M.Ed. in Community Development Action (CDA)

The Community Development Action program trains professionals seeking to foster developmental change in human communities. Through analysis, you will investigate the concept of development of human potential as freedom to choose among opportunities. The program is designed for people with the intellectual drive and creativity to pursue the link between analysis and action.

The CDA program will equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to enable you to work on community development effectively in for-profit and not-for-profit settings. The faculty is particularly experienced in social policy, project design, and evaluation in the economic, health, environmental, education, and governance sectors of community development.

Through our field school in international and domestic communities and practicum placements in agency contexts, students learn to conduct primary and secondary data collection and analysis in order to design and implement interventions.

For further information, contact Professor Sharon Shields via e-mail or by phone at (615) 343-2561.

For information on how to apply, visit our graduate and professional admissions page, or contact: Sherrie Lane
Department of Human and Organizational Development
Vanderbilt University
Peabody #90
230 Appleton Place
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-5721
(615) 322-8484