The Master of Science in Analytical Politics (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; no Master’s research paper 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.
University Policies: University policies detailed in the Academic Policies section of the Bulletin apply.
Core Course Requirement (12 units)
Choose from 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 (16 units)
Select one sequence only:
Sequence A
- PP 481 - Quantitative Research Methods
- PP 482 - Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
- PP 487 - Applied Data Analysis
Sequence B
- ECON 382 - Econometrics I (Prerequisite: Econ 381 Probability & Statistics for Econometrics)
- ECON 383 - Econometrics II OR ECON 384 - Time Series Econometrics
- PP 487 - Applied Data Analysis
Sequence C
- MATH 352 - Nonparametric & Computational Statistics (Prerequisite: MATH 252 - Statistical Theory or instructor’s permission)
- MATH 354 - Reliability theory (MATH 251 Probability; MATH - 256 Stochastic Processes would also be helpful) OR MATH 366 - Data Mining OR MATH 452 Large-Scale Inference
- PP 487 - Applied Data Analysis
Field Specialization (8 units)
Choose two classes from one of the following fields:
Security
INST 401 World Politics
PP 430 Seminar in Conflict & Peace OR PP 432 Seminar in Civil War
International Political Economy
SPE 411 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 SPE 371 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
Foreign Policy
PP 420A Foreign Policy USA
PP 420E Foreign Policy of Latin America
PP 420F Foreign Policy of the Middle East
Note: Students who wish to substitute classes or create alternative tracks must gain prior approval by a Faculty Advisor.