Concentration in Advanced Policy Analysis Methods in our Master’s Degree Program

The predesigned concentration in Advanced Policy Analysis Methods in our master’s degree program builds on the core courses in policy analysis and quantitative methods. Policy analysis is systematic, structured thinking about policy problems. It involves the production of knowledge and information in and of the policy process. Methods and tools addressed include problem structuring, monitoring, formal deductive modeling, statistical inference, forecasting, simulation and evaluation. The predesigned concentration in Advanced Policy Analysis Methods in our master’s degree program allows students to focus on mastery of additional policy analysis tools or methods or on the application of a specific policy analytic method to a subject matter area. The focus of interest could be on health, labor, education, the environment, racial and ethnic disparities, agriculture or other relevant areas.

What Our Advanced Policy Analysis Methods Concentration Graduates Do

There are many career paths for graduates who have a concentration in Advanced Policy Analysis Methods in our master’s degree program from the University of Minnesota. Past experience suggests that there is a strong market for people with advanced policy analysis skills at all levels of government and in the private and non-profit sectors. Graduates with policy analysis skills and interests currently work at offices ranging from the federal Office of Management and Budget, the Government Accountability Office, and the Congressional Budget Office to policy analysis and planning units within state and local governments. 

Suggested core courses for MPP students (doesn’t count toward the 9 credit minimum):

PA 5032 — Intermediate Regression Analysis (2 cr) 

                                                AND

PA 5033 — Multivariate Techniques (2 cr)

Select courses from below (9 credits or more)*

PA 5041 — Qualitative Methods for Policy Analysis (4)

PA 5271 — Geographic Information Systems: Applications in Planning & Policy Analysis (3)

PA 5301 — Population Methods and Issues for the United States and Third World (3)

PA 5311 — Program Evaluation (3)

PA 5421 — Racial Inequality and Public Policy (3)

PA 5431 — Public Policies on Work and Pay (3)

PA 8302 — Applied Policy Analysis (3)

PA 8390 — Research Methods in Public Policy (2)

APEC 5031 — Methods of Economic Data Analysis (3)

APEC 5032 — Economic Data Analysis for Managerial and Policy Decisions (3)

APEC 5151 — Applied Microeconomics:  Firm and Household (3)

APEC 5152 — Applied Macroeconomcs:   Income and Employment (3)

APEC 5321 — Regional Economic Analysis (3)

APEC 5341 — Public Finance (3)

APEC 5511 — Labor Economics (3)

APEC 5651 — Economics of Natural Resource and Environmental Policy (3)

APEC 5711 — U.S. Agricultural and Environmental Policy (3)

APEC 5721 — Economics of Science and Technology Policy (3)

APEC 8001 — Applied Microeconomic Analysis of Consumer Choice and Consumer Demand (3)

APEC 8002 — Applied Microeconomic Analysis of Production and Choice under Uncertainty (3)

APEC 8003 — Applied Microeconomic Analysis of Game Theory and Information (3)

APEC 8004 — Applied Microeconomic Analysis of Social Choice and Welfare (3)

APEC 8203 — Applied Welfare Economics and Public Policy (3)

APEC 8211 — Econometric Analysis I (4)

APEC 8212 — Econometric Analysis II (4)

APEC 8402 — Information and Behavioral Economics (2)

APEC 8601 — Natural Resource Economics (3)

APEC 8602 — Economics of the Environment (3)

ECON 5890 — Economics of the Health-Care System (3)

OLPD 5501 — Principles and Methods of Evaluation (3)

OLPD 5521 — Cost & Economic Analysis in Educational Evaluation (3)

GEOG 5531 — Numerical Spatial Analysis (4)

GEOG 5561 — Principles of Geographic Information Science (4)

GIS  5555 — Basic Spatial Analysis (3)

GIS  5571 — ArcGIS I (3)

GIS  5572 — ArcGIS II

HRIR 5062 — Personnel Economics (2)

HRIR 8051 — Compensation and Benefits (4)

HRIR 8052 — Compensation Theory and Applications (2)

HRIR 8053 — Employer-Sponsored Employee Benefit Programs (2)

HRIR 8071 — Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining (4)

POL 8124 — Game Theory (3)

POL 8126 — Qualitative Methods (3)

PUBH 6325 — Data Processing with SAS (1)

PUBH 6112 — Risk Analysis:  Application to Risk Based Decision Making (3)

PUBH 6555 — Topics in Health Economics (2)

PUBH 6564 — Private Purchasers of Health Care: role of Employers and Health Plans (3)

PUBH 6617 — Practical Methods for Secondary Data Analysis (3)

PUBH 6717 — Decision Analysis for Health Care (2)

PUBH 6724 — The Health Care System and Public Health (3)

PUBH 6832 — Economics of the Health Care System (3)

PUBH 6811 — Health Disparities Research (3)

PUBH 6845 — Using Demographic Data for Policy Analysis (3)

PUBH 6862 — Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Health Care (3)

PUBH 8820 — Health Economics I (3)

PUBH 8821 — Health Economics II (3)

SOC 8290 — Topics in Social Stratification (3)

SOC 8412 — Social Network Analysis: Theory and Methods (3)

STAT 5302 — Applied Regression Analysis (4)

STAT 5303 — Designing Experiments (4)

STAT 5421 — Analysis of Categorical Data (3)

* Not all courses on this list are offered every year. Some courses may have prerequisites. Students may select other courses for this concentration in consultation with their faculty and professional advisor.

 

Affiliated Faculty

Maria Hanratty, Associate Professor
Judy Temple, Professor
Stephen Hoenack, Professor
Morris Kleiner, Professor
Deborah Levison, Professor
Samuel L. Myers, Jr., Professor

 

Maria Hanratty, Concentration Head
Humphrey Center, Room 251
hanra003@umn.edu
(612) 625-6500