Nanovic Halls
Phone: 631-6023
Email: hrivers@nd.edu

Steve Reifenberg
Director, International Development Studies Minor
2130A Jenkins Nanovic Halls
Phone: 631-0517
Email: sreifenb@nd.edu