Electives

The field of public policy, at its core, produces social change.

Dr. Juliet Musso
Houston Flournoy Professor of State Government

Policy Area Specializations

Students are encouraged to specialize by combining 12 units of specialization within a substantive policy area with appropriate analytic and management electives. Below, we identify some of the more popular specialization areas, but students are free to self-design specializations, taking up to 12 units from anywhere on the USC campus.

*Students interested in non-USC Price courses must contact the academic unit offering the class (if departmental clearance is needed) for registration. Contact information is located on the online Schedule of Classes, at the top of the scheduling page for each academic unit. Some schools prioritize their own student enrollment, granting permission to other interested students afterwards. If students would like a course reviewed for specific specialization relevancy, students may submit a course description or syllabus to the Program Administrator in advance. This course list provides a guide for courses relevant to the listed policy specialization areas, however, it is not an exhaustive list.

MPP requirements include:

4 unit management elective, 4 unit analytic elective, and 12 units of policy specialization electives

• Business and Entrepreneurship
• Civil Infrastructure
• Community and Economic Development
• Education Policy
• Environmental Policy
• Health Policy
• Homeland Security and Public Policy
• International Policy and Development
• Management
• Media and Communications Policy
• Nonprofit Management and Policy
• Political Management
• Social Justice
• Transportation Policy and Planning
• Urban and Social Policy