Master of Early Child Development (MECD)

Launched in 2025, the Human Development Programme (HDP) offers the Master of Early Child Development (MECD) to promote human development through a multidisciplinary, integrated approach combining education, service, and research. The goal of this program is to provide high-quality education that develops skilled professionals and leaders in the field of ECD, with specializations in Health and Education, tailored for the Global South and other regions of the world.

Through MECD the rich expertise of AKU in ECD is brought together to deliver a unique academic program, which offers a diverse and cross-border perspective, while maintaining local context. This is an international program offered jointly from AKU entities in Pakistan and East Africa, and open to applicants from across the world. This collaboration involves the following AKU partners:

1. Human Development Programme (HDP): Coordinating Partner

2. Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health (CoE-WCH)

3. Institute for Education Development, East Africa (IED-EA)

4. Institute for Education Development, Pakistan (IED-P)

5. Institute for Human Development (IHD)

A key feature of this program is its blended learning format, comprising a total of 36 credit hours, including 6 credit hours dedicated to the thesis. The program includes a substantial online component alongside a smaller, modular on-campus face-to-face segment. This blended approach makes it accessible to working professionals, students from outside Karachi, and those from other countries. Having a diverse group of learners also provides a platform to develop collaborations and linkages optimizing education and research at national and regional levels.

The program is recognized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.