MPPA Curriculum
Electives (6 units)

Students choose two electives that fulfill their particular needs and goals. Electives may be chosen from among PPA courses or graduate level courses in other departments. Currently the Department offers specializations in urban policy and collaborative decision making. Following are current PPA offerings.

PPA 250, California Land Use Policy examines public policies that influence land use planning and development and applies them to issues that dominate California policy choices including urban design, fiscalization of land use, sustained growth, and the challenges of social equity. (3 units)

PPA 251, Urban Problems Economics, and Public Policy examines some of the most pressing problems facing central cities and urban areas in the United States (poverty, crime, urban abandonment/suburban sprawl, edge cities, deteriorating infrastructures, fiscal stress, etc.). (3 units)

PPA 252, Sustainable Development and Building Practices provides students with a practitioner's perspective on sustainable development and green building practices. (3 units)

PPA 260, Working with Legislatures aims to enhance students' policy effectiveness by increasing their understanding of how legislatures operate. Examples will be drawn from legislatures at all levels of government. The course will include an extended simulation of a legislative decision making process. Both academic readings and case studies will be used. (3 units)

PPA 270, Collaborative Policy examines the theory and practice of collaborative policy-making. (3 units)

PPA 272, Advanced Practice in Collaborative Policy is a participatory course geared toward mid-career professionals who desire to increase their skills in using collaborative methods. (3 units)

PPA 284, Urban Policy is an in depth exploration of the socio-economic problems of urban and metropolitan areas and evaluation of proposed political and governmental solutions. (3 units)