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Master of Public Policy * Requirements for the Degree Other information on graduate studies at UMass Dartmouth, including tuition and fees, is available at http://www.umassd.edu/graduate
The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is a two-year professional degree although part-time students may take 4 to 6 years to complete the degree. The maximum length of time a student may stay enrolled in the MPP is 10 years, including formal leaves of absence. A student must remain continuously enrolled in the MPP on at least a part-time basis unless granted a leave of absence by the Department Chair/MPP Director. Students are normally required to complete 39 credits of coursework (13 courses), including 24 credits (8 courses) in a common curriculum component, that includes an Internship, 9 credits (3 courses) in a policy concentration area, 3 credits of free elective (1 course), and a 3 credit Policy Research Seminar. Full-time status requires students to enroll in three graduate level courses per semester and to complete one summer Internship.
The Common Curriculum Component consists of eight courses required of all students in the MPP program. Some courses in the Common Curriculum Component have prerequisites that may have been fulfilled by courses taken as an undergraduate. If the prerequisite is not fulfilled by a course taken in obtaining a bachelor’s degree, the Free Elective may be used to fulfill one prerequisite, including one undergraduate course. No other courses taken as prerequisites will count toward the MPP degree requirements. A recommended schedule for sequencing courses and completing the program in two years is shown below: Recommended Two Year Schedule PST 500 Public Institutions & the Policy Process PST 580 Statistical Analysis Free Elective (may be used to fulfill prerequisite for other courses) PST 510 Public Management PST 540 Microeconomics for Public Policy Concentration Area Course PST 541 State & Local Public Finance PST 581 Research Methods for Public Policy Concentration Area Course PST 599 Internship (2 credits waived with at least 2 years substantial and relevant work experience) PST 530 Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation Concentration Area Course PST 585 Applied Policy Research Seminar Total: 39 credit hours The MPP requires students to declare a policy area concentration by the beginning of their second semester. The policy area concentration will be fulfilled by taking three or more courses on a related topic(s). Special Topics courses and Independent Study courses may count toward the concentration if they are relevant to the student’s declared area of concentration (consult with advisor). * Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation Students may also work with an advisor to develop an individualized concentration area. Students may enroll in selected MPP courses without being admitted to the MPP program. Students interested in taking courses in non-degree status must have the permission of the instructor before enrolling in the course. PST 500 Public Institutions & the Policy Process 3 Credits Prerequisites: An undergraduate course such as Introduction to American Government, Introduction to Policy Studies, or equivalent. The institutional, political, and normative context of the public policy process. The course introduces students to the the central issues and major areas in U.S. public policy, such as health and welfare, education, economic policy, tax policy, and environmental policy. The course also reviews the key concepts and process models used to analyze public policy in the United States. PST 510 Public Management 3 credits Reviews the responsibilities of a public manager, including an introduction to the specific areas of public management. Topics include organizational structure; strategic planning; management decision-making; staffing, training, and motivating employees; leadership development; budgeting, program design, implementation, and evaluation; ethical considerations for public managers, and providing support to policymakers. PST 530 Policy Analysis 3 Credits Reviews the theory and practice of program evaluation and its role in the policy-making process. Topics include policy history, evaluation design and methodology, data collection and data analysis, policy feasibility, and the ability to analyze the impact of government programs. The course emphasizes both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and policy analysis. PST 540 Microeconomics for Public Policy 3 credits Prerequisites: Principles of Microeconomics (ECO 231) or Principles of Macroeconomics (ECO 232), or permission of instructor Development of microeconomic theory, applications, and price policy. Covers the theory of price determination, resource allocation, income distribution, and welfare economics, with particular emphasis to public policy issues. Perfectly competitive markets and models of imperfect competition are covered, including applications of game theory. Theory is integrated with public policy questions. PST 541 State and Local Public Finance 3 credits Prerequisite: PST 540 Microeconomics for Public Policy or permission of instructor Explores the major economic decisions of subnational governments regarding taxation and expenditures. Considers how these decisions affect the allocation of both private and public resources. Focuses on constraints imposed on state and local governments that are not placed on the federal government, including the requirement of annually balanced budgets. Includes a detailed examination of economic and other data available on state and local governments, a review of existing relevant laws and policies pertaining to state and local public finance, and an examination of issues involving public goods and externalities in the particular context of states and municipalities. PST 580 Statistical Analysis 3 Credits A case study approach involving the following statistical concepts: descriptive statistics, probability, sampling, probability distribution, statistical estimation, chi-square testing, analysis of variance and simple regression-correlation analysis. PST 581 Research Methods for Public Policy 3 Credits Research-based course that reviews the process of applied research design, secondary data research techniques, appropriate techniques and sources for Internet research, and the use of mixed methodological strategies in applied policy research. The course requires students to conduct independent policy research within this framework and it requires students to produce a final research paper on a policy issue selected by the student. PST 585 Applied Policy Research Seminar 3 Credits Methods, techniques, and data sources for preparing analytic reports designed to influence decision-making in government, business, education, and other organizational settings. Course reviews the origins of policy analysis in the United States, the nature of policy research, the process of preparing to conduct applied research, how to conceptualize a research project, and how to conduct technical analysis and best practices research. Students learn how to communicate research findings to an appropriate audience through briefing papers, press releases, newspaper editorials, and formal testimony. PST 599 Public Policy Internship 1 to 6 Credits Prerequisite: Must have completed 9 hours of coursework in the MPP. A policy-related internship tailored to each student’s career preferences or academic interests. The selection of an internship venue will occur in consultation with the student’s MPP advisor and with the approval of the MPP Internship Coordinator. The Internship venue is usually selected from a pre-approved list of local, state, and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and private sector businesses. Note: The field work component of the internship (2 credits) is waived if an individual has at least 2 years substantial and relevant work experience in a policy making or public management position, although students must still enroll in the academic course component (1 credit) of the internship to graduate Courses - Policy Concentration Area PST 501 Theories of Policy Formation 3 Credits Theories of policy formation, including systems analysis, group theory, elitism/class analysis, structuralism, and the state autonomy/issues network model. The course examines how different theories view the role of citizen participation, political leadership, bureaucratic institutions, interest groups, academic experts, and business in the policy-making process. Provides students with the analytic tools to understand variations in the policy-making process across different issues and policy sectors and the opportunity to develop their own ideas and applications. PST 512 Performance Management in the Public and Non-Profit Sectors 3 Credits Designing and implementing performance measurement systems in public agencies and non-profit organizations. The course provides program administrators and other practitioners with the concepts, tools and techniques essential to developing and implementing performance measurement systems, while emphasizing their usefulness in improving organizational and program performance. PST 514 Introduction to Planning 3 Credits Introduction to trends in urban development, comprehensive planning concepts, political and legal bases of planning, and approaches to planning. The course will examine the planner's role in formulating policy in areas such as land use, transportation, affordable housing, urban growth, and suburban sprawl. NUR 520 Health Care Systems, Regulation, and Quality Assurance 3 Credits A comparative analysis of the US health care system in relation to government and private sector involvement. Focus of the course is on the development, financing, and regulation of the health care system. Selected mechanisms, such as policy formation, cost effectiveness, accreditation, and quality assurance programs are examined. PST 537 Public Policy in Massachusetts The constitutional and institutional structure of Massachusetts state government, state level political and policymaking processes, state level instruments of public policy, and substantive areas of state level policy, including fiscal and tax policy, economic development, labor and workforce development, housing, higher education, health and human services, transportation, and ethics policy. Course examines the roles of official actors in the policy process, such as elected functionaries, the bureaucracy, and the courts, as well as the unofficial actors, such as political parties, interest groups, and think tanks. PST 539 Massachusetts SouthCoast: Problems & Policies 3 Credits Social problems of the Massachusetts SouthCoast with an emphasis on identifying regional policy solutions based on empirical data, qualitative research, established best practices, or policy innovation. The course examines policy areas such as educational attainment, health care accessibility, housing affordability, and the challenges of environmental degradation, crime, social service delivery, and economic development. Policy problems are analyzed in the context of state and local policy debates. PST 542 Globalization and Its Consequences 3 credits Critical evaluation of the multidimensional impacts of globalization. The course examines some of the social and political impacts of globalization, including global terrorism, the global drug trade, political violence, sex trafficking, cultural homogenization, environmental deterioration, the spread of infectious diseases and other topics. The course also examines the underlying economic foundations of globalization, including the role of supra-national governance institutions and their impact on domestic social policy and institutions. PST 552 Women and Social Policy 3 Credits Family policy issues in the U.S. such as childcare, family leave, job equity, and marriage and family relationships. U.S. public policy is compared with that of other countries. PST 553 Global Policies and Women's Human Rights 3 Credits Comparative examination of human rights issues that affect women’s lives and the ways that women’s experiences of human rights violations are gendered throughout the world. The course will explore how the attainment of women’s rights in the economic, social, and political realms vary significantly by cultural, geographic, and national boundaries, and the strategies that women use to challenge and overcome obstacles to the realization of these rights. The course investigates a range of global policy issues, including international human rights conventions; gender-based violence; cultural relativism versus universalism; religious fundamentalism and the oppression of women; harmful traditional practices; women’s political and civil rights; the impact of authoritarianism and democratization on women’s status; the impact of economic globalization on women’s economic and labor rights; and the shortcomings of the international human rights regime in protecting women’s human rights. PST 557 Health Policy 3 Credits Foundations of health policy analysis. The history and development of social policy related to health care. Theories and methods used in the analysis and evaluation of health policies. Federal, state, and local governmental structures and processes, special interest groups, and other actors that impact health policy. PST 560 Environmental Consequences of Globalization 3 Credits The environmental consequences of unregulated economic activity, rapid industrialization, and population growth. The course focuses on the Global South, but also examines the effects of profligate consumption patterns, the practices of Northern-based corporations, and other aspects of the globalization process that impact the world’s collective environmental security. Unsustainable environmental practices that impact climate change, biodiversity, the world’s natural resource base, and food supply are examined. PST 562 Environmental Policy 3 credits The broad context of environmental policymaking. Course provides a particular understanding of environmental policy issues, including the importance and effects of historical, political, and institutional context of environmental policymaking issues are explored. The course also teaches the essential skills and concepts important for the analysis and evaluation of environmental policies. Concentration Area: Environmental Policy PST 566 Crime and Justice Policy 3 credits An exploration of public policy in a criminal justice context. The causes and consequences of public policy will be explored to demonstrate the complexity of the relationships between criminological knowledge, policy and practice. Concentration Area: Crime and Justice, Social Policy PST 595 Independent Study 1 to 6 Credits Prerequisite: Permission of instructor, Department Chair, and College Dean. Study under the supervision of a faculty member in an area not otherwise part of the discipline’s course offerings. Conditions and hours to be arranged. PST 596 Directed Study 3 Credits Prerequisite: Permission of instructor, Department Chair, and College Dean. Study under the supervision of a faculty member in an area covered in a regular course not currently being offered. Conditions and hours to be arranged. PST 611 Administrative Law 3 Credits Formulation and implementation perspectives on administrative law. The goal is to create a basic understanding of the relationships between federal and state laws, and the implementing regulatory bodies. Topics covered include administrative power creation, implementation, and review, and the general relationships between principles of administrative law and of environmental policy are explored. PST 650 Special Topics in Policy Studies 3 Credits Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Seminar requires students to do in-depth research on a specific policy area. Topics will vary depending on the instructor’s current research and in response to the emergence of significant public policy issues. Sample topics include freedom of information and information policy, science and technology policy, regional economic development, marine policy, environmental policy, and gender policy. Examples of recent offerings include: Women's Human Rights, Environmental Law & Policy, Crime & Justice Policy, and Poverty & Immigration. MGT 650 Advanced Organizational Behavior 3 Credits An interactive skills building course to improve managerial and team performance. Students will develop an understanding of themselves in relation to others in an organizational context. Class time will be allocated among short lectures, exercises, discussion, process observation, role playing, and team work research. PST 661 Environmental Law 3 Credits The major policy implementation and legitimization stages typical of environmental law and regulation development. Students gain understanding of the ways the law establishes "frameworks" within which policies must be developed and must interact, and the roles of policy professionals in the several stages of development. PST 663 Ocean Policy and Law 3 Credits The interrelation between law and policy in the particular context of the marine environment. The course surveys coastal zone management, offshore resource management, marine pollution, and domestic and international ocean policy. Students are offered a broad perspective on legal and administrative issues affecting the oceans worldwide. MGT 672 Management of Organizational Change 3 Credits Knowledge, understanding, and skills to actively contribute, whether as a manager, leader, or change agent, to essential renewal and transformation processes within organizations. Course examines how change occurs in large-scale organizations, the role of leadership in the change process, the use of vision, symbols, and metaphor to stimulate change, and the use of change forums to help employees maintain momentum during the process. MGT 672 Designing Team-Based Organizations 3 Credits MGT 672 Leading, Motivating, and Empowering Others 3 Credits Note: This is not a comprehensive listing of all concentration area courses. The Master of Public Policy requires an Internship (3 credits) for students with less than 2 years of substantial and relevant public policy or public management experience. The field work component of the Internship (2 credits) will be waived if an individual has at least 2 years substantial and relevant work experience in a policy making or public management position, although all students must enroll in the academic seminar component (1 credit) of the Internship to graduate and for purposes of reviewing the students’ professional portfolios. Students will select an Internship venue from a pre-approved list of local, state, and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and private sector businesses. The Internship’s objective is to expose students to a policy-related or public management setting that allows them to integrate public policy theory (in their academic course) and with the real world of policy making and public management in their area of substantive interest. In the academic seminar Interns will share workplace experiences, analyze these experiences within the framework of public policy and public management theory, and share the contents of their professional portfolio with students and members of the faculty. Students begin working toward the Internship at matriculation when each student begins constructing a professional portfolio. Each student presents their portfolio to a faculty committee during the Internship seminar to discuss how it represents their learning and will support their future job search. The professional portfolio will include: research papers written for courses taken in the program, policy white papers written for courses taken in the program, papers or products from the course in Applied Policy Research, work products, consultant reports, or other written analysis prepared as a research assistant or research associate at the Center for Policy Analysis, research papers or other products from the course in Applied Policy Research, documentation of other professional or scholarly achievements over the course of their enrollment in the MPP, newspaper clippings about the individual’s achievements, public service, and awards, published articles in trade magazines or newspapers, professional certifications, licenses, and other evidence of professional development, evidence of presentations or attendance at meetings of relevant professional associations, letters of commendation and letters of recommendation from supervisors or others in a position to evaluate the individual’s academic and work performance, other items of importance as determined by the student. For more information about internships, please see: http://www.naspaa.org/principals/resources/internship.asp The Master of Public Policy utilizes the campus-wide graduate admissions process at UMass Dartmouth (http://www.umassd.edu/graduate/). This process requires prospective graduate students to submit an application to the university’s graduate school along with supporting documents and test scores. The applications are screened by university staff to insure that applications are complete and meet the MPP’s minimum requirements for admission. All completed applications that meet the MPP’s minimum admissions requirements are reviewed by an Admissions Committee consisting of faculty from the Department of Policy Studies and Affiliated Faculty who teach MPP courses. The Admissions Committee will select a group of students each semester for admission to the MPP. The following proposed changes to the MPP Admissions were approved by the Department of Public Policy Curriculum Committee (11-29-06) and have the support of Dean William Hogan. 1. Application Deadlines: The MPP accepts applications at any time and is usually able to process applications within two weeks of receiving a completed application. Students interested in exploring the degree are allowed to take up to two courses on non-degree status without being accepted into the program. The two courses will count towards the MPP once a student has been accepted into the program. 2. Graduate Record Examination Waiver Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT): Applicants to the Master of Public Policy must submit GRE (general test), or GMAT scores taken within 5 years of the application. The MPP will not require a minimum score for admission, but performance on the examination will be factored into the admissions process. Official score reports must come directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The GRE requirement is waived for applicants who received their baccalaureate degree at least 5 years prior to submitting an application to the Master of Public Policy and who have at least 2 year’s experience in a policymaking or policy-related management position in the public, private, or non-profit sectors. Individuals may submit an application to the MPP through the graduate office. The application process and minimum standards for admission are as follows: 1. Earned Baccalaureate Degree All applicants to the Master of Public Policy must have an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited 4-year college or university in the United States or comparable non-U.S. degree/diploma from a recognized foreign institution of higher education at the time of matriculation. Undergraduate seniors may apply in their final semester with expectation that they will have graduated prior to enrolling in MPP courses. A copy of official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended, undergraduate and graduate, must be submitted as part of the application process. Applicants may hold a degree in any field, although it is expected that most applicants will hold degrees in the social sciences, business, and humanities. To make up for gaps in their undergraduate preparation, students may be admitted with conditions to complete one or more undergraduate deficiency courses. Deficiency courses will count in the students load, but not towards the degree requirements. Such conditions will be stated in the letter of admission. 2. Graduate School Application for US Citizens/International Applicants All applicants to the Master of Public Policy must complete and submit UMass Dartmouth's Graduate School Application. The application may be submitted electronically or by mail. 3. Recommendation Form Every applicant will be required to submit at least two letters of recommendation. For recent recipients of the bachelor’s degree at least one of the letters should be from a professor familiar with the student’s academic work. The letters of recommendation should include information, where appropriate, about the student’s academic performance, writing and speaking ability, motivation and initiative, work history, quality of professional work, and reasons for why the candidate is expected to succeed in the MPP. 4. Statement of Purpose (Essay) The MPP at UMass Dartmouth requires an essay of 600-900 words explaining the applicant’s interest in the program and purpose for applying to the program. The essay should include the applicant’s graduate study objectives, previous policy-related or public management experience, and undergraduate preparation for the course of study. The applicants should also submit resumes or a curriculum vita. 5. Other Materials Required for Application to the Master of Public Policy a: Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT): Applicants to the Master of Public Policy must submit GRE (general test), or GMAT scores taken within 5 years of the application. The MPP will not require a minimum score for admission, but performance on the examination will be factored into the admissions process. Official score reports must come directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The GRE requirement is waived for applicants who received their baccalaureate degree at least 5 years prior to submitting an application to the Master of Public Policy and who have at least 2 year’s experience in a policymaking or policy-related management position in the public, private, or non-profit sectors.[UMass Dartmouth's GRE Code for reporting scores is 3786]. b: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth does not require a TOEFL from U.S. citizens or citizens of countries where English is the official language (i.e., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa). Applicants whose native language in not English must demonstrate that they are proficient in English. English proficiency can be demonstrated by taking the TOEFL, which is administered worldwide. TOEFL scores are valid for five years from the date of anticipated matriculation to the MPP. This requirement is waived only for those who had English as their primary language for secondary school or college instruction, who have successfully completed a year of advanced secondary school or college/university study in the US, or who can be present in person to meet with officials of the university at the time of application for admission. A minimum TOEFL score of 250 is required on the computer-based test and a minimum score of 600 is required for the paper version of the test. 6. Financial Aid Students enrolled in the Master of Public Policy degree are eligible to apply for any financial aid that is generally available to graduate students at UMass Dartmouth. The MPP program also offers a limited number of paid teaching assistantships and the Center for Policy Analysis offers paid research assistantships. The Center for Policy Analysis also awards a small number of merit-based scholarships. Students admitted to the MPP program may transfer up to 3 courses (9 credits) of graduate course work taken at other colleges and universities. Transfer credits must be approved by the MPP Director/Department Chair. Students interested in transferring credits or taking courses at another higher education institution should consult with the MPP Director/Department Chair. The Department of Public Policy offers special opportunities for students pursuing the Master of Public Policy degree, including joint degree programs and foreign exchange agreements. Joint Degree Program The Department of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and the Southern New England School of Law offer applicants the opportunity to enroll in both the Master's in Public Policy program and the Juris Doctor program simultaneously. Applicants with baccalaureate degrees in any field who meet the entrance requirements of each institution are eligible to apply. However, applicants with baccalaureate degrees in fields other than the social sciences may need to take foundation courses prior to being eligible for the program. Admission to one program does not guarantee that the applicant will be admitted to the other. The program permits the use of some courses to satisfy requirements for both degrees. The joint JD/MPP allows students to integrate advanced policy studies and a law school education in a structure that is compatible with part-time as well as full-time study. Classes are held during the day and evening hours. The schedule of a full-time student would comprise three JD courses during the day, and two MPP courses during the evening, a course load of 15 credits sequenced so that the student moves through the curriculum expeditiously. Both degrees may be completed full-time in approximately three and one half calendar years. A part-time student typically completes both degrees in five years with summer study, and must complete both degrees within seven years. Students interested in either joint-degree program should contact the Admissions Office at Southern New England School of Law and the Graduate Admissions Office at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Kassel University (German Exchange Agreement) The Department of Public Policy has a student exchange and course-sharing partnership with Kassel University’s (Germany) Master in Global Political Economy program. The exchange agreement allows up to 3 students annually to study in Germany for periods of 4 weeks to one full semester (or summer). All courses in Germany are taught in English and are pre-approved for transfer credit in the MPP. These courses are available to UMD students at no cost (i.e., no tuition or fees), although students are responsible for their own travel and living expenses. Regular financial aid can be used to defray these costs. UMD students attending Kassel University for a semester or summer program can take courses leading to a concentration in Global Political Economy, that count toward the concentration in Economic Development, or that count as a free elective. The courses offered at Kassel are: PST 640 Introduction to Globalization The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS) reports that individuals with bachelor's degrees in social sciences "have limited opportunities and in most social science occupations do not qualify for professional positions."
Note: State employees receive a 50% tuition waiver
For a complete list of tuition and fees please visit: http://www.umassd.edu/graduate/tuition/allcosttables.cfm For more information on the Master of Public Policy, please email Clyde W. Barrow, Department Chair, at cbarrow@umassd.edu |
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