Redefine the Future with International Development Studies
Career-Ready Skills to Change our World
There is a multitude of challenges that we face as a global community. At the Guelph Institute of Development Studies (GIDS), you'll build the tools and skills you need to face challenges like poverty, food insecurity, the humanitarian crisis and climate change head on and contribute to a positive, sustainable future.
The program is interdisciplinary, so you'll be tackling these issues from all sides, taking courses in the areas of anthropology, environmental sciences, geography, history, sociology, political science, and philosophy in addition to international development core courses.
You'll also have the opportunity to take your learning out of the classroom and into the real world with career-oriented experiences embedded into your degree. Learn more about study abroad, course-based experiential learning, Field Schools and volunteering.
- 5 Specializations
- to choose from to customize your degree
- 30+ Countries
- available as study abroad options to expand your horizons
- 2-6 Weeks
- of hands-on learning through field schools
- 16 Months
- of co-op work experience during your degree
Join a Generation of Changemakers
Turn your Passion into Skills
Fueled by your passion, you'll choose one of five areas of emphasis that will help you develop the skills you need to impact the big issues facing our world that you care about the most.
Turn your Skills into Action
Test out theory in the real world through hands-on experiences built into the program, including exchange, field schools, co-op, volunteering, and course-based experiential learning.
Turn your Action into Change
After graduation, you'll launch an impactful career locally or abroad and join the community of GIDS alumni working around the world, using your expertise to effect equitable change.
Five Areas of Emphasis to Choose From
Whether you're passionate about the environment, gender and inclusivity, food security, or development—whether in Canada or internationally—you can choose a specialization that will transform your interests into the knowledge and skills needed to create meaningful change. Our five areas of emphasis offer a variety of elective courses you can choose from, allowing you to design a program that aligns with your aspirations and goals. Your journey to creating meaningful change starts here!
Discover the critical role of agriculture and the agrifood system in combating hunger and improving nutrition and health, both locally and globally. By the end of this program, you will be empowered and equipped to drive positive, inclusive, and sustainable change while helping to alleviate food insecurity.
Sample Courses
- Eating Sustainably in Ontario
- Food Security, Nutrition and International Development
- Poverty, Food and Hunger
- More Agriculture and Food Security courses
Development challenges exist worldwide, including within Canada. By focusing on development in the Canadian context, you will explore issues such as poverty, global migration, inequality, Indigenous-settler relations, and food insecurity right here at home. This program gives you the knowledge and tools to create real, inclusive change in Canada.
Sample Courses
- Gender and Change in Rural Canada
- Migration, Inequality and Social Change
- Governments and Indigenous Spaces
- More Inequalities and Social Justice in the Canadian Context courses
In places where institutions are weak or unstable, complex issues such as migration, conflict, social change, and the effects of colonization often come into play. By studying development in these fragile areas, you'll look at challenges like government failure, rebuilding after conflict, and social insecurity, all while learning how to create smart and effective strategies for positive change.
Sample Courses
- Culture, Rights and Development
- Revolution in the Modern World
- Migration, Inequality and Social Change
- More Politics and Conflict in Development courses
How can we make development sustainable for both our communities and the planet? Dive into the issues caused by environmental change and how we use natural resources. You will explore topics such as urban growth, consumerism, environmental policies, natural disasters, water use, land use, and climate change. Now is the time to take action and create positive, lasting change for a more sustainable future!
Sample Courses
- Environment, Justice and Society
- Global Environmental Change
- Media, Digital Technology and Environment
- More Environment and Sustainable Development courses
This area of focus emphasizes the importance of viewing development through an inclusive lens, particularly in relation to gender. You will examine how development often excludes or negatively impacts women and other marginalized groups and gain the skills to create policies that promote inclusivity, addressing not only gender but also sexuality, race, Indigenous communities, and other groups that have been overlooked or mistreated.
Sample Courses
- Global Gender Justice
- Women and Cultural Change
- Sexuality, Gender, Race, and Indigeneity
- More Gender and Inclusive Development courses
"We know the challenges facing our world can seem daunting, but in International Development Studies, we dive headfirst into exploring the difficult questions needed to really understand these issues. Our interconnected world needs passionate changemakers who can understand these challenges from multiple perspectives on a global scale, and that's exactly what we train our students to do."
Get Meaningful Work Experience with Co-op
As an International Development student, you have the option to apply to the co-op program for real-world work experience. You'll get a head start on building your professional networks and develop essential interpersonal skills needed to succeed in the workplace — all while getting paid and earning your degree.
International Development students have completed work terms such as:
- Junior Policy Analyst, Public Safety Canada
- Research Associate, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
- Junior Project Analyst, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
- Workplace Engagement Officer, United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin
The International Development Studies co-op program includes four work terms in addition to eight academic semesters for a total of four and a half years of study. Learn more about the co-op program.
What Our Graduates Say
"As an International Development Studies student, I knew that I needed to study abroad to get to know different cultures. Although going on exchange was one of the scariest things I've ever done in my life, it was also one of the most enriching. It has definitely broadened my horizons and made me more appreciative of different cultures."
"One course I took was about global food systems and security, and now I actually work alongside some of those authors whose work I read in that class... I also took a course where we went to the Yukon and studied northern food systems and food security, which is a key component to the work I do now. That definitely helped land this job."
Where Will Your Degree Take You?
The IDS program is designed to prepare you for a meaningful career where you can make positive, sustainable and equitable change. When you graduate, you'll join a network of changemakers working around the world on pressing issues such as food insecurity, climate change and inequality.
The foundation you build as an International Development student will prepare you for a wide range of career possibilities, including:
- Economic Development Officer
- Teacher
- International Aid Worker
- Lawyer
- Policy Analyst
- Immigration Officer
- Global Affairs Executive
- Community Development Worker