Written by BK Sahni · Reviewed by the Editorial Team · Last updated: 15 September 2026

Start here

What is the IGNOU MADE project?

Most confusion around this course comes from the codes, not the research. The same project appears under two programme codes and two course codes, and the handbook students are told to read still carries the older one. The table below fixes the basic facts before anything else.

The code puzzle

MDEP-520, MDEP-420, MADE and MADEOL: is it the same project?

Yes. A learner searching for the IGNOU MADE project meets four labels, and all four point to one course of study. The current programme structure published for MADEOL lists MDEP-520 Project Work at 8 credits in the second year. STRIDE’s July 2020 assignment booklet for second-year MADE learners gives the instructions under the heading MDEP-520, yet tells learners to read the “Handbook on Project Work (MDEP-420)”. The handbook on eGyanKosh opens by welcoming learners to “MDEP-420: Project Work”.

In practice, this means the older handbook remains the working guideline for MDEP-520. Quote MDEP-520 on every document you send, because that is the code attached to your registration and your evaluation fee.

Choosing the kind of project

Which stream should you choose for the MADE project?

Choose the stream that matches the work you can actually do in your setting. Part B of the handbook is titled “Streams and Thematic Areas”, and it lists themes such as the status and prospects of the distance education system. The handbook also allows any theme related to distance education that is not on its list.

Guides that reproduce the handbook describe three kinds of project. The handbook itself is the authority on the exact list, so check Part B of your copy before you commit.

Research stream

A study that investigates a question about distance education: learner support, retention, counselling, assessment, media use or management. This is the natural choice for learners with access to a study centre, an open school or an online programme where data can be collected.

Development of learning material in a chosen medium

Here the learner designs material in audio, video or multimedia form. The proposal has to justify why that medium suits the content and the learners, and state what the material is expected to achieve.

Training stream

The learner plans a training programme for a group inside a distance education institution, for example academic counsellors or study centre staff. The proposal explains why the training is needed and how the institution and the participants would benefit.

The first document

How do you write the MDEP-520 project proposal?

Write a short, focused proposal that states the topic, the objectives and the method, and send it to STRIDE for approval before collecting any data. The July 2020 STRIDE instructions ask learners to read the handbook, develop a proposal, include their email address and phone number, and submit it to STRIDE. The handbook adds that the learner must incorporate any comments the course coordinator returns.

For a research-stream proposal, the elements reproduced from the handbook by several guides are these:

1. An introduction to the chosen topic and why it matters to distance education.
2. A statement of objectives, kept to a small number. Reproductions of the handbook cap them at four.
3. A hypothesis, if the study has one; otherwise a research question.
4. The methodology and the planned data collection.
5. The population and sample size, where the study involves fieldwork.

The same guides put the proposal at around 500 words. That figure is useful as a ceiling for planning, but confirm it against Part A of your own handbook copy, since the original text could not be checked directly for this article.

One connection is easy to miss. MDE-415 Research Methods for Distance Education runs in the same year as MDEP-520, and its July 2020 assignment asked learners to describe the heads and sub-heads of a research proposal in distance education. Work done for that assignment is, in effect, a draft outline for the project proposal. Treat the two together and the proposal stops being a separate task.

Guidance and approval

Who guides and approves the IGNOU MADE project?

STRIDE faculty guide the IGNOU MADE project, and the proposal is approved through STRIDE. The handbook answers this directly in its FAQ: the project is a guided activity, and STRIDE faculty guide learners from the proposal stage through to report writing. Proposals are addressed to the Course Coordinator at STRIDE.

This is where MADE differs from the pattern many learners have heard about from friends in management programmes. In MMPP-001 for the MBA, for example, the learner finds an eligible external guide and attaches the guide’s signed bio-data to the proposal. The MADE handbook describes a different arrangement, with the institute’s own faculty guiding the work. BK Sahni, who has guided 5,00,000 students till date, notes that learners who copy a management-style proposal pack, with an outside supervisor’s bio-data, are solving a problem the MADE route does not describe. Confirm the current guidance arrangement with STRIDE before you look for anyone outside the institute.

If you have questions during the work, the handbook points learners to academic counselling sessions first and then to the course coordinator. Contact details change over time, so use the email given in the most recent STRIDE assignment booklet or programme guide, and quote your name and enrolment number in every message.

Addresses and routes

Where does each MADE project document go?

The proposal goes to STRIDE; the finished report goes to the Student Evaluation Division through the route notified for your session. Mixing these two up is the most avoidable delay in the whole course.

When a printed booklet and a live portal disagree, the portal instruction for the current session is the one that applies. The 2020 hard-copy instruction describes how the course used to run; the online portal describes how reports are received now. Check both the portal guidelines and any STRIDE notice for your session before submitting.

The portal guidelines also set the first page of the PDF. It must carry the report title, learner’s name, programme code, enrolment number as printed on the identity card, Regional Centre code, course code, mobile number and email address. The portal is only for final reports; synopses and assignments are not to be uploaded there.

The finished report

What goes into a MADE research-stream report?

A research-stream report moves from context to findings in a fixed logic. As reproduced from the handbook, it covers the research context with its rationale and significance for distance education; the aims of the study and expected outcomes; a review of earlier studies; the methodology, meaning design, sample size, tools and the plan for data processing and analysis; and a summary of findings with their implications for distance education practice.

Before submission, run the report through anti-plagiarism software. The July 2020 STRIDE instructions make this a requirement and note that the facility is available at the IGNOU library, or the learner may arrange it independently.

Picking a topic

What are good IGNOU MADE project topics?

Good topics come out of the programme’s own courses, because the faculty evaluating the work taught those courses. The examples below are illustrations built from the course titles, not an approved list.

Keep the setting small enough to reach. One study centre studied well produces a stronger report than a state-wide survey that never gets enough responses.

Avoidable setbacks

Why do MADE project proposals come back?

• Wrong destination. The proposal is sent to a Regional Centre, as other programmes require, instead of to STRIDE.
• Wrong course code. MDEP-420 is written on the documents because it appears on the handbook, while the registration is for MDEP-520.
• A topic outside distance education. A general school-education or classroom-teaching topic does not fit a programme built around open and distance learning.
• Too many objectives. Six or seven objectives cannot be met in a single-learner project; a short list is easier to defend.
• No reachable data. The proposal names a population the learner has no access to.
• Missing contact details. STRIDE asks for an email address and phone number; without them, comments cannot reach the learner quickly.
• Comments not incorporated. The handbook expects the learner to revise on the coordinator’s comments, not to resend the same draft.

Planning the year

When should a MADE learner start the project?

Start the proposal early in the second year, as soon as the handbook has been read. The project shares that year with four theory courses and their assignments, and the proposal has to clear STRIDE review before data collection can begin. Report submission dates and the project evaluation fee are tied to the Term-End Examination cycle, and the last date is fixed by notification each session. For the December 2023 examination, for example, the online portal closed on 30 November 2023; that is a historical reference, not a promise, so confirm the current date on ignou.ac.in.

For the evaluation fee, the university’s portal lists two bands for learners of the January 2023 admission cycle onwards: Rs. 300 for project work up to 4 credits and Rs. 500 above 4 credits. MDEP-520, at 8 credits, falls in the higher band. Fee notices can be revised, so check the amount shown when you fill in the examination form. How this route compares with other programmes is set out in the IGNOU project guide covering every programme.

Quick answers

IGNOU MADE project: frequently asked questions

What is the course code for the IGNOU MADE project?

The current code is MDEP-520 (Project Work). Students also search for it as MDEP 520, MDEP520, MDEP-52 or MDE 520, and the handbook is printed under the older code MDEP-420. Use MDEP-520 on every document.

How many credits is MDEP-520, and in which year is it done?

MDEP-520 carries 8 credits and is part of the second year of the Master of Arts (Distance Education), within a programme total of 64 credits.

Does the MADE project need an external guide with bio-data?

The MDEP-420 handbook describes the project as guided by STRIDE faculty from proposal to report, which differs from programmes that require an outside guide’s signed bio-data. Confirm the arrangement for your session with STRIDE before approaching anyone outside the institute.

Where should the MADE project proposal be sent?

To STRIDE at IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi, addressed to the project course coordinator, with a soft copy by email as given in the current STRIDE assignment booklet. It does not go to the Regional Centre.

Can a PGDDE holder do the MADE project?

Yes, after lateral entry. IGNOU allows PGDDE holders to join the second year of the MA (Distance Education) directly, and MDEP-520 is a second-year course. Learners who exit with the PGDDE after year one do not take the project.

What is the project evaluation fee for MDEP-520?

For learners of the January 2023 admission cycle onwards, the portal lists Rs. 500 for project work above 4 credits, which covers the 8-credit MDEP-520. It is paid with the Term-End Examination form, and the receipt goes with the report.

Is there an official word limit for the MADE project report?

No official figure was found in the IGNOU and STRIDE documents reviewed for this article. Follow the MDEP-420 handbook and your STRIDE guide on length rather than figures quoted on help sites.

Independent study-help disclosure: ignouproject.shop is run by Shri Chakradhar Publication Pvt. Ltd. and is not the official website of IGNOU or STRIDE. This article summarises published university documents for guidance only; official notifications on ignou.ac.in prevail over anything written here.

Written & Reviewed By

BK Sahni iD 0009-0005-8092-459X

Founder, Shri Chakradhar Publication Pvt. Ltd. & its IGNOU Project study-help brand, helping IGNOU distance-learning students since 2010 and having guided 5,00,000 students till date across MBA, MCom, MA & more. Author of IGNOU exam guides, solved assignments & project reference books.

Full Profile → LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Google Scholar Academia Medium Amazon Author Quora Scribd bksahni.com ↗

Editorial method: Content is cross-checked against official IGNOU and Samarth notifications and the latest assignment, exam, and project guidelines on ignou.ac.in before each update. Refreshed before every June & December TEE cycle. Published research: author of open-access IGNOU project methodology guides on Zenodo (CERN), indexed with permanent DOIs.

Disclosure: Shri Chakradhar Publication Pvt. Ltd. and ignouproject.shop are independent third-party study-help services, not the official IGNOU website. Always verify final dates and rules on ignou.ac.in.