Master of Arts in Public Policy (MAPP)

Public Policy: Understanding How Government Can Improve Social & Economic Conditions

How can cities decrease traffic congestion?
What is the impact of ending bilingual education?
Will anti-growth regulations stop suburban sprawl, or simply drive up the price of housing?
Can election laws be changed to increase political participation?
Are micro-enterprise programs a viable way to increase economic opportunities in inner cities?

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These are just a few of the policy questions for which good decisions depend on high-quality analysis. The appropriate design of public policies, and the question of whether a policy does more harm than good in improving social and economic conditions, are at the heart of the training provided in the Master of Arts in Public Policy (MAPP) program in the School of Politics and Economics.

The MAPP is a 48-unit degree program that builds knowledge of current government programs and the 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 MAPP 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.

We also have a working relationship with the Evaluation Program in the School of Behavioral and Organization Sciences, allowing our students to develop expertise in a variety of evaluation approaches –from stakeholder empowerment views, to organizational assessment or implementation evaluations. Faculty in the SBOS program include several members who have been elected president of the American Evaluation Association and a winner of Early Career Achievement Award.

Graduates will command an exceptionally diverse array of analytical skills. By drawing on the offerings of other departments at CGU, students have extensive opportunities to learn a variety of skills relevant to the study of government programs. In addition to analytical techniques from statistics and economics, we also offer courses in legal research methods, use of geographic information systems (GIS), financial management, needs assessment, and survey methods.

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THE CURRICULUM

The Master of Arts in Public Policy 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 MAPP 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
-OR-
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
-OR-
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

TRACK 2: 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)

TRACK 3: 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)

TRACK 4: EVALUATION WITH SBOS

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


TRACK 5:  EDUCATION WITH SES

(CHOOSE FOUR COURSES)
ED407 Public Policy and America’s Schools
ED408 Education Finance Policy
ED630 Policy, Practice & High Performing Schools
ED635 Special Education Trends, Issues & Policy Development
ED650 Federal Higher Education Policy
ED654 Legal Issues in Higher Education
ED676 The Politics of Urban School Reform
ED700 Educating Minority Students in Urban Schools: Policy & Practice


TRACK 6:  HEALTH POLICY WITH School of
Communty & Global Health

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

TRACK 7:  Women in Public Policy
Poli 252 Women and Public Policy
Govt 287 Women and the Law
PP 340 Women and the Policy Process
OR any approved courses from other CGU schools

TRACK 8:  Political Participation
PP 313  Representation and Elections
PP 329 Public Opinion
PP 302 American Political Behavior
PP 314 Political Parties
 

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

Faculty Contact in SPE:
Heather.Campbell@cgu.edu

Contact Information:

For program inquiries
Ellen Soakai
SPE Recruiter
Ellen.Soakai@cgu.edu
909.607.0201

For application questions
Lesa Hiben
Admissions Coordinator
Lesa.Hiben@cgu.edu
909.621.8699

SOME UNIQUE BENEFITS OF AN SPE PUBLIC POLICY DEGREE

Policy Clinic
The policy clinic offers students an opportunity to analyze a specific policy issue and produce a joint research report under conditions comparable to those faced by professional policy analysts.

Careers In and Out of Government
Recent efforts to "reinvent government" have centered on rethinking the partnerships between public and private organizations. This rethinking has added new significance to the connections between government, business, and non-profit organizations. Accordingly, graduates of the MAPP program command skills that are in demand in a variety of organizations, not just government. Our alumni and many current students are employed in nonprofit agencies as well as city, county, and state government.

Practical Training for Real-World Applications
MAPP students have access to a variety of opportunities to apply their skills in policy analysis. Students may also apply to the Coro Foundation, a national nonprofit public affairs training organization, for a nine-month paid fellows program that provides internship experience in government, nonprofit, and business organizations. Up to 10 graduate credits may be earned from participation in this program. Other internship opportunities are available to MAPP students in a wide range of organizations. The policy clinics taught within the department also give students an opportunity to apply their research skills to a specific policy problem. The report summarizing the work of the policy clinic serves to showcase the student's substantive expertise, analytical capabilities, and professional writing style. Students without prior work experience are especially encouraged to take advantage of internships and policy clinics.