The M.A.P.P. is a 48-unit degree program that builds knowledge of current government programs and debates about them. Students learn the technical skills to assess how politics influences policy choices as well as how to design more effective programs and how to evaluate the impact of existing programs.

Though the skills of the M.A.P.P. can be applied to a wide variety of policies, we are particularly strong in urban issues. Our location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area provides firsthand exposure to the most pressing social and economic issues in the country - the growth of immigrant populations, suburban sprawl and traffic congestion, transformation of the economy from manufacturing to international trade and finance, education reform, and restructuring government to increase responsiveness. A concentration on local education policy is possible by working with faculty in the School of Educational Studies.

Working with the Evaluation Program in the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences, students can also develop expertise in a variety of evaluation approaches – including stakeholder empowerment, organizational learning, or implementation evaluation. These approaches complement the emphasis on modeling program impacts and assessing causal effects of government policies covered in the public policy courses. Faculty in the SBOS program include several members who have been elected president of the American Evaluation Association and a winner of an Early Career Achievement Award.