MPA Curriculum

This course provides a foundational overview of policy analysis tools and strategies to inform the decisions of public affairs practitioners. Students will learn how to identify and frame policy problems, evaluate potential solutions, and communicate decisions clearly and persuasively. They will examine the strengths and limitations of common analytical frameworks such as market analysis, benefit-cost analysis, behavioral economics, and equity analysis, applying these frameworks to real-world cases in their areas of practice. In addition to developing their skills as policy analysts, the course will strengthen students’ writing and research skills through a series of applied assignments.

This course equips public affairs practitioners to analyze and interpret data as an essential input in their decisions, with an emphasis on being informed consumers rather than original producers of quantitative analysis. Students will solidify their understanding of basic statistical concepts (including probability, sampling, and hypothesis-testing), examine the application of these concepts in common research methods, explore publicly available data sources used commonly in the practice of public affairs, and gain exposure to statistical software applications. They will also strengthen their data visualization and presentation skills through a series of applied assignments.

What makes leaders effective, ethical, and equitable? How can managers guide their organizations through times of change? This course introduces MPA students to core concepts in leadership theory, public management, and organizational behavior, providing a framework for the leadership experience they have already begun to develop as practitioners. Students will examine different models of executive leadership and develop a set of practical management skills to drive change and innovation within their organizations. They will also develop an individualized leadership plan aligned with their professional goals, informed by a leadership assessment and one-on-one executive coaching sessions.

This course offers MPA students an overview of applied research methods and a framework to prepare for the successful completion of their capstone project. Through structured assignments, skill development workshops, and peer working groups, students will select a topic related to a policy, management, or governance challenge facing their organization or community of practice; complete a landscape analysis of existing knowledge on the topic; and then develop a plan for conducting original research and analysis. The culminating assignment in the course will bring these elements together in a capstone plan that is academically rigorous, analytically feasible, and professionally valuable.

As their capstone activity in the MPA program, students will apply the knowledge and skills developed across the curriculum to a policy, governance, or management challenge facing their organization or community of practice. Building on the capstone plan developed in Applied Research Methods, students will complete their original research and analysis, synthesize their findings into a comprehensive written report that provides actionable recommendations, and present their work to a virtual audience of students, faculty, and invited guests. They will also produce a brief written or audiovisual summary of their project for promotional purposes.

This course equips MPA students with foundational knowledge and practical skills to navigate the ethics challenges that arise in the practice of public affairs. Students will review classical ethical frameworks and seminal research in behavioral and organizational ethics, then apply insights from these works to the real-world challenges they are facing in their careers. The course places significant emphasis on core values and ethical decision-making, giving students a set of tools and strategies for responding to the specific challenges they face as leaders and managers of public or publicly engaged organizations. 

This course provides students with a foundational understanding of fiscal policy, practical knowledge of the public budgeting process at various levels of government, and a set of financial management tools and strategies applicable to public and non-profit organizations. Students will analyze the “players, process, and politics” of public budgeting, participate in simulated budgeting exercises, and develop a set of skills for influencing, planning, executing, and managing their organization’s finances. The course will culminate with a team-based project requiring students to apply the skills and knowledge developed during the semester.

This course examines how leaders can improve organizational performance through effective human resources strategy and culture development. Moving beyond traditional views of HR as an administrative function, the course frames performance as an operating system that integrates talent, culture, technology, and design. Students will apply frameworks of meta-leadership, organizational psychology, data analytics, and design thinking to their own professional contexts, progressing on a leadership development arc from conceptual understanding to integration and practice. They will also learn about practical and evidence-informed strategies for navigating contemporary workplace challenges.

This course equips students with foundational skills in advocacy and strategic communications—two interrelated competencies essential to public policy professionals across sectors. The first half of the course emphasizes advocacy strategy: setting goals, mapping power and influence, identifying target audiences, selecting tactics, and executing, monitoring, and evaluating campaigns. The second half focuses on communications strategy, teaching students to craft persuasive messages, choose the right messengers and distribution channels, and respond to crises. The course culminates in a team-based project integrating both skill sets.

This course helps students grow decision and negotiation skills for a complex and unpredictable world. The first part will focus on executive decision-making, introducing decision analysis and behavioral approaches while exploring constraints and ethical considerations. The second part will focus on negotiation, presenting theories and techniques while emphasizing the development of practical negotiation skills using case studies and simulations. Students will be asked to apply these tools to decisions they have faced in their careers, emphasizing the development of a personal leadership style, managing through differences, and unique aspects of the practice of public affairs.

This course will help students who work (or aspire to work) in the non-profit sector develop and implement effective strategies for leading their organizations in an increasingly complex and competitive landscape. Informed by case studies, engagement with practitioners, and their own experiences, students will explore topics including non-profit governance and board engagement, fundraising and donor engagement, strategic planning, program delivery and community engagement, impact measurement and evaluation, and non-profit advocacy. As their culminating assignment, students will work in teams to develop a hypothetical non-profit organization.

This course equips public affairs practitioners to skillfully identify, navigate, and deploy power—a decisive, yet often unseen and unspoken, force in public life. Using the American political system as a case study, students will examine levers of influence and control at various stages of the policy process (from agenda-setting to judicial review), decode invisible networks of power that shape outcomes, and develop actionable strategies and tools to apply in their professional practice. Whether they work in government, non-profits, or the private sector, students will gain deeper knowledge of American politics and a deeper appreciation for the role of power in shaping their own careers. 

This course equips students with foundational knowledge and practical skills to navigate the ethical challenges that arise in the practice of public affairs. Students will review classical ethical frameworks and seminal research in behavioral and organizational ethics, then apply insights from these works to real-world challenges. The course places significant emphasis on ethical leadership, organizational culture, and procedural justice, giving students a set of tools and strategies for responding to challenges that they may face as they advance their careers.

Today's public affairs leaders must navigate a dynamic and disruptive information environment that poses threats as well as opportunities to the organizations they lead. This course will help students understand and navigate contemporary challenges such as the rise of artificial intelligence, mis/disinformation, threats to cybersecurity, and the fractured and volatile media landscape. Students will map and analyze the information ecosystems in which their organizations or communities of practice operate, explore contemporary topics such as privacy and data governance, and examine the evolving legal, regulatory, and political landscape surrounding the news and information environment.

This course helps policy practitioners cultivate responsible artificial intelligence leadership within their organizations and communities of practice. Students will gain familiarity with AI governance frameworks, regulatory and market trends, systemic risk, and internal controls, exploring AI’s potential as well as its limitations. They will then assess AI threats and opportunities in their specific professional contexts, examining the impact of predictive analysis, process automation, generative text, automatic summarization, and other applications. As their culminating project, students will develop custom AI use cases relevant to their career interests. No prior AI experience required. 

How can technology be designed, deployed, and governed to advance the public good? This course explores the ethical dimensions of technology policy and practice, including questions of accountability, power, opportunity, justice, and inclusion. Students will examine frameworks for responsible innovation and evaluate real-world use cases—from open data platforms to civic tech tools to algorithmic auditing—that aim to serve public interest goals. Through case analysis and applied projects, students will assess how their own organizations can adopt or influence technologies in ways that promote transparency and democratic values.

Cyber threats pose growing risks to public institutions, critical infrastructure, essential services such as health care and energy, and democratic governance. This course equips students with an understanding of contemporary cybersecurity threats, foundational knowledge of the relevant legal and policy landscape, and practical tools to evaluate risk and response strategies tailored to their organizational context. Through applied case studies and scenario-planning, students will develop organizational cybersecurity plans, incident response protocols, and strategies for Interagency and public-private collaboration to address cybersecurity threats in their organizations or areas of practice.

This course equips students with foundational skills in advocacy and strategic communications—two interrelated competencies essential to public policy professionals across sectors. The first half of the course emphasizes advocacy strategy: setting goals, mapping power and influence, identifying target audiences, selecting tactics, and executing, monitoring, and evaluating campaigns. The second half focuses on communications strategy, teaching students to craft persuasive messages, choose the right messengers and distribution channels, and respond to crises. The course culminates in a team-based project integrating both skill sets.