MPP Specialization Electives

MPP students are able (but not required) to use their specialization electives to develop expertise in a particular policy area.  Below you will find optional areas of specialization and recent courses that fit within each area.

Popular MPP Specialization Areas:

Community and Economic Development
Environmental Policy
Health Policy
Homeland Security and Public Policy
Nonprofit Management and Policy
Policy Communication
Research and Analytic Methods
Social Justice
Urban and Social Policy

Community and Economic Development Specialization

Recent courses include:

• PPD 623
  Community Development and Site Planning (4)
• PPD 624          
  Local Economic Development:  Theory and Finance (4)
• PPD 625          
  Planning and Economic Development Finance (4)
• PPD 639          
  Introduction to Community and Economic Development (4)
• PPDE 635        
  Housing and Land Use in Rapidly Urbanizing Regions (4)
• RED 510          
  Real Estate Practice and Principles (4)

Environmental Policy Specialization

Recent courses include:

• PPD 587          
  Risk Analysis (4)
• PPDE 643         
  Planning for Resilience (4)
• PPDE 634        
  Methodology, Methods and Tools for Urban Sustainability (4)
• PPDE 640        
  Climate, Sustainability and Environmental Planning (4)
• PPDE 660        
  Environmental Policy Design and Analysis (4)
• PPDE 665        
  Economic Impact Analysis:  Methods and Applications (4)
• PPDE 673        
  Foundations of Environmental Policy (4)
• SSCI 581         
  Concepts for Spatial Thinking (4)

Health Policy Specialization

Recent courses include:

• PPD 509          
  Problems and Issues in the Health Field (4)
• PPD 514          
  Economic Concepts Applied to Health (4)
• PPD 605          
  Frontline Issues in Health Services Administration and Policy (2)
• PPD 697          
  Cultural Proficiency in Health Management and Policy (2)
• PPDE 612        
  Consulting in Healthcare Organizations (2)
• PPDE 630        
  Community Health Planning (4)

Homeland Security and Public Policy Specialization

Recent courses include:

• PPD 683          
  Homeland Security and Public Policy (4)
• PPD 587          
  Risk Analysis (4)
• PPD 557          
  Modeling and Operations Research (4)
• PPDE 670        
  American Contemporary Homegrown Violent Extremism (4)
• PPDE 672        
  An Exploration of the Intelligence Community – From Policy to Cyber Espionage (4)

Nonprofit Management and Policy Specialization

Recent courses include:

• PPD 545          
  Public and Nonprofit Organizational Behavior (4)
• PPD 665          
  Contemporary Issues in Philanthropy (4)
• PPD 675          
  Nonprofit Management and Leadership (4)
• PPD 688          
  Business and Public Policy (4)
• PPD 689          
  The Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy (4)
• PPDE 580        
  Social Innovation (4)
• PPDE 645        
  Financial Management of Nonprofit Organizations (4)
• PPDE 646        
  Grant Writing Practicum (2)

Policy Communication Specialization

Recent courses include:

• CMGT 578      
  Non-profit Advocacy (4)
• PR 501            
  Advocacy Communications (4)
• PR 536            
  Digital, Social and Mass Media Public Relations Strategies (3)
• PPDE 674 
  Data Visualization for Policy Analysis (4)
• PPD 616          
  Participatory Methods in Planning and Policy (4)
• PPD 693          
  Communicating Public Policy (4)
• PPDE 647        
  Civic Engagement in Governance (4)

Research and Analytic Methods Specialization

Recent courses include:

• PPD 542          
  Policy and Program Evaluation (4)
• PPDE 651         
  Python for Public Policy and Management (4)
• PPDE 642    
  Advanced Urban Analytics (4)
• PPDE 661        
  Methods for Equity Analysis (4)
• PPDE 668        
  Applied Econometrics for Program Evaluation (4)
• SSCI 581         
  Concepts for Spatial Thinking (4)

Social Justice Specialization

Recent courses include:

• PPD 616          
  Participatory Methods in Planning and Policy (4)
• PPD 686          
  U.S. Immigration Policy (4)
• PPD 697          
  Cultural Proficiency in Health Management and Policy (2)
• PPDE 661        
  Methods for Equity Analysis (4)
• PPDE 636        
  Urban Spatial Ethnography and Critical Cartography (4)
• PPDE 638        
  Race, Arts, and Placemaking (4)
• PPDE 664        
  Seminar in Social Justice and Public Policy (4)

Urban and Social Policy Specialization

Recent courses include:

• PPDE 642    
  Advanced Urban Analytics (4)    
• PPD 628          
  Urban Planning and Social Policy (4)
• PPD 647          
  Finance of the Public Sector (4)
• PPD 686          
  U.S. Immigration Policy (4)
• PPD 688          
  Business and Public Policy (4)
• PPDE 580        
  Social Innovation (4)
• PPDE 662        
  China from a U.S. Policy Perspective (4)
• PPDE 683        
  Social Finance and Development (4)