Policy, Planning, and Management, M.P.P.M.

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The MPPM prepares students for professional leadership roles in government, nonprofit and community organizations, and other public service settings. The MPPM curriculum develops robust, multi-disciplinary foundational knowledge and skills that will permit graduates to excel in the complex and interrelated fields of policy, planning, and management. Coursework focuses on conceptual learning and application through use of real-world data, case studies, client- and community-based projects and assignments, and provides opportunities to apply learning to contemporary issues and challenges. The degree serves working professionals and pre-career students from varied educational backgrounds who aspire to leadership roles and careers as managers, planners, researchers, analysts, or advocates in public service.

The goals of the Program are to educate students to:

Comprehend the institutional and inter-organizational structures and fundamental concepts and methods of public policy, planning, and management.
Identify and describe problems and evaluate potential solutions from diverse political, economic, social justice, and ethical perspectives.
Participate in and contribute effectively to the public policy process.
Use data and quantitative and qualitative analytical approaches to define and analyze problems and identify and evaluate feasible solutions.
Design and plan responses and monitor implementation in organizations and communities.
Evaluate approaches to public, private, and non-profit organizational leadership and management.
Engage diverse stakeholders and facilitate civil civic discourse, community participation, and public-private cooperation.
Communicate clearly and interact effectively and inclusively with a diverse citizenry and workforce.

Program Requirements

The 36-credit degree program provides a rigorous core of five courses (15 credits) augmented with an 18-credit concentration in Public Policy; Community Planning and Sustainable Development; or Public and Nonprofit Management and a 3-credit from a free elective course. As part of the concentration, students must complete an applied experience or develop an academic portfolio. Students with little or no public service experience normally complete a 3-credit public service internship. More experienced students may enroll in a 3-credit workshop course or capstone seminar or develop a non-credit academic portfolio that provides evidence of mastery of MPPM competencies. Students with strong interests and appropriate preparation for study in areas not covered by one of the three concentrations may seek approval from the Program to pursue a self-designed plan of study.

Waiver of Required Course Request

A student may request waiver of a program requirement by demonstrating adequate mastery of the subject matter. Evidence may include a graduate course syllabus, an undergraduate or graduate transcript, successful completion of an examination, submission of work samples, or other means acceptable to the faculty member teaching the course. Permission to waive a requirement does not reduce the credit requirement for graduation; students take additional electives to attain the minimum of 36 credits required for graduation.

The Core Curriculum

A core curriculum of 15 credits assures an understanding of the basic principles and methods of public policy, planning, and public and nonprofit management.

Core Curriculum Requirements

Public Policy Concentration

The Public Policy Concentration focuses on building skills in policy research and analysis, policy formulation and evaluation, and policy advising and communication. This concentration is appropriate for students seeking professional careers in government accountability and fiscal policy analysis agencies, executive and legislative policy advising, and think tanks, consulting firms, and advocacy organizations that generate public policy research and analysis.

The learning outcomes of students in the Public Policy Concentration include:

Research and analyze public policies and policy proposals using appropriate frameworks and methods, synthesize results, and make recommendations.
Identify and evaluate distributional effects of policy issues, public policies, and proposed solutions, including the potential for unintended consequences.
Identify and articulate competing interests in public policy and social justice debates, including the influence of values, ethics, ideologies, and public opinion.
Communicate clearly and effectively the results of policy research and analysis, orally and in writing, to decision makers and nontechnical audiences.

Students pursuing the Public Policy Concentration complete a three-credit required course in policy analysis and form a foundation for professional work by selecting 15 credits from a list of public policy frameworks and methods courses, and an additional 3 credits of electives. As part of the concentration, students must complete one of four options: PPM 696 , a 3-credit public service internship; PPM 613 , a 3-credit project-based course; PPM 699 , a 3-credit capstone seminar, or a non-credit academic portfolio.*

Required Course:

PPM 622 - Applied Policy Analysis

Select 15 credits from the following courses:

*Students who complete a non-credit portfolio in lieu of capstone seminar, workshop in PPM, or a public service internship take an additional elective course.

Public and Nonprofit Management Concentration

Public executives negotiate a constantly changing field to meet the demands of the citizens and communities in which they serve, all the while functioning in a transparent manner to keep and hold the public trust. The Public and Nonprofit Management concentration is designed for students already working or planning to work in government or nonprofits. Anyone without significant work experience should plan on an internship. Those planning a career as a town or county manager or some other position in local government should plan on completing PPM 534 - Managing Cities, Towns, and Counties .

The learning out comes of students in the Public and Nonprofit Management Concentration include:

Develop leadership and management skills through engaging in problem- and project-based learning.
Understand and evaluate organizational dynamics and mobilize others in collaborative problem-solving and partnerships to address complex problems.
Utilize performance measurement systems in order to collect, analyze, interpret and present evidence using appropriate models and methods.
Develop the skills to work effectively in an arena of competing interests while being cognizant of the needs of the general community.
Communicate effectively and engage productively within a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry, community groups, and organizations.

Students pursuing the Public and Nonprofit Management Concentration choose one of the two three-credit required courses and form a foundation for professional work by selecting 15 credits from a list of public and nonprofit management frameworks and methods courses, and an additional 3 credits of electives. As part of the concentration, students must complete one of four options: PPM 696 , a 3-credit public service internship; PPM 613 , a 3-credit project-based course; PPM 699 , a 3-credit capstone seminar, or a non-credit academic portfolio.*

Required Courses:

Select 15 credits from the following courses:

* Students who complete a non-credit portfolio in lieu of capstone seminar, workshop in PPM, or a public service internship take an additional elective course.

Community Planning and Sustainable Development Concentration

The Community Planning and Sustainable Development focuses on building skills in the methods and applications of sustainable community development and planning, including GIS and remote sensing, site planning and assessment, forecasting and modeling, and citizen engagement. Students may also select courses in environmental and sustainability science and theory, and natural resource management and policy. Students will have the opportunity to produce professional-level projects focused on issues of planning and sustainable development.

The learning outcomes of students in the Community Planning and Sustainable Development include:

Demonstrate strong working knowledge of planning and development elements and standards.
Demonstrate working knowledge of the legal and political foundations of plan making and a background in planning and zoning law.
Demonstrate proficiency in the use of industry-standard GIS and remote sensing software tools and techniques of analysis.
Apply geospatial technologies and spatial analysis approaches to address planning and sustainable community development issues.
Demonstrate ability to design, develop, research and communicate professional-level projects using GIS and/or remote sensing tools and focused on issues of planning and sustainable development.

Students pursuing the Community Planning and Sustainable Development Concentration complete a three-credit required course in community planning and form a foundation for professional work by selecting 15 credits from a list of community planning and sustainable development frameworks and methods courses, and an additional 3 credits of electives. As part of the concentration, students must complete one of four options: PPM 696 , a 3-credit public service internship; PPM 613 , a 3-credit project-based course; PPM 699 , a 3-credit capstone seminar, or a noncredit academic portfolio.*

Required Courses:

PPM 507 - Introduction to Community Planning

Select 15 credits from the following courses:

* Students who complete a non-credit portfolio in lieu of capstone seminar, workshop in PPM, or a public service internship take an additional elective course.