University of Minnesota
HHH
http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/hhh
myU OneStop



The Humphrey School of Public Affairs is the University of Minnesota's school of policy and planning.


Curriculum

The Master of Science, Science Technology, and Environmental Policy (MS–STEP) program requires 40 semester credits, including 21-24 required core credits (varies depending on your choices), electives, and either a Plan A thesis or Plan B paper.

If you pursue a Plan A program, your master's thesis will count for 10 credits, and you will take an additional 4.5-7.5 credits of electives. For the Plan B program (3 credits), you write a Plan B paper and choose 11.5-14.5 credits of additional electives in consultation with your advisors.

Electives may be chosen from a large variety of inter-disciplinary and inter-departmental offerings including (but not limited to) Agronomy and Plant Genetics; Animal Science; Anthropology; Applied Economics; Biology; Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering; Conservation Biology; Ecology, Evolution and Behavior; Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management; Forest Resources; Fisheries and Wildlife; Geography; Horticultural Science; Law; Public Health; Sustainable Agricultural Systems; Water Resource Science; and many others.

Although no internship is required, many students complete a professional internship between their first and second year of study.


Required Core Courses (approximately 21 credits)
PA 5012 Politics of Public Affairs (3)
PA 5021 Economics for Policy Analysis and Planning I (3)
PA 5002 Policy Analysis (1.5)
PA 5711 Science and Technology Policy (3)
PA 5722 Environmental and Resource Economics Policy (3)
PA 5715 Survey of Current Issues in Science, Technology, Environmental Policy (1.5)

At least one of the following:
PA 5721 Energy Policy (3)
PA 5723 Water Policy (3)
PA 5731 Emerging Technologies and Society (3)
PA 5741 Risk Analysis and Policy (3)

Two of the following:
PA 5032 Intermediate Regression Analysis (2)
PA 5033 Multivariate Techniques (2)
PA 5035 Survey Research and Data Collection (1.5)
PA 5036 Regional Economic Analysis (2)
PA 5037 Regional Demographic Analysis (2)
PA 5041 Qualitative Methods for Policy Analysts (4)

If you have not taken prior coursework in statistics, you must satisfy your advisors that you have adequate preparation in statistics or take Empirical Analysis I (PA 5031), which does not count toward fulfilling the 40-credit minimum requirement.

Plan B Paper (3 credits), plus 11.5-14.5 electives

or

Plan A Thesis (10 credits), plus 4.5-7.5 credits of electives

See a list of recent Plan A theses and Plan B papers.

Program Planning Worksheet
The Program Planning Worksheet (PPW) helps current students plan their degrees from start to finish. Students must submit a completed and approved PPW before graduating.

Dual Degree Opportunity
 By choosing a  joint degree, you can complete a MS-STEP degree and a Juris Doctor degree in less time (typically one year less) than it would take to complete the two degrees independently.

MS students can pursue a dual degree with the University of Minnesota Law School.