During two years of study, Brooks MPA students must satisfactorily complete at least sixteen semester-length courses or their equivalent; this is typically four full semester courses per semester, colloquium, and Practical Experience and Writing requirements.  The Brooks MPA program curriculum for the Class of 2023 includes the following:

• Foundation Coursework — nine semester-long courses or equivalent

1. Core Competency Foundation Coursework:

Two courses in each of the three foundation areas listed below with one course in each of the foundation sub-areas:

• Administrative, Political and Policy Processes

1. One course on leading and managing in the public affairs arena
2. One course analyzing politics and processes for implementing policy

• Economic Analysis and Public Sector Economics

1. One course on intermediate microeconomics for public affairs (unless a student demonstrates proficiency)
2. One course on the microeconomics of government and policy

• Quantitative Methods and Analytics

1. One course on inferential statistics for public affairs (unless a student demonstrates proficiency)
2. One course on decision analytic methods for public affairs
3. Additional Foundation Coursework:

Three additional courses chosen from any of the foundation areas.

• Concentration Coursework — five semester-long courses or equivalent

Five courses within one of the eight concentration areas offered in the program.

• Professional Development Coursework — two semester-long courses or equivalent

Two courses to strengthen professional preparation, which may include statistical, analytical or mathematical skills, professional writing, speaking, leadership or management, or additional skills or knowledge needed for a student’s selected concentration. Brooks MPA students may also want to consider a course from the list of General Concentration courses.

• Colloquium coursework – (PADM 5009, PADM 5012)
• Practical Experience Requirement

There are multiple ways to meet the Practical Experience Requirement. Many students engage in summer internships found through individual searches, opportunities through Brooks MPA faculty connections, Brooks MPA Career Management, or through Cornell’s Public Service Center. Students can also meet this requirement through the off-campus externship program, he PADM 5900 Consulting for Government and Nonprofit Organizations course, or by completing the Capstone.  More information about the practical experience component of the Brooks MPA degree is in the Program Handbook.

• Professional Writing Requirement

There are multiple ways to satisfy the Professional Writing Requirement. To meet this writing requirement Brooks MPA students may choose to take the Domestic or International Capstone course, complete a Capstone project through one of the certificate programs, independently write a Professional Report, or independently write an MPA thesis.  More information about the professional writing requirement options is available in the Program Handbook and the Guide to the MPA Professional Report and Thesis.

Within the above framework, each MPA students will craft an individualized MPA that will serve their professional goals.  At the end of the first semester of study, Brooks MPA students will prepare a complete Plan of Study (see the document in the module below).  Then Brooks MPA students will submit this document on the MPA Advising Center Canvas site for review.  The document must be updated if a student’s Plan of Study changes. The Brooks MPA requires that students take responsibility for creating their optimal MPA and, thus, MPA students are responsible for ensuring that they are meeting all program requirements. Students should read this document and the Program Handbook carefully and consult regularly with their advisors for more information.

The Brooks MPA Course Guide offers a description of the core competency foundational coursework, and advice on appropriate courses for the additional foundation courses and the concentration areas of study.  With the exception of the core competency foundations, it is not intended to offer a complete list of courses for the MPA degree, and is not intended to provide a menu from which to develop your curriculum.  It is intended to help familiarize you with the many departments, areas of study, and courses offered at Cornell that can support your MPA studies.  Not all courses listed in this guide will be offered in every semester or year of study.  Students should consult the Brooks MPA Course Offerings (updated and distributed every semester), the Brooks MPA Advising Canvas Site, and the online Cornell Course Roster for each semester in developing their course schedule for each semester.

1. • Tip 1:  Consider choosing additional foundation courses or concentration courses from the list of core competency foundational offerings.  Students do not need to limit themselves to taking only one course in each of the core competency areas, since the extra courses taken may be counted  anywhere in the curriculum.
   • Tip 2:  When choosing concentration courses, make use of the list of courses appropriate for any concentration (page 26). 
   • Tip 3:  Look at the course suggestions outside of your intended concentration as well as those within it.  The courses listed in this guide for each concentration tend to be focused on topics narrowly relevant to the concentration.  Depending on their specific interests, students may wish to broaden their concentration coursework to include courses listed under more concentration areas.  Students may declare only one concentration, but the coursework in their concentration does not need to be selected only from those listed in this guide under that concentration.
   • Tip 4:  If a course you want to take is not listed in this guide, you must request using the Brooks MPA petition form on the Brooks MPA Advising Canvas Site.
     

 

MPA Program Plan of Study form (Class of 2023)

For a fillable copy of this form visit the MPA Advising Center

To develop a strong foundation of cross-disciplinary knowledge for working in the broad domain of public affairs, Brooks MPA students all take coursework in three complementary foundation areas:

1. Administrative, Political and Policy Processes — how public affairs are conducted and the processes by which policies are made and carried out.
2. Economic Analysis and Public Sector Economics – how to allocate scarce resources among alternative uses in public affairs.
3. Quantitative Methods and Analytics – how options and results in public affairs are determined and evaluated.

To fulfill their foundational course requirements, students will each take two courses in each of these three foundation areas, for a total of six courses. These courses are chosen one each from six designated sets of courses which are further described below.

We strongly encourage all students to complete their six core competency foundation courses during their first year and certainly no later than the end of their third semester. This requirement creates an identifiable foundational core to the Brooks MPA curriculum that will help during the second year.

In addition, each students will choose three additional foundation courses.  Students may fulfill this requirement by taking additional core competency foundation courses, or may choose from the list of additional foundation courses in this guide. There is considerable diversity in the list of additional foundation courses, so students have scope for selecting a set of courses that they think will meet their respective professional needs and objectives. It is important for students to have a clear rationale for their combination of courses in this area, rather than just selecting from the listed courses to ‘meet requirements’.

Core Competency Foundation Courses

Students must enroll in at least one of the courses in each of the six core-competency areas listed below.  There are two core competency (sub-foundation) areas for each of the three foundation areas.

Administrative, Political, and Policy Processes

The Guiding Principle for the Analytical, Political and Policy Processes Foundation area:

Brooks MPA graduates should have a good understanding of (a) how objectives are and should be formulated and pursued within public sector and non-profit organizations serving the public good, and in private and other organizations that attempt to influence public decisions; (b) how public purposes and values can be advanced strategically through the utilization of available recourses, organization and skills, cognizant of legal, ethical and professional obligations; and (c) the interplay between politics and administration within the public affairs arena in which they expect to work (international, national, state, local, private, nonprofit).

Group 1: One course on leading and managing in the public affairs arena, chosen from the following:

PADM 5110: Public Administration
O’Toole, Lamb
Fall
This course prepares students to work within government departments and agencies, state and local authorities, and nonprofit public benefit corporations; and with private firms working in the public interest at the interface with governments and public benefit corporations. While the emphasis is on local and mid-size organizations, some material will address international and domestic national level organizations. The course prepares students to conduct research on public organizations, leadership and management, and to be effective in public careers.

PADM 5410: Nonprofit Management and Finance
Staff
Spring

This course provides students with a practitioner’s focus on financial and managerial issues in the nonprofit sector, including universities, hospitals, government agencies, and foundations. The course will include an overview of nonprofit financial statements, debt issuance, endowment management, credit analysis, organizational governance issues, strategic planning, industry trends, executive compensation, and philanthropy. Students will gain a comprehensive overview of all critical aspects of nonprofit management.

PADM 5450: International Public and NGO Management
Mathiason
Fall

This course develops from a general discussion of the differences between management of international public and NGO organizations and similar organizations at the national level or below, through an examination of the management process in the context of results-based management, which is the dominant approach taken in both public and non-governmental organizations. It then examines the application of analysis methods to specific organizations.  The goal is to provide students with the tools to be intelligent consumers of international services and effective participants in their governance.

PADM 5414: Project Management
Brenner
Fall

This hands-on, skill-building graduate-level course for Project Management. The focus is on how to best manage public sector projects including those managed by government agencies, nonprofits, consulting firms, and think tanks. The class will focus on how to effectively build and manage project budgets and timelines in addition to soft skills such as leadership, critical thinking, and conflict resolution.

 

Group 2: One course on analyzing politics and processes for implementing policy, chosen from the following:

PADM 5130: Legal Aspects of Public Agency Decision Making
Manne
Spring

This course introduces the application of legal concepts to decision-making processes conducted by governmental agencies, particularly at the federal level. It explores how constitutional law, statutory law, and judge-made law shape agency decisions. Attention is given, for example, to roles agencies play in American government, differences between rule-making proceedings and adjudications, rights of parties to obtain judicial review of agency decisions, how judges review factual and legal determinations by agency officials, and the rights of parties appearing before agencies.

PADM 5570: Corporate Responsibility
Siwo
Spring

This course will provide an overview of the area of corporate sustainability, with particular emphasis on the finance industry, and the focus will be on understanding how a growing recognition of the challenge of sustainability affects corporate behavior. The competing demands of maximizing shareholder returns and meeting stakeholder expectations concerning environmental management, social benefits, and ethical behavior create a variety of reputational and other risks for corporations, but also create opportunities for these entities to demonstrate a responsible approach to doing business.

PADM 5619: Politics, Policy and Political Management
Lamb
Spring

This course examines political aspects of policy making that increasingly influence policy outcomes. Students will gain a familiarity with political concepts covered in the course, providing tools to help separate consequential policy proposals and political actions from political antics. The course will examine the U.S political system, how parties have evolved, and how partisan politics is impacting governing today at federal, state, and local levels. The course will address how the public and outside interest groups influence politics and policy-making through campaigns, public engagement, lobbying, and activism. The goal of the course is to provide future policy professionals with an insider’s perspective on governing today.

 

PADM 5634: Corruption, Governance and Development
Ahmed
Fall

This interdisciplinary graduate-level survey course addresses issues related to the nature and extent of corruption and fraud, waste, and abuse in the public sector, and in private/nonprofit sector organizations interfacing with the public sector. 

Economic Analysis and Public Economics

The Guiding Principle for the Economic Analysis and Public Economics Foundation area:

Brooks MPA graduates should have a solid foundation of knowledge in economics especially public sector economics.  This includes understanding of supply and demand, marginal analysis, the price mechanism, and market structures, as well as standard rationales for government intervention in the marketplace.  Such rationales include externalities, public goods provision, income redistribution and information asymmetries, among others.  Students should understand the value of basic economic concepts for understanding and assessing human interactions and public policy.  MPA students should have competence in microeconomics and public economics and, depending on career interests, in one or more specific fields of economics.

 

Group 1: One course in intermediate microeconomics for public affairs, chosen from the following:

Note: Students who have demonstrated competency in intermediate microeconomics will instead take an applied economics course in an area of their interest. See note on page 22 and list of suggested courses in applied economics.  Note that students may not count both PADM 5210 and PADM 5470 toward the MPA degree; only one of these courses should be taken, in consultation with the student’s academic advisor.

PADM 5210: Intermediate Microeconomics for Public Affairs
Mathios
Fall

Students who do not have a prior background in intermediate level microeconomics will take this course during their first semester. This course covers the intermediate level microeconomic theory necessary to understand the many applications of economics presented in subsequent courses you will take as an MPA student. The primary learning goals of this course are (1) to learn the core concepts of microeconomics and (2) to develop analytical problem-solving skills. This course differs from typical intermediate-level microeconomic courses in that there will be more emphasis on the role of policy and the public sector in the economy, although understanding the role and importance of markets will remain central.

 

PAM 5470:  Microeconomics for Management and Policy (spring entrants only)
Evans
Spring

Students who enter the MPA program in the spring semester and do not have a prior background in intermediate level microeconomics will take this course during their first semester. This course introduces microeconomic theory and its application to decision making in the management and policy arenas. Places special emphasis on the economic environment of health care organizations and the problems faced by managers in this environment.

 

Group 2: One course on the microeconomics of government policy, chosen from the following:

Note: All of these courses require PADM 5210 or an alternative intermediate microeconomics as a prerequisite and, thus, must be taken after the student has completed their intermediate microeconomics course or demonstrated competency.

PADM 5220: Economics of the Public Sector
Bottan
Spring

This course covers topics in public economics, macroeconomics, and political economy. The course will use the tools of economics to consider when and how government should intervene in the economy, and how different levels of government might intervene differently; fiscal and monetary policy tools and effects, basics of the business cycle, and determinants of economic growth; private incentives that impact the behavior of government actors and how that may impact policy design.

 

PAM 5130: Behavioral Economics and Public Policy
Tripp
Spring

Standard economic theory assumes that individuals are rational decision-makers; however, that is often not the case in the real world. Behavioral economics uses findings from psychology to determine ways in which individuals are systematically irrational to improve upon existing models. The first part of this course reviews these theories, while the second part of the course focuses on how these findings have been used to design better education, health, and tax policies as well as many others. Note: this course also requires PADM 5310 or equivalent as a prerequisite.

 

PAM 5190: Nonprofits and Public Policy
Bottan
Fall

The Nonprofit sector plays an important role in society and makes up a growing share of the U.S. economy. In this course, we use economic theory and econometric tools to examine the nonprofit market and how it gets shaped by public policy. Topics covered include theories of the nonprofit market, determinants of charitable giving and volunteering, the role played by religion, competition between nonprofits and for-profits in labor markets, and the effects of taxes, subsidies and regulations.

 

PAM 5170: Market Regulation and Public Policy
Geddes

This course provides an overview of basic topics in the economics of regulation. It uses the tools of microeconomics to investigate government interventions in the marketplace, considering both the rationale for and the effects of such interventions. Alternative theories of government intervention in the marketplace will be considered, including those grounded in the public interest theories those grounded in private interests such as wealth redistribution and regulatory capture. Specific examples of regulation, including individual industry regulation and broader social regulation are analyzed, and various methods of government intervention are considered.

 

PAM 5400: Economics of Consumer Policy
Tennyson

This course analyzes government laws and regulations aimed at protecting consumers. Such consumer protection policies address a broad range of market activities including restricting who may provide goods and services in a market and the prices they may charge, but are often concerned with addressing more subtle problems related to consumers’ information or knowledge in markets. The course uses the lens of economic policy analysis to study the need for such policies and their effects on markets. Various approaches to consumer protection in the United States and in other countries are explored.

 

Quantitative Methods and Analytics

The Guiding Principle for the Quantitative Methods and Analytics Foundation area: 

Professionals in the public affairs arena must be able to define and assess a problem and then choose appropriate tools or methods to determine and evaluate both solutions and impacts.  A key part of analytical training is to develop the ability to identify appropriate methods for a given problem and gain confidence in applying them in real-world situations.  Brooks MPA graduates should recognize that quantitative skills and analytical modeling techniques are often necessary complementary elements to qualitative methods that must be considered for policy research, evaluations, and decision making in the public sector.   

 

Group 1: One course on inferential statistics for public affairs, chosen from the following:

Note: Students who already have competency in multivariate statistical methods should choose a more advanced course in applied statistical analysis. See note on page 23 of this guide for guidance and a list of suggested courses.  Note that students may not count both PADM 5310 and PADM 5690 toward the MPA degree; only one of these courses should be taken, in consultation with the student’s academic advisor.

PADM 5310: Applied Multivariate Statistics in Public Affairs
Miller
Fall                                                              

Students who do not have a prior background in inferential statistics will take this course during their second semester. The course provides an introduction to the inferential statistical methods and econometrics/regression analysis needed to understand empirical public policy research and to do basic applied public policy analysis. The statistical concepts are illustrated using data and examples from the field of public policy

 

PAM 5690: Regression Analysis and Managerial Forecasting
Evans
Fall

This course is appropriate for MPA students who have had some prior coursework in basic inferential statistics. Teaches various statistical methods for managerial decision making, with a particular emphasis on regression and forecasting. Other topics include ANOVA, correlation, confounding, interaction, and statistical process control. Emphasizes applications to health care organizations.

 

Group 2: One course on decision analytic methods for public affairs, chosen from the following:

PADM 5320: Public Systems Modeling
Loucks
Spring

This course offers an introduction to the art of model building and use, especially related to public sector planning and management issues. The course focuses on the quantitative systems approach for identifying and evaluating alternative possible decisions and their physical, economic, environmental, and social impacts. Modeling methods include various deterministic and probabilistic optimization and simulation models, decision analysis, evolutionary search algorithms, and statistical models applied to a variety of public sector issues. The aim of all of this “modeling technology” is to help us generate and communicate information that can assist and better inform public decision-making.

 

PADM 5340: Introduction to Evaluation
Rieseman
Spring

This graduate-level course provides an introduction to basic evaluation concepts and main types of evaluation approach, as well as the norms, values and inherent tensions of professional evaluation practice. Emphasis is on cultivating evaluative thinking, understanding the strengths of qualitative and quantitative methods for evaluation, and carefully weighing tradeoffs between rigor, feasibility and use of results. Using small case scenarios and exercises, students will learn to answer the question: what is the right evaluation approach for this situation? Includes practice with measure development, data collection, analysis and reporting.

 

PADM 5345: Evaluation of International Programs and Projects
Mathiason
Spring

The course addresses how to plan, manage and evaluate programs and projects undertaken by international public and non-governmental organizations.  It focuses on results-based management, which is the dominant approach taken by international organizations and bilateral development agencies. The approach is applied to programs of development cooperation and humanitarian assistance as well as the regular programs of organizations dealing with such diverse functions as regime creation, monitoring of human rights, trade regulation and elimination of weapons of mass destruction.

 

PAM 5550: Collaborative Modeling Methods for Policy and Program Evaluation
Spring (not offered in Spring 2023)
Trochim

This course addresses the evaluation of policies and their programmatic implementation. The course introduces a framework for understanding the policy-program system, provides skills in a variety of methodologies for facilitating the development of well-articulated policy and program models among key stakeholders (e.g., policy makers, funders, government entities, administrators and the general public), and critically assesses the strengths of different approaches.

 

PAM 5700: Accounting, Financial Reporting, and Decision-Making
Geiszler
Fall

Introduces the basic concepts of financial and managerial accounting with emphasis on health care applications. Explains the measurement system of business operations, business valuation, financial reporting, budgeting, cost allocation, service and product costing, and special reports for managerial use. Ethical and international issues are integrated throughout the course materials with real world applications. At the conclusion of the course, students should be able to read, understand, and analyze the annual financial reports of an organization. Collaborative learning, cases, discussions, readings, research, presentations, speakers, problem solving, videotapes, and lectures are used for teaching the course.

To strengthen their preparation for careers in public affairs, students will also take three additional foundational courses, bringing their total number of foundational courses up to nine.   Students may take more than one from any of the core competency lists above or may choose courses from the list below. Students may concentrate the three additional foundation courses in one or two foundational areas or may distribute them across the three foundational areas. For any of the additional foundation course requirements, Note that courses at the 7000-level are Ph.D. level courses and may not be suitable for all MPA students; courses at the 6000-level will generally have prerequisites and may also be Ph.D. level courses.

Administrative, Political, and Policy Processes

• CRP 5460       Introduction to Community and Environmental Dispute Resolution
• CRP 6011       Ethics, Development and Globalization
• CRP 6120       Devolution, Privatization: Challenges for New Urban Management
• CRP 6150       Current Issues and Debates on NGOs
• GDEV 5045   Data and Development
• GOVT 6121   American Political Development
• GOVT 6171   Politics of Public Policy [requires instructor permission]
• GOVT 6222   Political Participation
• GOVT 6273: War and the State in Comparative Perspective
• GOVT 6274   People, Markets, and Democracy
• GOVT 6603   Contentious Politics and Social Movements
• ILRLR 6011 Negotiation: Theory and Practice
• LAW 6701      Legislation
• LAW 6791      Public International Law
• LAW 6844      State and Local Government
• PADM 5114   Systems Thinking Leadership
• PADM 5118   Leadership in Public Affairs
• PADM 5142   Environmental Justice
• PADM 5414   Project Management
• PADM 5418   Strategic Stakeholder Engagement
• PADM 5431   Fundraising
• PADM 5449   Systems Thinking in Public Affairs
• PADM 5455   Comparative Public Administration: The Case of Seoul, Korea [requires instructor permission]
• PADM 5456   Comparative Public Administration: The Case of Dubai, UAE [requires instructor permission]
• PADM 5472   Leveraging Information Technology in Public and Nonprofit Organizations
• PADM 5612   Intergovernmental Relations
• PADM 5734   Disasters, Vulnerability, and Resilience

Economic Analysis and Public Sector Economics

Note: Students who enter the program with demonstrated proficiency in intermediate microeconomics should choose a course from this section related to their career interests instead of enrolling in PADM 5210.

• AEM 6320      Open Economy Analysis: Theory and Applications
• AEM 6300      Policy Analysis: Welfare Theory, Agriculture, and Trade (also ECON 4840)
• CRP 5040       Urban Economics
• ILRIC 6350    Labor Markets and Income Distribution in Developing Countries
• NBA 5245       Intermediate Macroeconomics
• NS 6480          Economics of Food and Malnutrition
• NS 6850          Microeconomics of Development: Applications to Health, Nutrition and Education
• PAM 5130      Behavioral Economics and Public Policy
• PAM 5240      Risk Management and Policy
• PAM 5334      Corporations, Shareholders and Policy
• PAM 5970      Economics and Environmental Policy

The first section of courses listed below cover inferential statistics, econometrics and related empirical methods.  The second section lists courses in policy modeling which includes operations research, optimization and management science.  The third section lists courses that cover qualitative analytical methods and evaluation.  The last section lists courses in spatial analytical methods including GIS.

Inferential Statistics and Econometrics

Note: Students who enter the program with demonstrated proficiency in inferential statistics should choose a course from either section A or B below.

A.  Courses that require an inferential statistics courses as a prerequisite:

• AEM 6120      Applied Econometrics
• AEM 6125      Impact Evaluation in Developing Countries
• AEM 6390      Research Methods in International Development
• DSOC 6190    Quantitative Research Methods
• GOVT 6029   Advanced Regression Analysis
• GOVT 6053   Comparative Methods and Political Analysis

B.  Courses that require econometrics or multivariate regression analysis as prerequisites:

• GOVT 6069   Causal Reasoning
• NS 6850          Evaluating the Impact of Health, Nutrition and Education Programs in Developing Countries
• PAM 6050      Demographic Techniques [requires instructor permission]
• PAM 6060      Demographic Techniques II [requires instructor permission]
• PAM 6090      Empirical Strategies for Policy Analysis [requires instructor permission]

Quantitative Analysis and Public System Modeling Tools and Methods

• CEE 5970       Risk Analysis and Management
• CEE 5980       Introduction to Decision Analysis
• CEE 6770       Natural Hazards, Reliability and Insurance
• CRP 5250       Introductory Methods of Planning Analysis
• NCC 5010      Data Analytics and Modeling
• SYSEN 5100  Model Based System Engineering
• SYSEN 5200  Systems Analysis Behavior and Optimization
• SYSEN 5300 Systems Engineering and Six-Sigma for Design and Operation of Reliable Systems

Qualitative and Mixed Methods

• CRP 6201       Research Design and Qualitative Methods
• DSOC 6001    The Empirics of Development and Social Change
• DSOC 6150    Qualitative Research Methods
• INFO 6750     Causal Inference and Design of Experiments
• SOC 5080       Qualitative Methods

Spatial Methods

• CRP 5080       Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• CRP 6270       Regional Economic Impact Analysis
• CRP 6290       Advanced Topics in GIS
• DSOC 5600    Analytical Mapping and Spatial Modeling
• PAM 6950      Spatial Demography [requires instructor permission]

Each student selects one of eight areas of concentration areas offered in the program and, with the advice and counsel of their advisor, selects a set of five courses within that concentration. The concentration areas are broad enough that they cannot be mastered with a set of five courses, but concentration courses should give students a degree of specialization and expertise with which they can proceed effectively on a career in public affairs.

There is no right or best set of courses for any concentration. However, serious thought be given to crafting a set of courses that are complementary and that instill a base of specific and generalizable knowledge and functional skills in a professional area. Students should also choose their professional development coursework to complement their concentration courses.

A concentration is expected to reflect a public affairs focus and to provide the student with some breadth of perspectives.  No student may take more than half of their concentration courses in the S.C. Johnson School of Business or in professional Masters’ programs offered by the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, the Department of City and Regional Planning, or the College of Engineering, given that an MPA degree program differs from these degree programs in both purpose and content. While some of the courses listed for the concentrations may not have direct public policy content, most of the courses selected for your concentration must have a policy or public affairs focus appropriate for an MPA degree.

The eight MPA concentrations are:

• Economic and Financial Policy
• Environmental Policy
• Government, Politics and Policy Studies
• Human Rights and Social Justice
• International Development Studies
• Public and Nonprofit Management
• Science, Technology and Infrastructure Policy
• Social Policy

The suggested lists of concentration courses that follows are neither complete nor fully accurate. New courses are added to the curriculum every semester and some courses are dropped as faculty interests and department needs change. Students should use these lists to get an idea of courses that might be suitable for their personalized concentration, but they should also consult the course offerings for departments they consider relevant for their interests. Students should be aware that courses at the 6000 or 7000 level may have prerequisites and may be designed primarily for PhD students.

Students may elect to substitute relevant courses that are not listed in this Course Guide, by petition to the Director  through the MPA Canvas Advising Site. Core and elective foundation courses may be appropriate concentration courses (but cannot be double counted in both areas).

 

Many courses beyond those in the foundation areas are relevant to public affairs professionals regardless of their interests – for example, leadership, strategic thinking, and communication skills. Moreover, relevant skill sets will vary not just with the concentration area but also with chosen career paths within a concentration. For example, students interested in social entrepreneurship or in managing organizations may need different skills than those who are primarily interested in public policy analysis. Students interested in an entrepreneurial or administrative career path might want to develop knowledge of basic accounting, budgeting or marketing; those interested in public policy analysis will want to develop a toolkit that includes more project evaluation and project management skills. While not meant to be fully inclusive, the following courses are some that may be relevant for inclusion in any concentration.

Suggested Courses for Any Concentration:

• ILRHR 7451  Leadership Assessment for Managers
• ILRLR 6012  Managing and Resolving Conflict
• ILROB 5275  Leading and Managing Teams
• NBA 6820       Negotiation Essentials
• PADM 5114   Systems Leadership
• PADM 5412   Environmental Justice
• PADM 5449   Systems Thinking in Public Affairs
• PADM 5118   Leadership in Public Affairs
• PADM 5382   Bridging the Gap: Connecting Research and Policy in the NYS Legislature
• PADM 5414   Project Management
• PADM 5418   Strategic Stakeholder Engagement
• PADM 5472   Leveraging Information Technology in Public and Nonprofit Management
• PADM 5900   Consulting for Nonprofit and Government Organizations
• PAM 5690      Desktop and Modeling Solutions
• PAM 5700      Accounting, Financial Reporting and Decision Making

Brooks MPA students in the Economic and Financial Policy concentration address public policy issues in some combination of these two areas.  Students may study these policy issues at the level of international organizations, national, state or local governments, non-governmental organizations, or the private sector.  Students learn about important economic and financial policy issues and analytical methods to address them. 

This guide provides both an extensive list of suggested courses for the concentration, and a set of sample concentrations organized into thematic groups. These lists are meant to be illustrative. Courses from different samples and concentrations may be combined into a concentration.

Economic Policy Analysis Methods

• AEM 6300:     Policy Analysis: Welfare Theory, Agriculture, and Trade
• GOVT 6069    Causal Inference
• PAM 5301      Intermediate Policy Analysis
• PAM 5300      Cost-Benefit Analysis

Development Finance

• AEM 4420      Emerging Markets
• AEM 6670      Topics in Economic Development
• DSOC 6001    The Empirics of Development and Social Change
• LAW 7740      Law and Economics, and Games
• NBA 5430       Financial Markets and Institutions

Macroeconomic and International Trade Policy

• AEM 6320      Open Economy Analysis: Theory and Applications
• LAW 6981      WTO and International Trade Law
• LAW 7103      Capitalism: Strengths and Weaknesses
• NBA 5245       Introduction to Macroeconomics
• NBA 5540       International Finance

Economic Regulation and Public Economics

• PADM 5220    Economics of the Public Sector
• PAM 5170      Market Regulation and Public Policy
• PAM 5301      Intermediate Policy Analysis
• PAM 5334      Corporations, Shareholders and Policy
• PAM 5440      Economics of Consumer Policy

Brooks MPA students interested in environmental policy, sustainability and finance within the economic and financial policy area may want to apply to the Environmental Finance and Impact Investment Certificate (EFII).  For further information please see the Brooks MPA Program Handbook.

Other Suggested Courses for Economic and Financial Policy

• AEM 6050      Agricultural Economics and Development
• CRP 5040       Urban Economics
• ILRIC 6350    Labor Markets and Income Distribution in Developing Economies
• NBA 5061       Comprehensive Financial Statement Analysis
• NBA 5980       Behavioral Finance
• NBA 6030       Sustainable Global Enterprise
• PAM 5130      Beahvioral Economics and Public Policy
• PAM 5190      Nonprofits and Public Policy
• PAM 5240      Risk Management and Policy
• PAM 5340      Regulation and Infrastructure Policy

Brooks MPA students who focus on environmental policy should strive to develop capacity in leading, coordinating and using inputs from teams of specialists in the development of environmental management plans and policies. Since working in the environmental area is typically a multi-disciplinary endeavor it becomes advantageous to structure a concentration keeping in mind that one may work with scientists, engineers, economists and lawyers in the search for politically feasible solutions to environmental problems.

This guide provides both an extensive list of suggested courses for the concentration, and a set of sample concentrations organized into thematic groups. These lists are meant to be illustrative. Courses from different samples and concentrations may be combined into a concentration.

 

Conservation Management

• DEA 6200       Studies in Human-Environmental Relations
• NTRES 6310  Environmental Governance
• NTRES 6601  Decision Making in Natural Resource Management
• PADM 5570    Corporate Responsibility
• PAM 5970      Economics and Environmental Policy

Environmental Advocacy and Resilience Planning

• COMM 6860  Risk Communication
• CRP 5460        Introduction to Community and Environment Dispute Resolution
• DEA 6610       Environments and Health
• DSOC 6320    Environmental Governance
• PADM 5412    Environmental Justice

Environmental Regulation

• CRP 5555        Environmental Impact Review
• LAW 6361      Environmental Law
• PAM 5970      Economics and Environmental Policy

Disaster Prevention, Planning and Policy

• CEE 5970        Risk Analysis and Management
• DSOC 6340    Risk and Disasters
• ILRLR 6057   Environmental Mediation and Negotiation (1/2 semester)
• NTRES 6201  Community, Place and Environment
• PADM 5418    Strategic Stakeholder Engagement (1/2 semester)
• PADM 5734    Disasters, Vulnerability, and Resilience

MPA students interested in environmental policy, sustainability and finance within the economic and financial policy area may want to apply to the Environmental Finance and Impact Investment Students Program (EFII).  For further information see the Brooks MPA Program Handbook.

Other Suggested Courses for Environmental Policy

• AEM 6510      Environmental and Resource Economics
• AEM 6580      Economics and Psychology of Sustainable Business
• AEM 7500      Resource Economics
• CEE 6770       Natural Hazards, Reliability and Insurance
• CEE 6025       Special Topics in Environmental and Water Resources Analysis
• COMM 6210  Advanced Communication and the Environment
• COMM 6660  Public Engagement in Science
• COMM 6860  Risk Communciation
• CRP 5555       Environmental Impact Review
• CRP 5850       Green Cities
• CRP 5540       Introduction to Environmental Planning
• CRP 6506       Environmental Planning Seminar: Wilderness and Wildlands
• DSOC 5443    Global Climate Change Science and Policy
• DSOC 6210    Foundations of Environmental Sociology
• HD 6410         Psychology and Culture of Human-Environmental Relationships
• HD 6650         Poverty, Children and the Environment
• ILRIC 6020    Corporate Social Responsibility
• NTRES 6240  Sustainable Water Resource Management in the Face of Climate Change
• NTRES 6601  Decision Making in Natural Resource Management

Brooks MPA students in the government, politics and policy studies concentration focus on the politics of domestic and international policymaking and administrative processes.  Students who elect this concentration develop an advanced understanding of how political management intersects program and resource management in the public sector.  Students should strive to develop a skills set that allows them to work with elected officials, public managers, and citizens to develop actionable policy goals.

This guide provides both an extensive list of suggested courses for the concentration, and a set of sample concentrations organized into thematic groups. These lists are meant to be illustrative. Courses from different samples and concentrations may be combined into a concentration.

Government or Legislative Affairs

• NBA 6820 Negotiation Essentials (1/2 semester)
• PADM 5118 Leadership in Public Affairs
• PADM 5380 Translation of Research into Policy and Practice
• PADM 5418 Strategic Stakeholder Engagement (1/2 semester)
• PADM 5612 Intergovernmental Relations

International Relations

• DSOC 6250    State, Economy and Society
• GOVT 6897    International Security
• GOVT 6987    Domestic Politics and International Relations
• ILRLR 6027   Campus Mediation Practicum

Political Analysis or Consulting

• GOVT 6171    Politics of Public Policy
• GOVT 6461    Public Opinion
• NBA 5690       Management Consulting Essentials (1/2 semester)
• PAM 5850      Applied Demography in Business and Government
• PADM 5900    Consulting for Nonprofit and Government Organizations
• SOC 6160       Survey Methods (1/2 semester)

International Diplomacy

• CRP 6720        International Institutions
• GOVT 6273    War and the State in Comparative Perspective
• GOVT 7937    Proseminar in Peace Studies (1/2 semester)
• NBA 6820       Negotiation Essentials (1/2 semester)
• PADM 5855    International Human Rights

Brooks MPA students interested in international relations or international diplomacy may want to consider the graduate minor in Peace Studies. For further information see the Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies.

Other Suggested Courses for Government, Politics and Policy Studies

• AMST 6003    Doing Research with Marginalized Populations
• AMST 6321    Black Power Movement and Transnationalism
• AMST 6052    Readings in Latinx History
• AMST 6201    The United States Congress
• AMST 6645    Democratic Theory
• AMST 6585    American Political Thought
• ANTHR 6437 Brave New World: 21^st Century Authoritarianism
• ANTHR 6515 Power, Society, and Culture in Southeast Asia
• ANTHR 6552 Genocide Today
• ASIAN 6615   The Body Politic in Asia
• COMM 6180  Media Influence and Persuasion
• CRP 6120       Devolution, Privatization: Challenges for New Urban Management
• CRP 6150       Current Issues and Debates on NGOs
• DSOC 6320    Environmental Governance
• DSOC 6820    Community Organizing and Development
• GOVT 6132   The Politics of Inequality in the United States
• GOVT 6202   Political Culture
• GOVT 6251   American Political Parties
• GOVT 6284   Culture, Religion, and Politics
• GOVT 6291   Contemporary American Politics
• GOVT 6603   Contentious Politics and Social Movements
• GOVT 6461   Public Opinion
• GOVT 6596   Nonviolence and Political Theory
• GOVT 6857   International Political Economy
• GOVT 6877   China and Asian Security
• GOVT 6897   International Security
• ILRIC 5380    The Asian Century: The Rise of China and India
• HIST 6391      Reconstruction in the New South
• HIST 6851      Refugees
• HIST 6290      U.S. Borders, North and South
• LAW 6161      Comparative Law: The Civil Law Tradition
• LAW 6661      Constitutional Law and the European Union
• LAW 6737      National Security Law
• LAW 6791      Public International Law
• NES 6672       Nationalism in the Arab World
• PADM 5382   Bridging the Gap: Connecting Research and Policy in the New York State Legislature
• PADM 5634   Corruption, Governance and Development
• PADM 5734   Disasters, Vulnerability, and Resilience

Brooks MPA students concentrating in Human Rights and Social Justice focus on human rights policies, strategies and criteria for promoting equity and fairness as goals of public affairs.  Students study theories and policies that support the expansion of human rights and the elimination of all forms of discrimination and that work toward ensuring equal opportunities before the law and in society-at-large.  Students pursuing this concentration often wish to prepare themselves to serve as more effective advocates for alleviating political, economic and social inequality. 

This guide provides both an extensive list of suggested courses for the concentration, and a set of sample concentrations organized into thematic groups. These lists are meant to be illustrative. Courses from different samples and concentrations may be combined into a concentration.

Human Rights Advocacy

• GOVT 6867    International Law, War, and Human Rights
• LAW 7855      International Human Rights: Litigation and Advocacy
• LAW 7905      LGBT Communities Practicum
• LAW 7914      Global Gender Justice Clinic
• PADM 5855    International Human Rights

Civil Rights and Criminal Justice

• ANTHR 7476 Carceral Worlds: Policing, Prisons, and Securitization
• ANTHR 6552 Genocide Today
• ILRLR 6070   Values, Rights, and Justice at Work
• LAW 6762      The Prosecution of Cybercrime

Poverty and Inequality

• CRP 6011        Ethics, Development, and Globalization
• DEA 6650       Poverty, Children and the Environment
• GOVT 6021    Poverty and Social Policy
• ILRIC 6350    Labor Markets and Income Distribution in Developing Countries
• PAM 5150      Social Welfare Policy in the United States
• PADM 5412    Environmental Justice

Refugees, Migration and Immigration

• DSOC 6300    Human Migration: Internal and International
• FGSS 6876      Humanitarian Affects
• HIST 6851      Refugees
• ILRIC 6312     Migration in the Americas: Engaged Research Methods and Practice
• PAM 6140      Immigration Incorporation      

Brooks MPA students interested in international human rights may want to consider the graduate minor in Peace Studies. For further information see the Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies.

Other Suggested Courses for Human Rights and Social Justice

• AMST 6733    The Future of Whiteness
• AMST 6809    Urban Representation
• ASRC 6132    Mobility, Circulation, Migration Diaspora: Global Connections
• CRP 6011       Ethics, Development and Globalization
• CRP 6720       International Institutions
• DSOC 5400    Agriculture, Food, Sustainability, and Social Justice
• DSOC 5710    America’s Promise: Social and Political Context of American Education
• DSOC 6820    Community Organizing and Development
• GOVT 6022   Racial and Ethnic Politics in the US
• GOVT 6012   Labor, Class, and Race in American Politics
• GOVT 6132   The Politics of Inequality in the United States
• GOVT 6867   International Law, War and Human Rights
• ILRLR 6010  Union Organizing
• ILRLR 6070  Values, Rights and Justice at Work
• ILRLR 6079  Low Wage Workers and the Law
• ILRLR 6840  Fighting Discrimination in the Workplace: Employment Discrimination and                          the Law
• ILRLR 6845  Labor, Race, and Gender
• ILROB 5235  Skills and Perspective for Advancing Racial Equity in Organizations
• LAW 6560      International Human Rights and Institutions
• LAW 7183      Economic Justice: Understanding Law and Economic Inequality
• LAW 7015      Law and Social Movements
• NBA 6130       Women and Leadership
• SOC 6720       Sociology of Race and Institutions

Brooks MPA students interested in this concentration are concerned with administrative and policy issues in developing countries. This concentration helps students understand the broad and specific contexts in which international development decisions are made.  This is a very broad concentration and a rapidly changing area of knowledge and practice.  MPA students should design their concentration with this in mind, while recognizing that a good knowledge of the current and historical state of the field – how we got to where we are now, what has been successful and what has not and why – are essential inputs.  In addition to emphasizing thematic problems in development, Students may choose to focus their studies on a particular region of the globe.

This guide provides both an extensive list of suggested courses for the concentration, and a set of sample concentrations organized into thematic groups. These lists are meant to be illustrative. Courses from different samples and concentrations may be combined into a concentration.

Field Work in International Development

• AEM 6390      Research Methods in International Development
• CRP 6150        Current Issues and Debates on NGOs
• NS 6050          Evaluating the Impact of Health, Nutrition and Education Programs in Developing Countries
• PADM 5414    Project Management
• PADM 5657    Alternative Paradigms, Practices and Challenges in International Development

Food and Agricultural Policy

• AEM 6050      Agricultural Finance and Development
• AEM 6400      Analysis of Agricultural Markets
• NS 6455          Toward a Sustainable Global Food System: Food Policy in Developing Countries
• NS 6480          Economics of Food and Malnutrition

Human Rights and Development

• CRP 6011        Ethics, Development and Globalization
• DSOC 6300    Human Migration
• DSOC 6820    Community Organizing and Development
• PADM 5855    International Human Rights

Emerging Economies

• CRP 6740        Urban Transformations in the Global South
• LAW 6681      International Law and Foreign Direct Investment
• NBA 6370       Current Global Issues for Business: the US, Europe, China, and Emerging Markets
• PADM 5634    Corruption, Governance and Development

Other Suggested Courses for International Development Studies

• AEM 6050      Agricultural Finance and Development
• AEM 6125      Impact Evaluation in Developing Countries
• AEM 6600      Natural Resources and Economic Development
• CRP 6720       International Institutions
• DSOC 5400    Agriculture, Food, Sustainability, and Social Justice
• DSOC 6001    The Empirics of Development and Social Change
• DSOC 6020    Digitizing Development
• DSOC 6060    Sociological Theories of Development
• DSOC 6250    State, Economy and Society
• DSOC 6340    Risk and Disaster
• DSOC 6380    Population and Development
• AEM 6485      Economics of Food and Malnutrition
• ECON 7711    Microeconomics of Development
• IARD 6960     Perspectives in International Development
• ILRIC 5375    Labor Practices in Global Supply Chains: Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives
• LAW 6981      WTO and International Trade Law
• NBA 6980       International Trade and WTO Law
• NS 6480          Economics of Food and Malnutrition
• NS 6850          Microeconomics of Development: Applications to Health, Nutrition and Education
• PADM 5657   Alternative Paradigms, Practices and Challenges in International Development
• PADM 5734   Disasters, Vulnerability, and Resilience
• PAM 5210      Development Economics and Public Policy
  

Brooks MPA students interested in this concentration intend to pursue careers as public sector general managers or leadership roles in domestic and international nonprofit organizations. Coursework includes fundamentals of public and nonprofit administration, budgeting, human-resource management, strategy, organizational behavior, managing client relations and leadership.

This guide provides both an extensive list of suggested courses for the concentration, and a set of sample concentrations organized into thematic groups. These lists are meant to be illustrative. Courses from different samples and concentrations may be combined into a concentration.

Public Sector Management (general)

• PADM 5110    Public Administration
• PADM 5118    Leadership in Public Affairs
• PADM 5130    Legal Aspects of Public Agency Decision-Making
• PADM 5300    Cost-Benefit Analysis
• PADM 5456    Comparative Public Administration: Dubai (1/2 semester)
• PADM 5472    Leveraging IT for Public and Nonprofit Management (1/2 semester)

Nonprofit Management (general)

• LAW 6131      Business Organizations
• PADM 5410    Nonprofit Management and Finance
• PADM 5414    Project Management
• PADM 5431    Fundraising (1/2 semester)
• PADM 5472    Leveraging IT for Public and Nonprofit Management (1/2 semester)
• PAM 5190      Nonprofits and Public Policy
• PAM 5700      Accounting, Financial Reporting and Decision Making

International Public Management

• CRP 6720        International Institutions
• LAW 6791      Public International Law
• PADM 5345    Evaluation of International Programs and Projects
• PADM 5450    International Public and NGO Management

State and Local Government

• CRP 6120        Devolution and Privatization: Challenges for Urban Management
• ILRLR 6028   Mediating Organizational Conflicts
• PADM 5455    Comparative Public Administration: Seoul (1/2 semester)
• PADM 5472    Leveraging IT for Public and Nonprofit Management (1/2 semester)
• PADM 5612    Intergovernmental Relations

Social Entrepreneurship

• ILRHR 6611   Seminar in Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurial Organizations
• ILRHR 6615   Socially Responsible Business (1/2 semester)
• NBA 5100       Social Entrepreneurship
• NBA 5640       Designing New Ventures
• PADM 5418    Strategic Stakeholder Engagement (1/2 semester)
• PADM 5431    Fundraising (1/2 semester)
• PADM 5472    Leveraging IT for Public and Nonprofit Management (1/2 semester)

Other Suggested Courses for Public and Nonprofit Management

• AEM 6140      Behavioral Economics and Managerial Decisions
• AEM 6245      Organizational Behavior
• COMM 5150  Organizational Communication: Theory and Practice
• CRP 5460       Introduction to Community and Environment Dispute Resolution
• DSOC 6820    Community Organizing and Development
• ILRHR 5600 Human Resources Management
• ILRHR 5690  Rewards and Compensation
• ILRHR 7451  Leadership Assessment for Managers
• ILRLR 6012 Managing and Resolving Conflict
• ILROB 5210  Organizational Design, Culture, and Change
• ILROB 5235  Skills and Perspectives for Advancing Racial Equity in Organizations
• NBA 5061       Comprehensive Financial Statement Analysis
• NBA 5150       Leadership Theory and Practice
• NBA 6630       Managerial Decision Making
• NBA 6820       Negotiation 1: Negotiation Essentials
• NCC 5540      Managing and Leading in Organizations
• PADM 5114   Systems Leadership
• PADM 5570   Corporate Responsibility
• PADM 5449   Systems Thinking in Public Affairs
• PADM 5734   Disasters, Vulnerability, and Resilience
• PADM 5900   Consulting for Nonprofit and Government Organizations

The goal of this concentration is to prepare students for professional careers involved in policy issues in science, technology or infrastructure. Students who concentrate in this area should strive to develop capacity in leading, coordinating and using inputs from teams of specialists in science, technology or infrastructure, rather than trying to replicate the skills of technical experts. It is advantageous to structure a concentration keeping in mind that one may work with scientists, engineers, economists and lawyers in the search for politically feasible solutions to science, technology or infrastructure problems.

MPA students pursuing this concentration may be interested in the Infrastructure Policy, Management and Finance (IPMF) Certificate. For further information about the certificate program, please see the Program Handbook.

General Infrastructure

• PADM 5110    Public Administration
• PADM 5118    Leadership in Public Affairs
• PADM 5755    Infrastructure Financing
• PADM 5962    Infrastructure Project Management and Finance Project Course
• PAM 5170      Market Regulation and Public Policy 

Water Resource Management

• BEE 6940        Water in a Changing Environment
• CEE 6021        Environmental and Water Resources Systems Analysis
• CEE 6200        Water Resources Systems Engineering
• NTRES 6240  Sustainable Water Resource Management in the Face of Climate Change
• PADM 5414    Project Management

Transportation

• CEE 6620        Urban Transportation in Network Design and Analysis
• CEE 6648        Sustainable Urban Transportation Systems Design
• CEE 6650        Transportation, Energy, and the Environment
• PADM 5414    Project Management
• PADM 5755    Infrastructure Financing

Cyberpolicy

• DSOC 6020    Digital Capitalism
• INFO 6210      Information, Technology, and Society
• INFO 6600      Technology for Underserved Communities
• LAW 6205      Cyber Enforcement, Regulation, and Policy Analysis
• PADM 5472    Leveraging IT for Public and Nonprofit Management (1/2 semester)

Other Suggested Courses for Science, Technology and Infrastructure Studies

• AEM 6395      Technology Strategy
• BEE 6940       Water in a Changing Environment
• CEE 5970       Risk Analysis and Management
• CEE 5980       Introduction to Decision Analysis
• CEE 6021       Environmental and Water Resources Systems Analysis
• CEE 6200       Water Resources Systems Engineering
• CEE 6620       Urban Transportation Network Design and Analysis
• CEE 6648       Sustainable Transportation Systems Design
• CEE 6650       Transportation, Energy, and the Environment
• COMM 6460  Human Communication and Technology
• COMM 6750  Research Methods for Social Networks and Social Media
• COMM 6860 Risk Communication
• CRP 5080       Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• CRP 5555       Environmental Impact Review
• CRP 5560       Creating the Built Environment
• CRP 6270       Regional Economic Impact Analysis
• DSOC 6020    Digital Capitalism
• INFO 5310     Psychological and Social Aspects of Technology
• INFO 5330     Technology, Media, and Democracy
• INFO 6210     Information, Technology and Society
• INFO 6600     Technology for Underserved Communities
• LAW 6205      Cyber Enforcement, Regulation, and Policy Analysis
• NBA 6070       Designing Data Products
• NBA 6120       Disruptive Technologies
• NBA 6180       Global Innovation and Technology Commercialization
• NBA 6650       The Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation
• NBA 6850       Digital Business Operations
• NTRES 6240  Sustainable Water Resource Management in the Face of Climate Change
• PADM 5114   Systems Leadership
• PADM 5414   Project Management
• PADM 5418   Strategic Stakeholder Engagement
• PADM 5449   Systems Thinking in Public Affairs
• PADM 5472   Leveraging Information Technology for Public and Nonprofit Management
• PADM 5570   Corporate Responsibility
• PADM 5734   Disasters, Vulnerability, and Resilience
• PADM 5755   Infrastructure Financing
• PADM 5962   Infrastructure Project Management and Finance (IPMF) Project course
• PAM 5170      Market Regulation and Public Policy
• PAM 5240      Risk Management and Policy
• PAM 5334      Corporations, Shareholders and Policy
• PAM 5340      Regulation and Infrastructure Policy
• PAM 5970      Economics and Environmental Policy
• STS 6661        Public Engagement in Science
• STS 7201        Studying Emerging Technologies

Brooks MPA students in the social policy concentration learn design, management and evaluation of public-sector programs in their choice of policy area including health, education, child and family policy, housing and urban policy, welfare and transfer programs. The fundamental material of this concentration introduces students to problem formation, identification of policy alternatives, policy implementation and policy evaluation.

This guide provides both an extensive list of suggested courses for the concentration, and a set of sample concentrations organized into thematic groups. These lists are meant to be illustrative. Courses from different samples and concentrations may be combined into a concentration.

Design and Evaluation of Social Policy

• DSOC 6190    Quantitative Research Methods
• NS 6850          Evaluating the Impact of Health, Nutrition and Education Programs in Developing Countries
• PADM 5340    Introduction to Evaluation
• PADM 5382    Bridging the Gap: Connecting Research and Policy in the NY State Legislature
• PADM 5900    Consulting for Government and Nonprofit Organizations

Education Policy

• DSOC 5710    America’s Promise: Social and Political Context of American Education
• DSOC 6610    Complex Organizations, Education, and Development
• SOC 6450       Neighborhoods, Schools, and Education
• LAW 6311      Education Policy

Health Policy

• DEA 6610       Environments and Health
• PAM 5280      Population Health for Managers
• PAM 5670      Health Policy

Social Welfare Policy

• CRP 5074        Economic and Community Development Workshop
• GOVT 6021    Poverty and Social Policy
• ILRHR 6635   Unemployment: Causes, Experiences and Responses
• ILRIC 6325    The European Social Model
• PAM 5150      Social Welfare Policy in the U.S.

Other Suggested Courses in Social Policy

• COMM 6760 Public Health Communication
• CRP 5040       Urban Economics
• CRP 6430       Affordable Housing Policy and Programs
• DSOC 6610    Complex Organizations, Education and Development
• DSOC 6150   Qualitative Research Methods
• DSOC 6710    Schools, Communities and Policy Reform
• GOVT 6293   Comparative Urbanization
• GOVT 6603   Contentious Politics and Social Movements
• ILRLE 6420   Economic Analysis of the Welfare State
• ILRLE 6480   Economics Analysis of the University
• ILRIC 6350   Labor Markets and Income Distribution in Developing Countries
• ILRLR 6865  Thwarting the Dream of Brown v. Board of Education
• ILROB 6260  Managing Diversity: Policies and Practices
• LAW 7015      Law and Social Movements
• NS 6250         Community Nutrition in Action
• PADM 5142   Environmental Justice
• PAM 5080      Economics of the US Social Safety Net
• PAM 5150      Social Welfare Policy in the United States
• PAM 6280      Family Demography
• PAM 5080      Economics of the U.S. Social Safety Net
• PAM 5300      Cost-Benefit Analysis
• PAM 5010      Education Policy
• PAM 5250      Neighborhoods, Housing and Urban Policy
• PAM 5280      Population Health for Health Care Managers
• SOC 6340       Sociology of Education
• SOC 6450       Neighborhoods, Schools and Education