Challenge / Opportunity
The Columbia University’s Master of Public Administration in Development Practice (MPA-DP) was created in 2009 to be the most practice- and client-oriented professional advancement degree at the School of International and Public Affairs. A program to acquire the knowledge, and build the skills, experience, and networks, to make the world a better place. The success of this program requires a continuing effort to innovate the curriculum and build hands-on real-world-practice new courses and learning opportunities.
Intervention / Solution / Approach
In 2012, with the collaboration of former students, André Corrêa d’Almeida created the Development Practice Lab (DP-Lab) to methodically deliver hands-on training for high-priority skills in the development field and integrate knowledge across different disciplines. The DP-Lab is a two-semester requirement of the MPA-DP and it consists of a large number of labs taught with the participation of guest practitioners from the field. The labs are organized in five broad categories: data, technology, management and decision-making, governance, and institutional environment. In 2019, and to focus on new programs, André passed on the baton and invited his former student, Kate Granger, to lead DP-Lab.
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