The program is open to qualified graduates from a wide variety of disciplines including agriculture, home economics, sociology, communication, education, health and medicine, history, and economics. A four-year honours degree is considered as the normal and basic admission requirement. Work experience in a rural area or non-urban community is considered especially useful in applying theory to practice and in identifying research needs and topics.

Students in Capacity Development and Extension have employment backgrounds in areas such as agricultural extension, rural and volunteer organizations, community development, non-formal education, family and consumer studies, social work, communication technology, health, international project management, and technology transfer.

A minimum of two full-time semesters of course work, or equivalent, must be completed. Thesis and Major Paper options are available.

All students enrolled in this program are required to complete a Thesis or a Major Research Paper, and a set of core courses that provide a foundation for capacity development and extension research and practice.