UCLA Luskin

University of California, Los Angeles, Luskin School of Public Affairs

Program Comparison Highlights

Website:  http://luskin.ucla.edu/public-policy

University: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Location: Los Angeles, California

Degree: Master of Public Policy (MPP)

Marketing Approach: "Our Master of Public Policy program combines the best of traditional policy education with a flexibility and responsiveness that enables our graduates to remain relevant and influential in a rapidly changing world. A career in public service, with its commitment to the public interest, is no longer limited to working in government. Increasingly, policy making and implementation involve nonprofit and for-profit institutions, often working together and in conjunction with government agencies. By setting the highest standards of excellence and giving students a diversified tool kit of quantitative and analytical skills and the flexibility to design a program of study that incorporates the vast intellectual resources of one of the nation’s top research universities, we produce graduates who are equipped to become real leaders in policy making, wherever that process takes place. Our demanding interdisciplinary program attracts an intellectually outstanding and ethnically diverse group of students from all over the world." (At http://luskin.ucla.edu/content/chairs-welcome-michael-stoll accessed 9 June 2014.)

Degrees Awarded per Year: Not Listed [Information will be requested from the School]

Academic Unit within University: Luskin School of Public Affairs

Related Academic Units and Degrees: The Luskin School of Public Affairs' graduate programs are listed, by graduate unit, at http://luskin.ucla.edu/academics. 

Posted Fees: California Residents: $22,950, Non-California Residents: $35,682 for 2014-15 (at http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/fees/pubpolfee.htm, accessed 17 May 2015). 

Concentration/Curriculum Overview: Although optional, the concentrations are “gateways” to selected research and teaching areas of distinction at UCLA of particular relevance to public policy. Some courses across the concentration areas are offered by Public Policy faculty, some are taught in the departments and formally cross-listed in Public Policy, and still more are available in the top professional Schools and highly ranked Departments in the College of Letters & Science. Visit the web pages of each concentration to find the Public Policy Faculty members who do research in the area, the overall campus course offerings, penitent UCLA research centers, and other links. The MPP Plan of Study shows how concentration courses fit in the curriculum. The Department features concentrations in: Drug and Crime Policy; Education Policy; Employment and Labor Policy; Environmental Policy; Health Policy; International Policy; Nonprofit Policy; Regional Development Policy; Social Policy; Transportation Policy; and Urban Poverty.

MPP Degree Requirements

Summary:  All students are required to take the core curriculum, which provides a broadly based foundation in social/policy analysis together with relevant quantitative, analytical, managerial, and organizational methods. The first eight of the core courses are normally taken in the first year. Students take a minimum of three or four four-unit courses per quarter for a total of 80 units, including seven core courses, four concentration courses, six electives, and a three-quarter seminar in applied policy analysis. A field internship is also required, generally between the first and second years.

Duration: 2 years (four terms of full-time study).

Academic Prerequisite: Applicants must meet the following requirements for admission: Hold a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; Establish eligibility for admission to graduate standing in the University of California; Obtain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) in all upper division courses; Submit results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Number of One-Semester-Equivalent Courses Required for Completion: 17.4 (80 units + 10-week internship counting as 2 semester equivalents)

Note 1: UCLA uses a quarter rather than a semester system. We are using the an equivalency of 1 4-unit UCLA course = 10/13 one-semester course and we treat a 10-week required internship as equivalent to 2 one-semester courses. 

Number of Required Courses: 10 one-semester course equivalents plus 10-week internship

Number of Electives Typically Taken (difference between above two entries): 5.4 one-semester course equivalents

Note 2: Courses in concentrations are considered to be electives.

Number of Electives Offered within Program: 64 (47.7 one-semester equivalents)

Comprehensive Examination: No

Thesis Required: No

Internship Required: Yes

International Study Required: No

Co-curricular Activities Supportive to Degree

Professional Development and Career Support: Yes

Student-run Journal: No

Applied Projects: Yes, http://luskin.ucla.edu/content/applied-policy-projects  

Pro Bono Consulting: No

Courses Offered: The full list of Luskin courses is found the general catalogue at: http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/schedule/catalog.aspx?sa=PUB+PLC&funsel=3 (accessed 19 May 2015). In the Course Map below, required courses are indicated by (R).

Course Material Online: Very extensive collections of syllabi for 2013-14 and 2012-13 are available at http://luskin.ucla.edu/content/syllabi-0 (accessed 29 May 2014).

Instructional Distribution (PEACO Profile): The distribution of instruction offered, based on the course assignments to subjects in the UCLA Luskin Course Map below, weighted by estimated enrolment based on the number of electives offered and number of electives typically taken is displayed below. [See note on PEACO Algorithm.] For the PEACO calculations, the required major project course, PUB PLC 298: Applied Policy and Practice, which is worth 4 one-quarter courses, is treated like the thesis requirement in other programs and is allocated among the subjects according to the enrolment-adjusted weight of the other courses.

 

		UCLA
		MPP
Curricular Type Parameters
	Number of Courses Required for Graduation	19.8
	Math-Economics Subjects (EA, QM, Macro, Fin Markets)	23.4%
	Policy-Oriented Subjects	71.2%
	Management-Oriented Subjects	28.8%
Enrolment-Adjusted Course Distribution
	Analysis and Skill Subjects	47.0%
	- Policy and Management Analysis	20.2%
	- Economic Analysis	11.3%
	- Quantitative  and Analytic Methods	13.8%
	- Leadership and Communication Skills	1.6%
	Institutions and Context Subjects	17.0%
	- Democratic Institutions and Policy Process	6.5%
	- Ethics, Rights and Accountability	6.5%
	- Socioeconomic, Political, and Global Contexts	4.1%
	Management Function Subjects	4.1%
	- Public Financial Management	0.8%
	- Evaluation and Performance Measurement	0.0%
	- Other Management Functions	3.3%
	Policy Sector Subjects	31.9%
	- Macroeconomic Policy	0.0%
	- International Development	0.0%
	- Health	5.7%
	- Other Policy Sectors	26.2%
	Total	100%
Competency Gap Analysis (in Course-Weeks of Instruction)
	Course-Weeks in Core Subjects taken by Typical Student	164
	Surplus or Shortfall Relative to Core Competency Requirement
	- Policy and Management Analysis (CCR = 18 course-weeks)	30
	- Economic Analysis (CCR = 12)	15
	- Quantitative Methods (CCR = 12)	17
	- Analytic Methods (CCR = 6)	-2
	- Leadership Skills (CCR = 9)	-5
	- Communication Skills (CCR = 3 courses)	-3
	- Democratic Institutions and Policy Process (CCR = 18)	-3
	- Ethics, Rights and Accountability (CCR = 6 courses)	9
	- Socioeconomic and Political Context (CCR = 6)	0
	- Global Context (CCR = 3)	1
	- Public Financial Management (CCR = 6)	-4
	- Evaluation and Performance Measurement (CCR = 6)	-6
	- Human Resource Management (CCR = 3)	-1
	- Information and Technology Management (CCR = 3)	-3
	- Macroeconomic Policy (CCR = 6)	-6
	- Environment and Sustainability (CCR = 3)	5
	Subject-Matter Shortfall for Typical Student (Sum of Shortfalls)	-33
Additional Parameters
	Total Courses Listed	76
	Courses Designated as Required (inc. Specialization Reqs)	11.8
	Archetypal Public Affairs Subjects (P&MA, EA, QM, DI&PP)	50.2%
	Archetypal International Affairs Subjects (GC, ID, DS&FR)	3.3%
Courses Required and Offered
	Courses Required to Graduate	19.8
	Required Courses	11.8
	Elective Courses Taken by Typical Student	8.0
	Elective Courses Listed	62.3
	Enrolment Weight of Elective Course	0.14
	Total Courses Listed	75.5

Source: At http://luskin.ucla.edu/content/fees-and-tuition-0 and http://luskin.ucla.edu/content/admissions-requirements and http://luskin.ucla.edu/content/areas-focus-concentrations and http://luskin.ucla.edu/content/2013-2014-1 and http://luskin.ucla.edu/content/2013-2014-0 and http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/schedule/catalog.aspx?sa=PUB+PLC&funsel=3#grad and http://luskin.ucla.edu/content/mpp-courses and http://luskin.ucla.edu/content/mpp-courses (accessed 29 April 2014).

Page Created By: Kyle Richardson on 29 April 2014 and updated by Ian Clark on 15 June 2014 and Dave Marshall on 3 April 2015. Updating and editing may consist of substantive and/or formatting changes. Unless otherwise noted, however, information regarding a program's structure, curricular offerings and PEACO score is based on the program as it was on the date of page creation. The content presented on this page, except for the assignments of courses to Atlas subjects, the Instructional Distribution analysis, and the Commentary is drawn directly from the source(s) cited above, and consists of direct quotations or close paraphrases.

UCLA Luskin Course Map
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