Curriculum

The Master of Public Policy (MPP) program requires the completion of 48 graduate credits. The program is structured to be completed in two years, but the program can be completed in 18 months. The curriculum is composed of a core, a specialization track, electives, and the completion of an internship or an applied project. Each student can customize their specialization track and their elective course in consultation with the faculty advisor to ensure that the student meets their professional goals.

Students are required to complete the following courses.

• POL 601 - Budgeting and Financial Management and Administration

  Role of the budget in shaping public policy; managing public revenues; budgetary theory, politics, and fiscal management. Examples from state, municipal and federal governments.

  Credit Hours: 3

• POL 610 - Statistics for Politics and Public Administration

  This course focuses on the use of statistics to conduct quantitative research (i.e., statistics) in political science and public administration. The course emphasizes hands-on data work. Students will learn how to perform political analyses – and present findings in an appropriate manner – using SPSS statistical software.

  Credit Hours: 3

• POL 625 - Comparative Public Policy and Administration

  Comparison and analysis of the organizational and managerial policy problems of developed and developing nations. The administrative process will be considered within the institutional and cultural framework of each nation. Case studies will be used to focus on transition from traditional to modern techniques of public management.

  Credit Hours: 3

• POL 634 - Applied Policy Analysis

  Examines a variety of policy problems through the framework of problem definition, formulation of alternatives, assessment of alternatives, and policy impact evaluation. Students will also be introduced to cost-benefit analysis and evaluation methods.

  Credit Hours: 3

• POL 637 - Microeconomics for Public Policy

  Microeconomic theory as applied to policy making, concepts of efficiency. Microeconomic analysis and modeling to incorporate market failure and issues of uncertainty and information failure; organization models; policy instruments; policy and planning applications.

• POL 646 - Public Policy Process and Implementation

  Examination of public policy issue areas including education, health, welfare, urban mass transit. Limits to effectiveness of federal, state and local governments in providing services. Techniques for analyzing the effectiveness of public policies; research techniques for the assessment of future policy alternatives.

  Credit Hours: 3

• *New Course TBD - Introduction to Research Design, Data Collection, and Survey Research

  In addition to discussing general questions about the philosophy of science, we will cover fundamental issues such as arriving at a research question, theory building, hypothesis development, variable measurement, identifying and dealing with confounding factors, and causality, for both quantitative and qualitative analysis. We will also discuss Principles of survey construction and validation; format selection, sampling, question wording, adaptation for international audiences, response option formats, and question order.

• *New Course TBD - Macroeconomics for Public Policy

  This course examines the working of the aggregate economy. It aims to understand the key determinants of business cycle fluctuations and of long-run economic development. This includes coverage of the role of employment, productivity, trade and fiscal deficits, inflation, and interest rates. The emphasis of the course is on the impact of monetary and fiscal policies on the macro economy. Students will be able to analyze and discuss important current economic issues, such as government spending and tax reforms, Social Security reforms, the conduct of monetary policy, and the impact of changing economic conditions around the world.

Students must complete one track of 15 credit hours. For additional details on each track within the MPP program, please visit our Tracks webpage.

• Public Management and Leadership

• Analytics

• Foreign Policy and Security

• Health and Social Policy

• Environment and Sustainability

Students may select from a wide variety of courses in order to complete a required six credit hours. Electives can be taken within the Political Science Department or taken within other departments across the university. These courses should be selected based upon the student's interests and professional goals.

Students will work with the Department’s internship coordinator to find a suitable placement consistent with their career goals. Student interns must complete 200 hours to obtain 3 credits. A 30-page analytical report and daily diary is required of MPP interns.

The applied project would involve students working individually or in teams with a client where they gather data about a problem the client is facing, analyze the problem, and suggest policy solutions in an analytical report for presentation to the client.  The option of an applied project requires approval of the internship coordinator and the supervising faculty member.