New Delhi: Ambedkar University, Delhi (AUD), has launched a new M Phil (Master of Philosophy) Degree programme in Development Practice, to be offered from the ensuing academic session 2012-13. The University is offering the course in collaboration with Pradan, an NGO working towards development in the rural sector.
As per sources, the course is planned for those who are interested in community service and grassroots development. In addition, the duration of the course will be of two years (four semesters) with an intake of 25 students. The programme is a mixture of classroom and field study.
Discussing about the course, Dr Anup Dhar, Faculty, School of Human Studies and In-charge of the development practice programme, said that the university already has development studies as a full-fledged course, which basically involves research; but there was a need to have a professional course as well, which will go beyond research and actually focus on practice.
Dr Dhar also added that the University is setting up a development centre at the campus, which will become a training hub for the students. Moreover, as part of the course curriculum, the students will study development, psychological processes and group learning from both management and psychological perspectives, he said.
Elaborating on the module of the course, he explained that while the first semester is exclusively on theory, students will have a 10-week village stay and study, twice, during the second and third semesters. During the stay, they will study and work along with the village people on their problems. However, the fourth semester is the action-research phase, exclusively in the villages, as students will be initiating change projects; thereby, creating self-help groups and other such strategies.
He also informed that the project in the last semester is meant for students to lead in a small change in the village and peoples' life there. They will be required to start a feasible action-research project and document the entire process to bring about some degree of change. This project will serve as their dissertation for the programme, Dr Dhar concluded.
However, to facilitate students during their stay in the villages and project work, a fellowship of Rs 15,000 will be given to them throughout the programme. As per the eligibility criteria, students are required to have a Masters degree with 55% aggregate marks in social sciences, humanities and natural sciences or professional degrees like law, engineering, agriculture and medicine.
Furthermore, Nivedita Narain, Programme Director, HRD, Pradan, said that there is a need for young India to be involved in the development of the rural sector. The organization (Pradan) has been looking for like-minded people in higher education, such as AUD, to create professionals for development practice. She also informed that Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) is supporting the programme.
For any further details about admission and application procedure, candidates are requested to visit the University’s official website: http://www.aud.ac.in/
