Mar 29, 2024  
2012-2013 Academic Catalog 
    
2012-2013 Academic Catalog [Published Catalog]

Public Policy, with concentrations in Social and Environmental Policy, Government Promotion and Regulation of the Private Sector, and Media Policy (MPP)


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Master of Public Policy

The Master of Public Policy is administered by the Department of Public Policy and Administration in the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. The program prepares students for leadership positions in public service and for careers as policy analysts. Students, who are generally in the early part of their career at entry, pursue careers in government, nonprofit organizations, international development agencies, academia, consulting firms, and the private sector.


Program objectives


The mission of the MPP Program is to support evidence-based policy-making and better public governance in Egypt and the Middle East by preparing professionals for careers in public service with the highest ethical standards, strong competencies in public governance, excellent leadership and communication skills, capability to develop and use evidence and analysis in public service settings, and a commitment to building a better future for the people of Egypt and the region.


Admission


All applicants must satisfy the university’s graduate admission requirements. Candidates for the MPP or DPP should have adequate preparation in quantitative analytic methods. Relevant professional experience is desirable but not required.


Courses (33 credit hours)

Students seeking the degree of Master of Public Policy must complete 33 credit hours plus a thesis. The program core, required of all students, consists of 6 courses (18 credits). Students must complete a concentration of 5 courses (15 credits). Students may elect either the concentration in Social and Environmental Policy or the concentration in Government Regulation and Promotion of the Private Sector. Students are required to declare their concentration before beginning their second semester of enrollment in the program and to identify an area of professional concentration at that time. In addition to coursework, students must complete a thesis consistent with department and university guidelines and complete at least one enrollment in each of the mandatory thesis sequence courses (598 and 599, both non-credit).

Core Requirement (18 credit hours):


Students must complete three (3) courses in group 1, two (2) courses in group 2, and one (1) course in group 3.

Concentration Requirement (15 credit hours):


Students must complete 5 courses in one of the concentrations below. In addition to the courses shown for each concentration, students may select a course from the core list shown above as a Group 3 concentration course if not taken as a core course (i.e., a course may be counted towards only one requirement). Students may substitute up to two courses for those shown with permission of the department. Students who have completed at least 4 core courses and who have a GPA of 3.5 or better may petition the department to complete a concentration in another policy field, such as urban policy or health policy, which must include at least 3 PPAD courses.

MPP Concentration 1: Social and Environmental Policy – 5 courses (15 credits) required


Students should select concentration courses based on their chosen area of specialization, which may include health and social services policy, anti-poverty policy, environmental policy, or an area defined by the student.

MPP Concentration 2: Government Promotion and Regulation of the Private Sector – 5 courses (15 credits) required


Students should select concentration courses based on their chosen area of specialization, which may include financial markets; telecommunications, power, and water; private sector development; regional economic development, or a topic identified by the student.

MPP Concentration 3: Media Policy - 5 courses (15 credits) required


Practicum (PPAD 590): 3 credits


Students are strongly encouraged to undertake a practicum within their concentration, ideally in conjunction with their thesis work.

Thesis


Students are required to write a thesis on some aspect of public policy relevant to their concentration. The preparation of the thesis and the thesis itself must comply with Departmental and AUC guidelines with regard to content, format, dates, and the review and supervision process. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with these guidelines and meeting formal deadlines. Students preparing the thesis normally develop a preliminary thesis proposal during PPAD 500, a required core course, but may prepare an alternative thesis proposal if desired. Students must enroll in PPAD 599 (Research Guidance and Thesis) and identify a thesis supervisor in the semester during which they plan to present their proposal for approval, whether or not they plan to use the draft proposal prepared in PPAD 500. Once the proposal is approved, students are required to enroll in PPAD 598, the thesis research seminar, in the first semester in which they are working on the research component and write-up of their thesis. Thereafter, if additional work is required to complete the thesis, students must enroll each semester in PPAD 599. Students must pay 3 credits of tuition for the first enrollment in PPAD 598 and 599 and thereafter pay 1 credit of tuition for each Fall and Spring semester, until the thesis is successfully defended and approved by the Dean. Students planning to complete their thesis and graduate in the summer or to get approval for their proposal in order to enroll in 598 in the Fall must enroll in PPAD 599 in the summer term and pay 3 credits if this is their first enrollment in 599 or 1 credit of tuition if they have completed the first 599 enrollment.

PPAD 598, the thesis research seminar, is designed to support the applied research required for the thesis and the writing of the thesis itself. It provides a forum for students to present and discuss their work and for colleagues to support and critique their work. The course does not have assigned readings, but students will be required to read and comment on the work of other students, both orally and in writing, and to present draft thesis chapters.

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