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The Payson Center for International Development is an interdisciplinary center at Tulane University's Law School that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in international development. Since its inception in 1998, the Payson Center has generated one of the fastest growing academic programs at Tulane University. Offering a coordinate undergraduate major in International Development as well as Master’s and Ph.D. degrees, the Payson Center prepares its graduates with a solid foundation of interdisciplinary theories and practices to improve the quality of life for populations in the developing world. The focus of the program is on sustainable human development (SHD) which leads to societies that are environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and socially just.
Understanding and ensuring sustainable human development requires that our faculty come from many disciplines. Faculty teaching and working in the Payson Center come from many disciplines including: international development, law and business, economics, public health, anthropology, sociology, engineering, computer science, political science and psychology. We are an applied program where students and faculty alike learn not only in the classroom but in the world. Many of our students work on international development projects with our faculty. Since its inception, the Center has administered 34 projects in 25 countries, with a combined project budget of over $52 million.
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Students in the Payson Center come from many regions in the world. To meet their needs, we offer some of our courses online. Our graduates are working for international organizations, managing non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and are professors and practitioners around the world.
The Payson Center’s Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy is dedicated to the systematic strengthening of global humanitarian leadership, a process that integrates education, research, and application, to achieve increased resilience in communities and individuals impacted by natural and manmade disasters. The DRLA is an interdisciplinary academic center with participating faculty from Tulane’s School of Architecture, A.B. Freeman School of Business, School of Law, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and School of Social Work.
Learn more about our programs, or apply now.
