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
Nonprofit Management and Policy
Policy Communication
Data Analytics
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)

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            
  Public Policy Communication (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)

Data Analytics Specialization

Recent courses include:

• PPD 542          
  Policy and Program Evaluation (4)
• PPDE 636          
  Urban Spatial Ethnography and Critical Cartography (4)
• PPDE 642    
  Advanced Urban Analytics (4)
• PPDE 651         
  Python for Public Policy and Management (4)
• PPDE 668        
  Applied Econometrics for Program Evaluation (4)
• PPDE 674         
  Data Visualization for Policy Analysis (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        
  Poverty, Inequality and Public Policy (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)