MAIE740 APPLICATION 2: PROJECT / THESIS

Course Description:

Project Design or Thesis writing provides the opportunity to develop a systematic understanding of key skills and concepts essential to effective project/thesis design. By examining the Project Cycle using real projects, students learn techniques and tools needs assessment, stakeholder analysis, strategic design, logical framework, monitoring and evaluation, proposal and report writing, budgeting – used in formulating and managing projects for desired impact, while gaining knowledge of and advancing actual project/thesis work. By course end, students will also be familiar with aid and development work, its language and terminology, and different project structures, implementation practices, and strategies to address potential conflicts and obstacles. In addition, one cannot exist in the local or international arena without addressing cultural sensitivity, ethics, and socio-cultural, political and economic dilemmas.

Course Code: MAIE740

Credit hours: 3

Pre-Requisites: None

Learning Objective:

This course attempts to cover skills relevant and current in the local and international program scope of work. It is an introduction to the project/thesis design course that will move quickly. Hopefully, students will leave feeling to have broad knowledge of the different skills and strategies used in the local and international projects/thesis; perhaps not “expert” in any one skill (that could take an year), but feeling that students know the terminology and basic use of the skills to write a proposal for their thesis or project. Most sessions will begin with a lecture, but there will also be seminar discussion and activities to provide students with opportunities to practice and process what they learn. 

Course Outline:

1. Student will be able to conduct a basic needs assessment for a proposed project/thesis, including a stakeholder analysis
2. Student will be able to develop a logical framework
3. Student will be able to develop measurable indicators
4. Student will be able to have ability to insert Monitoring and Evaluation into a project/thesis
5. Student will be able to write a grant proposal
6. Student will be able to develop a project budget