The MSAP program develops and empowers students to use state-of-the-art political assessment models across all scales of political interactions.  Students are exposed to various political theories, domains, process, and methods knowledge to help them understand and predict human created uncertainty through the mechanism of politics.  Successful students acquire the ability to use a variety of political, economic, statistical, bit data and data analytics tools to solve policy problems that provide them with a distinct competitive advantage in their professional careers.  Topics covered span conflict and cooperation, income inequality, national policy development, economic growth, trade, exchange rates, demographic change, and sustainable development.    

Degree Requirements

Coursework.  36 units are required.

Final Paper Portfolio.  All students are required to submit two papers to the program office.  One paper must be written during the student’s first semester in the program.  A second paper should represent the student’s best work and may come from any subsequent semester that the student is enrolled in the program.  Papers are used for accreditation reviews of the program.  The program’s Student Handbook provides additional details.

No Master’s research paper is required.

University Policies.  University policies detailed in the Academic Policies  section of the Bulletin apply.

Core Course Requirement (8 units)

The following.

• SPE 486 Data Analytics & Visualization
• SPE 317 Advanced Formal Models
• SPE 448 Seminar in Social Network Analysis or SPE 318 Cost-Benefit Analysis
• SPE 471 Strategic Modeling for Politics, Economics, & Business

Research Methods (12 units)

Three courses from the following.

Sequence 1

• PP 481 Quantitative Research Methods
• PP 482 - Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
• PP 487 - Applied Data Analysis

Sequence 2

• ECON 382 – Econometrics I (Prerequisite: Econ 381 Probability & Statistics for Econometrics)
• ECON 383 Econometrics II or ECON 383 Time Series Econometrics
• PP 487 - Applied Data Analysis

Sequence 3

• MATH 352 Nonparametric & Computational Statistics (Prerequisite: MATH 252 Statistical Theory or instructor’s permission) or MATH 354 Reliability theory (MATH 251 Probability; MATH 256 Stochastic Processes would also be helpful)
• PP 487 - Applied Data Analysis
• MATH 366 Data Mining or MATH 452 Large-Scale Inference

Field Specialization(8 units)

Two courses from the following:

Security  

• PP 401 World Politics
• PP 430 Seminar in Conflict & Peace or PP 432 Seminar in Civil War

International Political Economy

• SPE411 International Political Economy
•  SPE 418 Political Economy of International Development, or, PP 408 Seminar in Political Demography, or SPE 429 Political Economy of China, or SPE371 Globalization

Computational Analytics

• SPE 316 Seminar in Computational  Agent Based Modeling
• SPE 438 Dynamic Modeling

Health

• CGH 300 Theoretical Foundations in Health Promotion and Education
• CGH 302 Epidemiology

Electives (8 units)

Consult with faculty Academic Advisor to choose the best courses for your goals.