Master's in Community Development and Applied Economics

Program Overview

The CDAE program offers graduate students hands-on learning experiences that empower them to make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world. 

Our faculty have expertise in economics (ecological and neoclassical), food systems, public policy, renewable energy, public communication, consumer affairs, and community economic development. 

Students engage in a transdisciplinary approach to research that prepares them for leadership positions in the non-profit and government sectors, as well as in socially and ecologically responsible businesses. Students may choose graduate courses from within CDAE or from a broad cross-section of courses in other UVM colleges.

Our Vision

The world is increasingly complex and the problems needing to be solved are undeniably multi-faceted. CDAE utilizes a holistic framework and interdisciplinary coursework. Faculty and students engage in socially transformative research that stimulates action to build and enhance resilient communities. Our vision is to nourish sustainable communities through inclusive teaching, research, and outreach. 

Spotlight: Students Break Ground for a Lawn-Free Burlington

Graduate students in the course Applied Ecological Economics: Urban Agroecology had a long-term mission: Transform area lawns so that they support wildlife and grow food.

In the spring of 2025, some 40 students and volunteers planted an experimental food forest at the UVM Horticultural Farm. Designed by UVM professor Fortino Acosta, it includes hundreds of plants—a mix of fruit and nut trees, shrubs, and ground cover plants.

Read more the lawn-conversion project 

Spotlight: Radio Ecozoic

The first in her family to pursue higher education, Lizah Makombore, a CDAE PhD fellow from Zimbabwe with the Leadership for the Ecozoic Initiative, discusses her life and work and the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu — a set of principles that emphasize community-centered action through the teaching, "I am because we are — on an episode of the podcast Radio Ecozoic.

Read more about Makombore, and listen to the podcast

Concentrations

Students may choose to pursue a Graduate Certificate alongside their MS degree.

• Community Resilience and Planning
• Electrical Engineering
• Complex Systems
• Public Health
• For a full list of certificates and the requirements for certificates and micro-certificates

Curriculum

Required courses include:

• CDAE 6510 Research Methods
• CDAE 6540 Advanced Microeconomics
• CDAE 6920 Graduate Seminars (taken in each of the first three semesters)
• Approved Statistics/Research Course
• CDAE 6260 Community Economic Development
• CDAE 6590 Applied Econometrics
• CDAE 6391 Thesis Research

Four elective courses: these can be taken from within CDAE or in other units, including Certificate courses.

Deadlines

January 15th for funding consideration, otherwise rolling.

Admissions

Students are admitted to UVM’s Master’s in Community Development and Applied Economics program from a wide variety of academic backgrounds, but they must have a 3.0 GPA or equivalent from their bachelor's degree.

Required academic prerequisites include course work in microeconomics and calculus or a CLEP exam. Admission may be granted without these prerequisites, in which case you must complete them in your first semester in the graduate program. 

Students must submit a resumé and three letters of recommendation attesting to the candidate’s academic potential for graduate work and motivation for pursing the M.S. in CDAE. 

To be considered for funding, applicants are invited to submit a writing sample, evidence of research experience (e.g., term papers, class projects, research reports and/or other descriptions of past research experience from academic or professional lives), and/or GRE scores. Please submit your CDAE M.S. application by January 15 of the year in which you wish to enroll. Limited funding is available for the best qualified students.

For international students whose native language is not English or who have not completed undergraduate degrees in English, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores, IELTS, or Duolingo scores must be submitted.

Outcomes

As an alum of the CDAE MS program, you will be well-positioned for a career in an array of community development-related fields.

Just a few examples of alumni careers:

• Analyst, Goodworks Ventures
• Project Analyst, SSG Advisors
• Program Manager, Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.
• Owner/Consultant, Small Systems Consulting
• Founder, Al Freshco
• Project Manager, ICF International
• Director, Center for Women and Enterprise Vermont
• Energy Analyst, NH Office of Energy and Planning
• Research Specialist, Center for Rural Studies, UVM
• Knowledge Manager, Resonance Global
• Program Specialist and Undergraduate Advisor, UVM
• Associate Professor, UVM
• Outreach Coordinator, Middlebury College Office of Sustainability Integration
• Land Treatment Planner, Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Assistant Professor, Colby College
• Director of Operations, Child Development Division, VT Department of Children and Families
• Energy Efficiency Analyst, National Grid
• Senior Lecturer, CDAE, UVM
• PhD Candidate, Penn State University
• Government Administration, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, D-HI
• Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Deputy Director and Co-Founder, GreenWave
• Community and Economic Development Coordinator, Village of Johnson, VT
• Watershed Coordinator/Director, Lamoille County Natural Resources Conservation District
• Data Analyst, Philadelphia Department of Health
• Agricultural Development Coordinator, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets
• Regional Director, Amigos de las Americas
• Marketing Director and Food Safety Coordinator, Northeast Organic Farming Association
• Policy and Outreach Staffer, Office of US Senator Bernie Sanders
• Director of Public Policy, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
• Hunger Council Organizer, Hunger Free Vermont
• Executive Director, Vermont Community Garden Network
• Senior Research Associate, Center on an Aging Society
• Director of Business Development and Marketing, Visiting Nurses Association
• Lecturer and PhD Candidate, UVM

Costs and Funding

The cost of UVM’s M.S. in Community Development and Applied Economics program is $692 per credit hour for Vermont residents and $1,860 per credit hour for out-of-state residents, plus mandatory fees. 

A limited number of research and teaching assistantships are available to the top applicants. Submit your application to the program by January 15th to be considered for an assistantship. Funding offers are made in March.

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers are eligible for the Coverdell Fellowship and the Peace Corps Recruiter position.

UVM graduate tuition and fees

More

Meet our faculty here.