The SAIS International Development (IDEV) Program provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of developing countries, with the aim of preparing students for careers in development.  IDEV students for Academic Year 2008-2009 will be able to take courses in three tracks:  (1)  Finance and Development,  (2)  Politics and Governance, and  (3)  Human Development. In addition, they can opt for a specialization in Development Econimics, offered through the SAIS International Economics Program, or a specialization in Emerging Markets, which is administered through the IDEV Program.  IDEV students are encuraged to combine functional approaches with SAIS' rich offerings in the development experience of specific regions like Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.

Washington, DC is in many ways the center of the development world.  It is home to multilateral lnstitutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Inter-American Development Bank; US government agencies or affiliates like the Agency for International Development, the Treasury Department, the National Endowment for Democracy; research centers like the Center for Global Development and the Brookings Institution; non-governmental organizations like Freedom House, the Eurasia Foundation, FINCA, Accion, and InterAction; and many for-profit service providers like Chemonics International or Development Alternatives International.

Students in the IDEV program receive rigorous academic training that helps them better conceptualize the development process in its economic, political, and social dimensions.  Many students combine this program with practical policy and field experience through an internship between their first and second years. Students also can expand their contacts with development practitioners through the networking that is possible in the Washington area.