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Application Deadline: August 1st
One year, full- or part-time, 30 credits
The Program in Public Policy offers the Master of Public Affairs and Politics (M.P.A.P.) degree to help students develop or refine analytic and quantitative skills and to form a more thorough understanding of the political institutions and processes through which public policies are implemented and formulated. The M.P.A.P. is normally a one-year degree for full-time students, but students may also pursue it in a part-time fashion. Prospective students with five or more years of work experience in politics or public policy are encouraged to apply for the M.P.A.P.
Students must complete 30 credits, including a required core of 12 credits in policy, research methods, economics, and analysis. There is no thesis requirement.A student must maintain an overall grade-point average of 3.0 in order to graduate. If a student’s grade-point average is below a 3.0 at the end of a semester, the student will have one semester to improve the average to 3.0 or greater. During the semester, the student will be on probation. Additionally, a student cannot graduate with more than three courses (9 credits) with grades of C+ or below.
The core curriculum for the M.P.A.P. program consists of the following courses:
Public Policy Formation 34:833:510 (3 credits; first semester)
Formulation and implementation of public policy, with emphasis on federal policymaking, models for policy choice, and intergovernmental policy problems. Analysis of the formulation and implementation of a governmental program.
Research Design 34:833:530 (3 credits; first semester)
Scientific method of study; the processes of conceptualization and measurement; “experimental design,” or how social programs are structured so they may be effectively studied; and survey research and qualitative methods including focus groups, interviewing, and case studies.
Basic Quantitative Methods 34:833:521 (3 credits; second semester)
This course covers descriptive and inferential statistics with a strong focus on bivariate hypothesis tests including t-test, Chi-square, and ANOVA, and ends with an introduction to the basics of linear regression.
Economics and Public Policy 34:833:543 (3 credits; second semester)
Basic microeconomic analysis with applications to current policy issues. Models of consumer and firm behavior applied to issues such as assistance programs for low-income individuals, tax incentives for firms and workers, and environmental regulation. Public goods, externalities, and the role of government in economic markets.
Elective courses (18 credits)
Electives include the legislative process, negotiation and conflict resolution, ethics, education policy, labor policy, the media, public policy advocacy, and social policy.
Students may choose among a wide array of courses offered by faculty and practitioners in the Public Policy Program, in other programs in the Bloustein School, elsewhere at Rutgers University, or even at other area universities through special arrangement.
The M.P.A.P. may be combined with the JD degree from the Rutgers Law School at Camden or at Newark.