To be considered for admission, an applicant must have a recognized Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in a relevant discipline or related interdisciplinary field. Applicants to the collaborative IDS program must meet the specific departmental admission requirements, which vary from one department to another. For information on the admission requirements and application deadlines of your selected department, please contact the relevant department directly.

In addition to the specific departmental admission requirements, applicants are expected to have a strong background in the social sciences a demonstrable track record of experience in the course-based study of development issues, development research and/or development practice and a stated research interest relating to international development.

Students complete requirements for the departmental degree as well as the IDS components which consist of three courses, including an interdisciplinary course on theories and debates, a course relating student-selected research topics to the larger context of international development, and a seminar series with invited speakers. While the students have to successfully complete these courses to remain in the collaborative IDS program, they do not have to pass a separate qualifying examination in addition to the departmental qualifying exam. Furthermore, the expectation is that the IDS students’ PhD research will bridge two or more disciplines in a way that relates to the field of IDS.

For further information regarding course offering, please contact the IDS Graduate Secretary.

Departmental requirements are assigned in collaboration with the student's home department. See respective departmental web pages.