Public Policy, M.A.

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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. Note: All students are required to obtain faculty advisor approval for courses.

Core Courses (8 units):

PP330 Public Policy Process
PP338 Policy Design and Implementation

Research Methods (12-16 units)

PP481 Quantitative Research Methods
PP482 Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
PP487 Computer Applications in Data Analysis

ECON308 Mathematics for Economists
ECON381 Econometrics I
ECON382 Econometrics II OR ECON383 Econometrics III

Note: one (1) additional Methods course can be taken to support the Track

Cost Benefit (8 units)

Choose two (2) courses from the following list:

SPE315 Game Theory AND
SPE471 Strategic Models for Politics Economics & Business Decisions

SPE318: Cost Benefit Analysis, AND
PP331 Policy Evaluation

Note: one (1) additional cost benefit course can be taken to support the track

Track 1: State and Local Economic Development (16 units)

PP346 Community and Economic Development
PP348 Urban Seminar

Choose two (2) courses from the following list (8 units):

POM 253 Urban and Regional Economics
POM 264 Technology and Growth
SPE410 Foundations of Political Economy
SPE360 American Political Economy
SPE349 Energy and Environmental Policy

Track2: Environmental Policy (16 units)

SPE 349 Energy and Environmental Policy
Econ272 Environmental Economics (PIT) Note: by permission of Instructor Only

Choose two (2) courses from the following list (8 units):

SPE348 Regulatory Policy
SPE350 International Environmental Politics and Policies
BIO259 Natural Resource Management (POM)
GOVT220 Environmental Law (CMC)
ECON227 Environmental & natural Resource Policy (POM)

Track3: Computational Modeling (16 units)

SPE320 Foundations of Complex Adaptive Systems
SPE316 Seminar in Computational and Agent Based Modeling

Choose two (2) courses from the following list (8 units)

PP447 Seminar in Social Network Analysis
SPE471 Strategic Models for Politics Economics and Business Decisions

Note: cannot double count for credit in Cost Benefit Section

Track4: Evaluation with SBOS

PSY315b Foundations of Evaluation (2 unit course)
PSY315z Comparative Evaluation Theory
PSY354 Evaluation Procedures
SPE348 Regulatory Policy

Track5: Education with SES

EDUC525 The Politics of Inequality in Education
EDUC537 Issues in Contemporary Urban Education
EDUC450 Dilemmas in American Higher Education
EDUC456 Public Policy Dimensions of Higher Education

Track6: Health Policy with SGH

CGH300 Theoretical Foundations in Health Promotion and Education
CGH302 Epidemiology

Choose two (2) courses from the following list (8 units)

CGH303 Health Services in the US and Abroad
CGH304 Environmental and Occupational Health
SPE348 Regulatory Policy

Please note: Courses from Methods or Cost Benefit Sections ABOVE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT