MPPA Curriculum

Course Descriptions

Both written and verbal communication in political science and public policy is quite different than in many other fields. As a result, your ability to summarize and communicate research and concepts on a specific policy question is an invaluable skill. This course will sharpen these indispensable abilities.

Discussion and critique of top public policy articles published in the field (held monthly). 

Monthly panels of public policy practitioners from local, state, regional, and federal government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

We have too few leaders that exhibit the requisite skills needed to lead effectively, make bold decisions on critical issues and create transformative policy. This course will delve into the three areas a transformative public servant needs to master: leadership, decision-making, and policy creation.

Compromise has become a bad word in modern politics. Partisan politics has made the art of finding common ground to address critical issues political malpractice against one's party. This course, students will learn the declining "art of compromise" that will allow them to become better and more impactful leaders.

Review of bivariate and multivariate regression techniques. The formidable problem of endogeneity. Using regression with dichotomous dependent variables. Non-linear regression models.

A critical skill for a person engaged in a decision-making position in the public square is the ability to make crucial judgments amid a crisis or emergency. Through historical simulations, Decision-Making in a Crisis will help you develop critical thinking, reasoning, messaging, evaluation, and problem-solving skills.

Advanced statistical techniques designed to make much stronger cases for causal inferences, including fixed effects models, difference-in-difference models, regression discontinuity analysis, propensity score analysis, and synthetic models.

It is important for leaders of non-profits and government agency directors to have the skill and knowledge to develop and evaluate grant proposals. This course will assist students in becoming effective grant writers and grant evaluators. The course will also teach students about how the grant process works.

This course explores the importance of governmental budgeting and management of budgets. It also examines the budgeting process at the state and local levels and the role of the federal budget on state and local governments.

Programs need to be evaluated to determine if they are having the intended design impact and if those impacts outweigh the program's costs. However, measuring effects can be challenging, and this course will concentrate on measuring the result of a program and what tools to use to make those measurements.

Organized advocacy and lobbying are essential parts of the public sector. Whether it is business, labor, public interest groups, and other nonprofit organizations, nearly every segment of the public square has a professional voice sharing their concerns and ideas inside a legislative chamber.