6 International Development Degree Programs in Costa Rica

The Master of Arts in Gender and Development offered by UPEACE, jointly with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), aims to equip students with critical knowledge about gender studies in its intersections with development studies. Gain the skills to advance gender equality with this graduate program focused on the crucial role of women in diplomacy and development.

The Master of Arts in Development Studies and Diplomacy is an interdisciplinary and holistic program that will not only broaden student’s knowledge in the field of development studies, sustainability, and diplomacy but it will also equip them with the required soft skills for a successful international career in any of these areas of expertise. It is offered both online and face-to-face on the UPEACE campus in Costa Rica. During this program, students will analyze the different dimensions of development including, environmental, social, economic, and human dimensions as well as the theory and practice of diplomacy in the 21st century. Students will also attend skills development sessions that are designed to support their professional careers and employability. Careers in this field can be very broad. Prospective employers include governments, international organizations, development agencies, academia, and the private sector.

The Master of Arts in Development Studies and Diplomacy, offered by UPEACE in collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), is an interdisciplinary program designed to enhance students' understanding of development, sustainability, and diplomacy while equipping them with essential soft skills for a successful international career. Offered online, the curriculum explores various dimensions of development—environmental, social, economic, and human—along with contemporary diplomatic practices. Students will benefit from skills development and coaching sessions tailored to enhance their professional prospects across diverse sectors, including governments, international organizations, and academia. Additionally, participants can opt for a field visit to Geneva or The Hague, providing a unique immersion in the realms of diplomacy and international law.

The Master of Arts Degree in Environment, Development, and Peace (EDP) provides comprehensive training in issues of sustainable development, environmental governance, natural resource management, and environmental conflict management from both ecological and social perspectives. It encompasses a broad range of subjects and themes, including Food Systems, Water Management, Forestry, Coastal Resources, Climate Change, Urban Ecology, and Social Movements. The program focuses on the human dimensions of the environment-development nexus, highlighting the connections between local perspectives and broader processes at the national, regional and global levels and emphasizing the importance of political, economic structures and inequality in access to resources as key drivers in environmental conflict and global environmental change. The program prepares students for a wide range of careers in both environmental and development policy and programming in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

This master's program aims to train leaders with the elements of an integral human development for the 21st century. The essential nucleus of this formation will make it possible to understand that the conflicts we face must be transformed and solved peacefully, because that is the only way to lay the foundations for peace. The combination of these elements allows access to development in all its facets: human development, sustainable and sustainable. For this, our vision supports the notions of the United Nations that peace, human development and the transformation and resolution of conflicts must contain transversally elements related to gender equity and the principle of non-discrimination, be this racial , social, conscience, cult, or other.

The Master of Arts in Gender and Development (hybrid) is a graduate programme that offers critical knowledge in gender studies in its intersections with development studies. In addition, this programme equips students with the required soft skills for a successful international career in this field.