International Conservation and Development

International Conservation and Development (ICD) is an M.S. degree option in Resource Conservation that addresses ecological and social aspects of environmental change, biodiversity conservation and rural development.  ICD allows students to pursue independent conservation and development projects through international professional field assignments.  The ICD core curriculum and overseas experience integrate biophysical and social dimensions of land and resource management in the context economic development and social justice. Defining features of ICD include:

• Opportunity to combine graduate coursework with international field research
• Flexibility to identify and develop independent projects
• Committed, interdisciplinary faculty 
• An integrated core curriculum
  
• Close collaboration among a cohort of graduate students
• M.S. degree in Resource Conservation, International Conservation and Development

ICD students have addressed a wide range of issues around the world, including protected area management in Bhutan, community conservation in Belize, watershed management in Nicaragua, non-timber forest products management in Ethiopia, agroforestry in Zambia, reduced impact logging in Bolivia and wildlife conservation in Mongolia. Students utilize a variety of approaches and generate diverse products based on their fieldwork, including: extension education materials, field guides and peer-reviewed publications.  Student that have completed ICD studies and program graduates are employed by international and domestic organizations in both the public and private sectors, including Conservation International, WOOF, USAID, the US Forest Service, international consulting firms, while others completed doctoral studies and are now university faculty members.