Program Development and Project Management
PDPM provides students the opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of key concepts and skills essential to effective program development and project management. By examining the project cycle through a potential future Practicum project, students learn techniques and tools - needs assessment, logical framework, strategic design, implementation, proposal and report writing, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy - used in a range of professional contexts.
PDPM is the prerequisite course for the Practicum, and should be taken in the penultimate semester, with the Practicum in subsequent and final semester. PDPM students work on real projects that may become a Practicum the following semester, so in choosing your PDPM project keep in mind that it may be your Practicum. You are not, however, locked into this project as your Practicum next semester; if you wish to change to another project for the Practicum you will be free to do so. Whether the project actually becomes a Practicum depends on its success and student interest.
There is no PDPM nor Practicum in summer. Registration for both is with permission. Most full time students will take PDPM in their third semester, or have completed 24 credits, prior to registering for PDPM.