Academics

The International Development Group (IDG) at MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning is the largest, most established program within a U.S. planning school devoted to graduate study and research in subjects specific to the developing world. This program group attracts internationally focused students with a wide range of backgrounds, work experiences, and interests. It provides students with an integrated view of the institutional, economic, physical and socio-political factors necessary for effective planning in today's world.

Our students are seriously committed to change and the belief that change is attainable. They aim to be facilitators of such change, if only by way of such commitment, previous experiences promoting change and the training they receive in DUSP. Through courses, internships, group projects, and sponsored workshops, our students show themselves to be hard working, goal-oriented, and full of initiative.

One especially unique value of our student body is its diversity. We attract students from a wide range of national, international, and ethnic/cultural origins and a variety of professional backgrounds in all our programs. The diversity within our student body is expressed in the breadth of interest and research areas of our students. The range of their Masters’ thesis subjects is just one illustration of such diversity.