The Master of Arts in Public Policy & Evaluation (MAPPE) is a joint program offered by the Division of Politics & Economics (DPE) and the Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences (DBOS) that combines two highly complementary domains—public policy analysis and program evaluation—which are often taught and learned separately. The program places a strong emphasis on the politics of implementation and outcomes and their evaluation/ As a MAPPE student,  you’ll develop an understanding of stakeholder and constituent roles in evaluation, aspects of empowerment and the ethical requirements and technical skills of a policy analyst and evaluator. Working closely with an advisor, students enjoy considerable individual flexibility to customize a program that builds important skills for a wide range of careers, especially in nonprofit or governmental settings.

The Master of Arts in Public Policy & Evaluation trains you in the technical components of outcome evaluation to provide a focused understanding of what makes public policy effective. With passage of the US Foundations for Evidence Based Policymaking Act of 2019, people with both policy and evaluation skills are more in demand than before.

University Policies

Policies detailed in the current Policies and General Information Bulletin apply.

Admissions Requirements

Admission requirements are detailed in the Admissions section of the current Policies and General Information Bulletin.

 

 Program Highlights

Students in the MAPPE program may take policy/evaluation-relevant elective or transdisciplinary courses at any CGU department or school with the approval of their academic advisors.
 

The program offers graduate-only education in small, seminar-style classes taught by academic leaders in policy-making and analysis You can pursue your MA in conjunction with another degree, such as a Master of Public Health. You earn a diploma for each degree and “double count” some units from one program to the other to decrease your required total units. 

Degree Requirements

Coursework.  The program requires 48 units.

 

Final Paper Portfolio.  All students are required to submit two papers to the program office.  The first paper iswritten during the student’s first semester in the program; the second represents the student’s best work and is written in any subsequent semester that the student is enrolled in the program. 

 

Policy Focus (16 units)

• PP 330 - Public Policy Process (4 units)
• PP 338 - Policy Design and Implementation (4 units)
• SPE 313 - Microeconomics and Public Policy (4 units) OR ECON 313: Microeconomic Analysis (4 units)
  • Note: If students have an equivalent graduate-level course in Microeconomics, this requirement may be waived. See your advisor for details.
• SPE 318 - Cost-Benefit Analysis (4 units)

 

Evaluation Focus (12 units)

• PSYCH 326 - Foundations of Evaluation (2 units)
• PP 331 - Policy Evaluation (4 units) OR  Psych 315EE - Evaluation Procedures (4 units)
• PSYCH 414 - Evaluation Procedures Practicum (2 units)
• PSYCH 315Z - Comparative Evaluation Theory (4 units)

 

 

Research and Statistical Methods (12 units)

 In addition to the course options listed below, an advisor may approve other methods courses.

• PSYCH 302A - Research Methods (4 units)

 

AND one of the following options:

Option 1

• PP 481 - Introduction to Statistical Analysis (4 units)
• PP 482 - Advanced Quantitative Research Methods (4 units)

 

Option 2

• PSYCH 308A - Intermediate Statistics (2 units)
• PSYCH 308B - ANOVA (2 units)
• PSYCH 308C - Applied Multiple Regression (2 units)
• PSYCH 308D – Categorical Data Analysis (2 units)

 

Elective Courses (8 units)

 

Any electives appropriate to the student’s goals, with

approval of a faculty advisor is required.

 

Suggested courses include:

• PP 306 - Legislative Process and Public Policy (4 units)
• SPE 487 -  Visualizing Data (4units)
• SPE 354 – Comparative Public Policy (4 units)
• PP 484 – Survey Research (4 units)
• ECON 304 – Growth and Development Policy (4 units)
• Psych 315A - Theory Driven Program Evaluation (2 units)
• Psych 352L - Professional Development in Evaluation and Applied Research Methods (2 units)
• SPE 484 - Text Analysis (4 units)
• PP 329 - Public Opinion (4 units)
• Any policy or evaluation topics course, such as on diversity, health, urban, education, and  youth, among others.

 

Students may take elective courses in DPE and DBOS. However, students may also take policy/evaluation-relevant elective courses at any CGU school with the approval of their academic advisors. Transdisciplinary courses are allowed and may be of particular interest to students who wish to transfer to a Ph.D. program.