Candidate Profiles

This course has been designed for development professionals who occupy positions (ideally managerial) in public or private associations and institutions, or individuals seeking to re-orient their careers. When called upon to make decisions, these individuals are confronted on a daily basis with economic, sociological, political, anthropological or ecological issues the answers to which may at times lie beyond their areas of professional expertise. This course does not claim to make them experts in any of these fields. Rather, the IMAS affords them the opportunity to gain an overall appreciation of the interdependence of these issues, an awareness of the value of approaching these problems from an interdisciplinary perspective, and, if need be, knowledge of when to call on the services of experts.

Examples of candidate profiles

• The doctor responsible for managing public health at the district level
• The agricultural engineer responsible for a local NGO providing support in village or rural settings
• The sociologist responsible for participatory planning in a consultancy firm
• The teacher responsible for the implementation of a literacy programme
• The hydrologist managing a technical water operation in a rural setting
• The economist responsible for a training of trainers programme

Recruitment of applicants is carried out on a continent-by-continent basis, with priority being given to certain regions:

• The Sahel in Africa – the Andean region in Latin America – the Greater Mekong in Asia – Switzerland, European countries and North America.
• About a dozen applicants are selected by region (Africa, Asia and Latin America). Candidates from Switzerland, Europe and North America (6 in total) join one of the three groups in Africa, Asia and Latin America during the first phase of the programme. They may, however, undertake their field study in an area in the North (phase 2).