International Development Minor

Overview

Beginning in Fall 2025, PDRI‑DevLab will administer Penn’s new International Development minor, a dynamic program designed to empower students to confront the world’s most urgent development challenges. Building on PDRI-DevLab’s frontier research in areas such as migration and forced displacement; land governance and conservation; and big data and climate resilience, the minor integrates rigorous academic training with hands‑on problem‑solving.

The International Development minor is designed for students seeking to enrich their primary field of study with a robust interdisciplinary examination of the multifaceted social challenges associated with international development. This minor encourages exploration of critical development issues through diverse academic lenses, allowing students to contextualize their major within the broader framework of global change and development. Through a carefully curated selection of approved courses, students will delve into the complexities of development in impoverished nations and underprivileged regions of wealthier countries. The minor emphasizes the interconnectedness of various social, economic, and political factors that influence development processes, enabling students to critically analyze both internal dynamics and external pressures, and allowing them to engage inside and outside the classroom. For personalized advising or to discuss how the International Development minor fits your academic plan, please contact Dr. Heather Huntington (hlarue@sas.upenn.edu).

Requirements

To qualify for the International Development minor, students must complete six courses for a grade; up to three of these courses may overlap with courses counted toward the student’s major. Below is a list of courses that have been pre-approved for the International Development minor. For full requirements and course descriptions, please visit: https://catalog.upenn.edu/undergraduate/programs/international-development-minor/

Political Science foundation – 3 courses

Interdisciplinary electives – 3 courses (selected in consultation with the Associate Director of the Undergraduate Program)