{"674168":{"#nid":"674168","#data":{"type":"news","title":"World Travels Lead Graduate to New M.S. in Global Development ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhat do Rwanda, Brazil, and Puerto Rico have in common? They are all places Ana Santos traveled on her journey to \u2014 and through \u2014 Georgia Tech\u0027s new \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/globaldev.gatech.edu\/ms-global-development\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EM.S. in Global Development.\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter two years in the Peace Corps in Rwanda and a year as a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil, Santos joined the first cohort of master\u0027s students in Georgia Tech\u0027s Global Development program.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I wanted to go to the next level in my career, so I knew this was the right time for me to do my master\u0027s degree,\u0022 Santos said. As the one-year curriculum winds down and Santos prepares for graduation, she reflects on her experience and what she plans to do next.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch2\u003EPreparing for a Changing World\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESantos said she chose Georgia Tech because the blend of technical skills and theoretical knowledge was unlike any other program she was considering.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022A lot of global development work in the modern era is very data-based, and you need computer skills to succeed,\u0022 Santos said. \u0022For example, monitoring, reporting, and evaluating, known as MRE, is a growing field in global development. This program taught me the computer skills to work with data for global development, including statistical analysis, empirical research methods, and geographic information systems.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESantos put those skills to the test in her spring capstone course in Puerto Rico. The Urban Planning Studio, led by Assistant Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/inta.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/alberto-fuentes\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAlbert Fuentes\u003C\/a\u003E in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, traveled to the U.S. territory for one week over spring break.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThere, the team combined research, data analysis, and fieldwork \u2014 such as talking with community leaders, government officials, industry leaders, and legal aid organizations \u2014 to understand the impact of the recent natural disasters in Puerto Rico and what the recovery effort has been like in the public sector. Now, they are finalizing a written report for their clients at the Center for New Economy in Puerto Rico.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch2\u003E12 Months, One Degree\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe M.S. in Global Development combines courses from the School of Economics, the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, and the School of City and Regional Planning.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStudents take five required courses and can choose from over 50 electives to complete their curriculum. Classes range from econometric analysis to urban ecological design to big data and security and can be tailored based on personal interests and future plans.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022One of the things that made the program the best option for me was that it could be done in one academic year,\u0022 Santos said. \u0022I wanted to study what was most relevant for me and the skills I needed and then re-enter the workforce as soon as possible. And this one-year program enabled me to do that.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESantos hopes to work in U.S. foreign assistance after graduation, but says leaving Georgia Tech and the Global Development program is bittersweet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I would love to stay. I\u0027m having a great time, and I\u0027m sorry I couldn\u0027t take every single class that was offered,\u0022 she said. \u0022But I\u0027ve learned a lot for such a short amount of time.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EReady to embark on your own journey in global development? Explore \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/globaldev.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0027s program\u003C\/a\u003E today!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhat do Rwanda, Brazil, and Puerto Rico have in common? They are all places Ana Santos traveled on her journey to \u2014 and through \u2014 Georgia Tech\u0027s new M.S. in Global Development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"What do Rwanda, Brazil, and Puerto Rico have in common? They are all places Ana Santos traveled on her journey to \u2014 and through \u2014 Georgia Tech\u0027s new M.S. in Global Development."}],"uid":"35766","created_gmt":"2024-04-12 18:49:06","changed_gmt":"2024-05-03 15:06:52","author":"dminardi3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-04-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-04-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673700":{"id":"673700","type":"image","title":"Santos.png","body":null,"created":"1712947759","gmt_created":"2024-04-12 18:49:19","changed":"1712947759","gmt_changed":"2024-04-12 18:49:19","alt":"Ana Santos posing in front of the GT Wreck car with Buzz","file":{"fid":"257129","name":"Santos.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/04\/12\/Santos.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/04\/12\/Santos.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2491070,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/04\/12\/Santos.png?itok=Z_puBZ3_"}}},"media_ids":["673700"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1285","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"},{"id":"1282","name":"School of Economics"}],"categories":[{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:dminardi3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EDi Minardi\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}