Online Master of Arts in International Community Development

Program Also Offered On-Campus ›

It takes more than good intentions to create real change in the world. It takes preparation. It takes knowledge. And it takes humility to learn from those we seek to help.

MAICD Application Information

Student Focus Areas

Our students’ areas of focus vary widely, including both local and international issues and settings. Students create thesis projects around their chosen topics, and very often put these projects into practice—either in their current professional roles, or soon after graduation. These topics have included:

Common Career Paths

Relief and Development Nonprofits

Whether you are a current seasoned professional or just starting out, we can help you take your career in relief and development to the next level. Our practical classes can be applied to many roles, including project manager, program evaluator, fundraiser, and country director.

Your Own Organization

Make your own social enterprise, nonprofit organization, business, or network more purposeful, sustainable, and effective. Some of our alumni begin the program having already launched an organization, and have used the MAICD degree to become more effective, credible, and sustainable. Others go on to start their own initiatives after graduation.

Local Government and Advocacy

Work for the department of labor, health and human services, tribal relations, city planning, advocacy and policy groups influencing the government, or nonprofits in partnerships with local government. Direct, facilitate, or serve as a consultant.

Schools and Education Systems

Start a school for a disadvantaged population, advocate on behalf of immigrant students, advise multicultural programs, organize an educational program, or teach students of all ages. Our graduates serve in all levels of education.

Church Ministries and Missions

Serve as a missions director, an urban outreach coordinator, or a missionary; transform your context through a holistic approach to intercultural work, and create healthy partnerships in your community and around the world.

Healthcare Organizations

Become a cultural communications consultant or a minority rights advocate, start a clinic, or facilitate the sustainable growth of improved healthcare in a particular context. Medical professionals often take our program as a way to orient their skillset around issues of community health and/or cross-cultural praxis.

Businesses and Foundations

Work in the corporate relations department of a business, or in a philanthropic foundation. Found your own social purpose business. Become a grant coordinator or a community impact researcher. Ensure that organizations doing great work are truly sustainable.

Plan your thesis project in Oxford

And return to another international city to defend your thesis project (most recently, to Prague). With our online global hybrid program, you will not only have the opportunity to travel for your fieldwork (if desired), but you will also have two one-week trips with your cohort, as you first process and plan your fieldwork and thesis or thesis project, and later defend and present your final work to your cohort, family, and friends. For the cohort beginning in August of 2020, these trips are scheduled for summer 2021 and summer 2022. More than just a chance to study together, these week-long trips will allow you and your peers to become both friends and central figures in each other’s emerging professional networks. It’s an important program feature that will enrich your online learning experience.

Why Choose Northwest University for your MA in International Community Development Degree?

Learn through hands-on experience.

Our practical skills classes comprise the Graduate Certificate in Outcomes-Oriented Program Management, which you will earn as a part of your MAICD degree, and feature opportunities for intensive hands-on engagement with organizations in the field.

Study in a diverse, close-knit cohort.

Our students live and work all over the world. Uniquely among Christian International Community Development programs, the MAICD does not require students to embrace a particular faith statement, so you can expect to engage a real-world variety of perspectives. And with our built-in trips, and the consistent community resulting from a retention rate of 95%, you will know your cohort well.

Maximize your cross-cultural influence.

We equip you to understand the culture of a given service context by teaching an ethos of listening well in the spirit of mutual empowerment. Our core belief? You must know a culture deeply—and surrender yourself to the wisdom of those whom you serve—if you want your efforts to have maximum impact.

Focus on your passion.

Our program allows you to tailor your fieldwork, coursework focus, and thesis project to your specific interests, while still equipping you with a global view of the field.

Understand and embrace your calling at a Christian university.

ICD professors seek to incorporate components of spiritual growth, personal transformation, and vocational exploration alongside academic learning. Our premise? The most effective service flows out of a well-developed sense of one’s core values.

Receive the highest accreditation possible.

We represent the gold standard in accreditation. You’ll strengthen your professional credibility and graduate knowing that your degree is widely recognized and deeply respected.