Evans School MPA students may take electives across an array of substantive and skill areas that build on the core curriculum to strengthen the foundations of a career in public service.

Not every course will be offered every year.

Public Policy Analysis & Evaluation

Public Policy Analysis & Evaluation electives deepens students’ skills in analysis and evaluation beyond what is learned in our core courses. These courses designed to help students develop the skills needed to implement analysis and evaluation in a broad set of institutional contexts, thereby preparing students for careers in which these skills can be applied to a wide variety of policy areas.

  • PUBPOL 514 Psychology for Policy Analysis
  • PUBPOL 518 Applied Cost Benefit Analysis
  • PUBPOL 525 Qualitative Field Methods and Analysis
  • PUBPOL 529 Advanced Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis
  • PUBPOL 533 Economics of International Development
  • PUBPOL 540 Advanced Policy Analysis
  • PUBPOL 542 Computational Thinking for Governance Analytics
  • PUBPOL 543 Visual Analytics for Policy & Management
  • PUBPOL 544 Tax Policy Analysis
  • PUBPOL 551 Measuring Social Impact: Advanced Program Design and Evaluation
  • PUBPOL 575 Taxation & Social Policy
  • PUBPOL 594 Economic Approaches to Environmental Management
  • PUBPOL 597 Environmental Decision Analysis
  • PUBPOL 599 Advanced Program Evaluation
  • PUBPOL 599 GIS and Public Policy

Environmental Policy & Management

Environmental Policy & Management electives provides MPA students the opportunity to acquire the tools, methodologies, interdisciplinary perspectives, and substantive topic knowledge necessary to be successful analysts, managers, and leaders in public, nonprofit, and private organizations that cover a broad spectrum of environmental and natural resource issues.

  • PUBPOL 518 Applied Cost Benefit Analysis
  • PUBPOL 538 International Organizations & Ocean Management
  • PUBPOL 582 Communicating Climate Change
  • PUBPOL 587 Native Nations, Lands, & Waters
  • PUBPOL 589 Risk Assessment for Environmental Health Hazards
  • PUBPOL 590 Environmental Policy
  • PUBPOL 592 Resource Policy & Administration
  • PUBPOL 593 Climate Change & Energy Policy
  • PUBPOL 594 Economics Approaches to Environmental Management
  • PUBPOL 595 Environmental Disaster Policy
  • PUBPOL 595 Environmental Governance in the Developing World
  • PUBPOL 596 Environmental Risks & Values
  • PUBPOL 597 Environmental Decision Analysis
  • PUBPOL 599 GIS and Public Policy
  • PUBPOL 599 Regulatory Policy

International Development

International Development electives offers students a foundation for addressing complex questions of poverty and development.

  • PUBPOL 531 Development Management and Governance
  • PUBPOL 533 Economics of International Development
  • PUBPOL 534 Food and Agricultural Policy in Developing Countries
  • PUBPOL 535 American Foreign Policy
  • PUBPOL 536 Diagnosing and Reforming Corrupt Systems
  • PUBPOL 537 Development Practice: Financial Inclusion and Poverty Reduction
  • PUBPOL 538 International Organizations & Ocean Management
  • PUBPOL 539 Values in International Development
  • PUBPOL 541 Role of NGOs in International Development
  • PUBPOL 555 Social Enterprise: New Models for Mission-Based Business
  • PUBPOL 595 Environmental Governance in the Developing World
  • PUBPOL 599 Advanced Program Evaluation

Public Leadership, Management, & Decision-making

Leadership and Decision Making electives prepare Evans School students to become reflective individuals of integrity and skill to further the common good in institutions and policy. These courses focus on the self-development of ethical and effective habits of thought, skilled deliberation, deployable frames of judgment, as well as personal self-awareness of values and character.

  • PUBPOL 501 Legislative Relations
  • PUBPOL 502 Strategy for Public Leaders
  • PUBPOL 503 Executive Leadership
  • PUBPOL 504 Leadership Ethics for the Public Interest
  • PUBPOL 507 Mediation and Negotiation
  • PUBPOL 509 Managing People in Public and Nonprofit Agencies
  • PUBPOL 515 Decision Making and Psychology for Public Leaders (not currently offered):
  • PUBPOL 531 Development Management and Governance
  • PUBPOL 550 Managing Nonprofit and Philanthropic Organizations
  • PUBPOL 558 Collaboration and Management Across Sectors
  • PUBPOL 559 Advanced Performance Management: Quadruple Bottom Line Lab
  • PUBPOL 560 Inequality, Governance, and Policy in the Metropolitan Region
  • PUBPOL 563 Intergroup Relations and Public Policy
  • PUBPOL 567 Community Engagement and Urban Governance
  • PUBPOL 599 Values and Bias in Public Policy

Nonprofit Management & Philanthropy

Nonprofit Management & Philanthropy electives provides MPA students the opportunity to develop the management and leadership skills and substantive topic knowledge necessary to be successful managers and leaders in nonprofit, philanthropic and social sector organizations.

  • PUBPOL 503 Executive Leadership
  • PUBPOL 509 Managing People in Public and Nonprofit Organizations
  • PUBPOL 541 Role of NGOs in International Development
  • PUBPOL 550 Managing Nonprofit and Philanthropic Organizations
  • PUBPOL 551 Measuring Social Impact: Advanced Program Design and Evaluation
  • PUBPOL 552 Philanthropy & Society
  • PUBPOL 553 Nonprofit Financial Management
  • PUBPOL 555 Funding the Social Sector
  • PUBPOL 555 Marketing Social Innovation
  • PUBPOL 555 Advocacy for Social Change
  • PUBPOL 555 Social Enterprise: New Models for Mission-Based Business
  • PUBPOL 558 Collaboration and Management Across Sectors
  • PUBPOL 559 Advanced Performance Management: Quadruple Bottom Line Lab

Public Finance & Budgeting

Public Finance & Budgeting electives provides students the opportunity to understand how finance works through management and policy lens. These courses places emphasis on the effective management of resources in complex environments.

  • PUBPOL 518 Applied Cost Benefit Analysis
  • PUBPOL 521 Managing Public Grants and Contracts
  • PUBPOL 523 Advanced Budgeting in the Public Sector
  • PUBPOL 524 Public Sector Financing
  • PUBPOL 544 Tax Policy Analysis
  • PUBPOL 553 Nonprofit Financial Management
  • PUBPOL 556 Public-Private Partnerships
  • PUBPOL 557 Financial Modeling for the Public Sector
  • PUBPOL 575 Taxation & Social Policy

Social Policy

Social Policy electives prepare students for careers in government and nonprofit organizations involved in the design, implementation, management, and evaluation of education and social policies. Coursework in this area develops students’ ability to bring policy analysis and management tools to bear on issues in education and social policy.

  • PUBPOL 562 Immigration Policy
  • PUBPOL 564 Housing and Social Policy
  • PUBPOL 569 Race and Public Policy
  • PUBPOL 570 Foundations of Social Policy
  • PUBPOL 571 Education, the Workforce, and Public Policy
  • PUBPOL 573 Crime and Punishment Policy
  • PUBPOL 573 Employment Equity and Discrimination
  • PUBPOL 573 Homelessness and Social Justice
  • PUBPOL 573 Income Inequality
  • PUBPOL 573 Policy and Governance of K-12 Education
  • PUBPOL 573 Public Policy, Law, and Equity
  • PUBPOL 575 Taxation & Social Policy
  • PUBPOL 576 Poverty and Anti-Poverty in the United States
  • PUBPOL 578 Asset Building for Low Income Families
  • PUBPOL 579 Child Well-Being and Public Policy