Public Policy

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2017-18 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu.

About the Program

The Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) offers three graduate degrees in public policy, the Master of Public Policy (MPP), the Master of Public Affairs (MPA), and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Master in Public Policy (MPP)

The MPP degree is earned in a two-year, full-time program consisting of a core curriculum, a policy internship in the summer after completion of the first year, a second-year policy analysis project, and elective courses chosen from those available on the campus and at GSPP. The program emphasizes practical and applied dimensions of policy-making and implementation, encouraging students to develop skills in:

  • Defining policy issues to make them more intelligible to officials in the public, private or non-profit sector
  • Providing a broader perspective for assessing policy alternatives
  • Examining techniques for developing policy options and evaluating their social consequences
  • Developing strategies for the successful implementation of public policies once they have been adopted

Given the relatively small class size, the school's approach to teaching emphasizes teamwork, cooperation, and interaction among students and with the faculty. Students work, either as individuals or in small groups, on real policy problems for real clients under close faculty supervision.

Concurrent Degrees

The Master in Public Policy may be earned in combination with an advanced degree from a number of Berkeley schools under a coordinated program. Applicants must be accepted to both programs to pursue a concurrent degree.

Master of Public Affairs (MPA)

The Berkeley Master of Public Affairs (MPA) is a flexible one-year degree program for domestic and international mid-career professionals with an average of seven years or more work experience and who have lead or managed teams. Emphasizing innovation and leadership skills, the MPA curriculum prepares mid-career executives and professionals to act as strategic and visionary leaders and advance their careers.

Please visit the school website for more information about the MPA.

PhD in Public Policy

GSPP offers a doctoral degree program for students who seek academic careers in policy research with universities or research institutes. The PhD program emphasizes the generation of knowledge, theories, methodologies, and applications appropriate to the advancement of public policy analysis and management. Doctoral students pursue highly individualized programs of study and typically work closely with school faculty members who share the student's subject matter interest.

Typically only two or three PhD applicants are admitted each year, including those admitted from the school’s MPP program. Non-Goldman School applicants who seek a policy research career and have completed graduate work in public policy comparable to our MPP are also eligible for admission consideration.

A thorough preparation in policy analysis skills is a prerequisite for the doctorate. Because there is no core program of study, the PhD committee prefers applicants to have completed an MPP degree or equivalent, either from the Goldman School or a similar institution. Applicants with a master’s degree in some other field usually must complete the MPP program at GSPP before applying for admission to the doctoral program.

Applicants who have a master’s degree in public policy from another school may be partially exempt from this requirement but may be asked to take certain first-year master’s level courses at GSPP not offered in other such programs.

Visit School Website

Admissions

Admission to the University

Minimum Requirements for Admission

The following minimum requirements apply to all graduate programs and will be verified by the Graduate Division:

  1. A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution;
  2. A grade point average of B or better (3.0);
  3. If the applicant comes from a country or political entity (e.g., Quebec) where English is not the official language, adequate proficiency in English to do graduate work, as evidenced by a TOEFL score of at least 90 on the iBT test, 570 on the paper-and-pencil test, or an IELTS Band score of at least 7 (note that individual programs may set higher levels for any of these); and
  4. Sufficient undergraduate training to do graduate work in the given field.

Applicants Who Already Hold a Graduate Degree

The Graduate Council views academic degrees not as vocational training certificates, but as evidence of broad training in research methods, independent study, and articulation of learning. Therefore, applicants who already have academic graduate degrees should be able to pursue new subject matter at an advanced level without need to enroll in a related or similar graduate program.

Programs may consider students for an additional academic master’s or professional master’s degree only if the additional degree is in a distinctly different field.

Applicants admitted to a doctoral program that requires a master’s degree to be earned at Berkeley as a prerequisite (even though the applicant already has a master’s degree from another institution in the same or a closely allied field of study) will be permitted to undertake the second master’s degree, despite the overlap in field.

The Graduate Division will admit students for a second doctoral degree only if they meet the following guidelines:

  1. Applicants with doctoral degrees may be admitted for an additional doctoral degree only if that degree program is in a general area of knowledge distinctly different from the field in which they earned their original degree. For example, a physics PhD could be admitted to a doctoral degree program in music or history; however, a student with a doctoral degree in mathematics would not be permitted to add a PhD in statistics.
  2. Applicants who hold the PhD degree may be admitted to a professional doctorate or professional master’s degree program if there is no duplication of training involved.

Applicants may apply only to one single degree program or one concurrent degree program per admission cycle.

Required Documents for Applications

  1. Transcripts: Applicants may upload unofficial transcripts with your application for the departmental initial review. If the applicant is admitted, then official transcripts of all college-level work will be required. Official transcripts must be in sealed envelopes as issued by the school(s) attended. If you have attended Berkeley, upload your unofficial transcript with your application for the departmental initial review. If you are admitted, an official transcript with evidence of degree conferral will not be required.
  2. Letters of recommendation: Applicants may request online letters of recommendation through the online application system. Hard copies of recommendation letters must be sent directly to the program, not the Graduate Division.
  3. Evidence of English language proficiency: All applicants from countries or political entities in which the official language is not English are required to submit official evidence of English language proficiency. This applies to applicants from Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Latin America, the Middle East, the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, most European countries, and Quebec (Canada). However, applicants who, at the time of application, have already completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with grades of B or better at a US university may submit an official transcript from the US university to fulfill this requirement. The following courses will not fulfill this requirement:
    • courses in English as a Second Language,
    • courses conducted in a language other than English,
    • courses that will be completed after the application is submitted, and
    • courses of a non-academic nature.

If applicants have previously been denied admission to Berkeley on the basis of their English language proficiency, they must submit new test scores that meet the current minimum from one of the standardized tests.

Where to Apply

Visit the Berkeley Graduate Division application page. 

Admission to the Program

Key Elements for MPP Admission

Note: For some admissions requirements, GSPP maintains more stringent requirements than the Graduate Division. Please see gspp.berkeley.edu for more information.

  1. A Commitment to Public Policy: GSPP’s goal is to admit those applicants who can get the most from the GSPP master’s program and who will use what they learn to be active participants in the formulation, adoption, and implementation of better public policy. One of the applicant’s goals should be to convince the admissions committee of this commitment. This can be reflected in the quality of work experience or the statement of purpose.
  2. Education: Students at GSPP represent a wide range of academic backgrounds. Most students have degrees in social sciences, with a smaller number having undergraduate majors in humanities, biological or physical sciences, mathematics or engineering. Some students already have advanced degrees. GSPP does not require prior quantitative training; however prior course work in introductory statistics or first-year calculus, and introductory economics, is strongly recommended.
  3. Writing and Analytical Skills: How students approach problems and the ability to write clearly and coherently is instrumental in public policy analysis. The committee will pay close attention to the applicant’s statement of purpose and GRE analytical writing score.
  4. Standardized Tests: All applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general test. The LSAT and GMAT cannot be substituted for the GRE. Test scores must be less than five years old. To assist you in preparing to take the GRE, free GRE Preparation Tests are now available online. All applicants from countries in which the official language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). TOEFL Scores are valid and reportable by ETS for two years after the test date. To send an official score report, the institution code for Berkeley is 4833. NOTE: The Graduate Division includes a third exemption for those who have completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with a grade B or better at a regionally accredited institution within the United States. GSPP does not accommodate this exemption.
  5. Three Letters of Recommendation: The most helpful letters or recommendation are from persons who have supervised the applicant’s work in either an academic, employment or community service capacity, and who can evaluate the applicant’s intellectual ability, creativity, initiative, leadership potential, and promise in the field of public policy analysis and management.
  6. Background and Life Experiences: GSPP recognizes that a student population that reflects the most diverse state in the country is key to the continued study of current, relevant social issues and policy problems. We are looking for people who are dynamic and driven, representing diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences, particularly those who wish to develop the tools and skills necessary to change our world for the better.
  7. The Value of Work Experience: Although GSPP does not require work experience for admission, typically each entering student has had at least three years of relevant work experience. GSPP believes work experience adds tremendous value to class discussions and helps students to develop a context for problem solving and policy analysis.
Documents required for the MPP application:
  1. Online Graduate Application for Admission and Fellowships
  2. Resume (submitted with online application): Please upload a current resume, reflecting your work experience, education, and any other relevant information.
  3. Statement of Purpose (submitted with online application): Please follow the instructions below for the statement of purpose instead of what is directed on the online application: The Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy welcomes applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds and with a variety of career aspirations. Some of our students have had prior experience in the realm of public policy; others have not. It is helpful to us to know more about your background, your motivation, and your long-term goals than can be inferred from your records and references. We would appreciate your helping us by supplying a brief statement of 3-5 pages, double-spaced.
    Please address some of these areas:
    1. The present: Why do you want to take an educational program in the analysis and management of public policy?
    2. The past: What experiences or activities bear on your qualifications for this program, e.g., research papers, study groups, job responsibilities, policy or political projects? How do these experiences relate to your decision to undertake the study of public policy analysis and management? If you have been out of school for a year or more, please indicate the positions you have held and your major activities.
    3. The future: What kinds of work and activity would you like to engage in following graduation, and what are your long-range career objectives?
    4. Please supply whatever information you think may help us to understand your candidacy more fully.
  4. Personal History Statement (submitted with online application): Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Please include information on how you have overcome barriers to access in higher education, evidence of how you have come to understand the barriers faced by others, evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, evidence of your research focusing on underserved populations or related issues of inequality, or evidence of your leadership among such groups.
  5. College Transcripts (submitted with online application): Please upload unofficial transcripts from all universities or colleges attended. Official transcripts of all college-level work will be required if admitted.
  6. Three Letters of Recommendation (submitted with online application): Please follow the instructions on the online application for the online letter of recommendation submission process.
  7. GRE Scores: Our institution code is 4833. Reservations for the GRE exam should be made in advance through the GRE's website, or the following:
    The Education Testing Service (ETS)
    P.O. Box 6000
    Princeton, NJ 08541-6000
    Phone: (609) 771-7670 or 1-800-GRE-CALL
  8. TOEFL Scores (for international applicants):  For further information regarding the TOEFL, please see the TOEFL website. Use institution code 4833. You may sign up for the TOEFL through an agent in your country or through:
    TOEFL, CN6151
    Princeton, NJ 08541-6151
    Phone: (609) 771-7500
  9. Application Fee (submitted with online application): An application fee, payable to UC Regents, must be submitted when you apply.
  10. Fee Waiver: Eligible applicants may apply for an application fee waiver. To do so, you must be a U.S. citizen or current permanent resident.

Key Elements for PhD Admission

The PhD Program at the Goldman School is a small and individualized program in which we do our best to match the interests of prospective students with our faculty. A thorough preparation in policy analysis skills is a prerequisite for the doctorate. Because there is no core program of study, the PhD committee prefers applicants to have completed an MPP degree or equivalent, either from the Goldman School or a similar institution. Applicants with a master's degree in some other field usually must complete the MPP program at GSPP before applying for admission to the doctoral program. Applicants may be partially exempt from this requirement, but may be asked to take certain first-year level master's courses at the Goldman School not offered in such programs.

Documents required for the PhD application:
  1. Online Graduate Application for Admission and Fellowships
  2. Statement of Purpose (submitted with online application): Please follow the instructions below for the statement of purpose instead of what is directed in the online application. Address these areas in 3-5 double-spaced pages:
    1. The present: Why do you want to pursue a PhD in public policy?
    2. The past:  What experiences or activities bear on your qualifications for this program, e.g., academic research, teaching, professional experience, etc? How do these experiences relate to your decision to undertake a PhD in public policy?
    3. The future: What are your short- and long-term career objectives after completing a PhD in public policy?
  3. Personal History Statement (submitted with online application): Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a PhD. 
  4. Planned Dissertation Research Memo(submitted with online application): The planned dissertation research memo should describe the applicant’s public policy research interests, outline the topic(s) for the applicant's proposed dissertation research, and include preferences for possible faculty adviser(s).
  5. Curriculum Vitae (submitted with online application): Upload a current CV reflecting your academic and professional work experience and research, education, and any other relevant information.
  6. Writing Sample (submitted with online application): A research paper under 30 pages, different from a policy analysis paper. Its purpose is, in part, to make it evident that the student can make the transition from policy analysis to policy research.
  7. Unofficial Transcripts (submitted with online application): Please upload unofficial transcripts from all universities or colleges attended. Official transcripts of all college-level work will be required if admitted.
  8. Three Letters of Recommendation (submitted with online application): Please follow the instructions in the online application for submitting letters of recommendation online.
  9. Official GRE Scores: All applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general test—the LSAT and GMAT cannot be substituted for the GRE. Test scores must be less than five years old (for fall 2017 applicants, GRE test scores dated before June 2012 are no longer valid). To send an official score report, the institution code for Berkeley is 4833. To assist you in preparing to take the GRE, free GRE Preparation Tests are now available online. 
  10. TOEFL and IELTS Scores: All applicants from countries in which the official language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). For fall 2017 applicants, TOEFL and IELTS tests taken before June 1, 2013 will not be accepted. To send an official score report, the institution code for Berkeley is 4833.
  11. Application Fee (submit with online application): A non-refundable application fee, payable to UC Regents, must be submitted when you apply. If you are a US citizen or current permanent resident the application fee is $90; for all others, the application fee is $110. Fee Waiver: US Citizens or permanent residents who can demonstrate financial need are eligible to apply for a waiver of the application fee.

Please do not submit additional or supplemental materials.

Doctoral Degree Requirements

Curriculum

The PhD program emphasizes the generation of knowledge, theories, methodologies, and applications appropriate to the advancement of public policy analysis and management. Doctoral students pursue highly individualized programs of study, working closely with school faculty members to determine coursework to be taken in preparation for the dissertation.  Students who have a master’s degree in public policy from another University may be may be asked to take certain first-year master’s level courses at GSPP not offered in other such programs.

Master's Degree Requirements (MPP)

Curriculum

Core Curriculum—First Year

The core courses emphasize practical applications of analytical skills and encourage students to learn by doing through numerous exercises and projects conducted in teams and individually. Fieldwork activities are also a part of the core curriculum, involving real clients, a written report, and oral briefings on the report. In addition, colloquia with outside speakers are frequently held that further examine some of the policy issues treated in the core courses.

First Year
FallUnitsSpringUnitsSummerUnits
PUB POL 22014PUB POL 2004Summer Policy Internship (required) 
PUB POL 210A4PUB POL 210B4 
PUB POL 26014Elective Course4 
PUB POL 240A4PUB POL 240B4 
 16 16 0
Total Units: 32
1

Can be taken in the fall of the first or second year of the program.

Summer Policy Internship

Students are required to complete a policy internship during the summer between the first and second year of study. Students choose positions as apprentices to policy practitioners in international, federal, state, or local government agencies; nonprofit organizations; or private sector corporations and consulting firms; in the United States and abroad. Students enrolled in concurrent degrees with Public Health, Law, Energy & Resources Group, and Social Welfare can satisfy the Goldman School internship requirement with an internship that also meets the internship or summer field-placement requirements prescribed by the relevant concurrent degree requirement, as long as the internship also meets the Goldman School internship requirement.  For prior year summer internship statistics and information, go the Employment Statistics page.

Core Curriculum—Second Year

The second year comprises two required courses, Advanced Policy Analysis (APA) and Political and Organizational Aspects of Public Policy Analysis, plus a number of electives.

The APA project is an intensive study of a significant policy issue of the student’s choice. The project is often done for a specific client in a public or private policy organization, and sometimes the student is paid for the work. For some students, the project is an outgrowth of the summer internship or may lead to a post graduation position with the client organization.

Students conduct their projects as members of an APA seminar, which provides them with a faculty supervisor and a peer group able to supply constructive suggestions. When the completed analysis is found satisfactory by the faculty, it then serves as the student’s required thesis. Frequently, the specific policy recommendations made in these analyses have been adopted by the student’s client.

Second Year
FallUnitsSpringUnits
PUB POL 25014PUB POL 205 (Thesis Seminar)6
Elective Course2-4 PUB POL 299 (Thesis Independent Study)3
Elective Course2-4Elective Course2-4
Elective Course2-4 
 8-12 11-13
Total Units: 19-25
1

Can be taken in the fall of the first or second year of the program.

Milestones

Courses

Public Policy

PUB POL 200 Introduction to Policy Analysis 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
This introductory course will integrate various social science disciplines and apply these perspectives to problems of public policy. Throughout the academic term, students will apply knowledge of politics, economics, sociology, and quantitative methods in the analysis of case studies of policymakers and managers making decisions. Students learn to use the techniques of social science to evaluate projects and programs. Course will include the preparation of a major paper for a client.
Introduction to Policy Analysis: Read More [+]

PUB POL 205 Advanced Policy Analysis 6 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Each student will conduct thorough analysis on a major policy question. In this research, students will apply the interdisciplinary methods, approaches, and perspectives studied in the core curriculum.
Advanced Policy Analysis: Read More [+]

PUB POL 210A The Economics of Public Policy Analysis 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Theories of microeconomic behavior of consumers, producers, and bureaucrats are developed and applied to specific policy areas. Ability to analyze the effects of alternative policy actions in terms of 1) the efficiency of resource allocation and 2) equity is stressed. Policy areas are selected to show a broad range of actual applications of theory and a variety of policy strategies.
The Economics of Public Policy Analysis: Read More [+]

PUB POL 210B The Economics of Public Policy Analysis 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Theories of microeconomic behavior of consumers, producers, and bureaucrats are developed and applied to specific policy areas. Ability to analyze the effects of alternative policy actions in terms of 1) the efficiency of resource allocation and 2) equity is stressed. Policy areas are selected to show a broad range of actual applications of theory and a variety of policy strategies.
The Economics of Public Policy Analysis: Read More [+]

PUB POL 220 Law and Public Policy 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2015
Focuses on legal aspects of public policy by exposing students to primary legal materials, including court decisions and legislative and administrative regulations. Skills of interpretation and legal draftsmanship are developed. Relationships among law-making agencies and between law and policy are explored through case-centered studies.
Law and Public Policy: Read More [+]

PUB POL C221 Climate, Energy and Development 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
Graduate seminar examining the role of energy science, technology, and policy in
international development. The course will look at how changes in the theory and practice
of energy systems and of international development have co-evolved over the past half-
century, and what opportunities exist going forward.

A focus will be on rural and decentralized energy use, and the issues of technology, culture,
and politics that are raised by both current trajectories, and potential alternative energy
choices. We will explore the frequently divergent ideas about energy and development that
have emerged from civil society, academia, multinational development agencies, and the
private and industrial sector.
Climate, Energy and Development: Read More [+]

PUB POL 240A Decision Analysis, Modeling, and Quantitative Methods 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
An integrated course on the use of quantitative techniques in public policy analysis: computer modeling and simulation, linear programming and optimization, decision theory, and statistical and econometric analysis of policy-relevant data. The student develops a facility in distilling the policy relevance of numbers through an analysis of case studies and statistical data sets.
Decision Analysis, Modeling, and Quantitative Methods: Read More [+]

PUB POL 240B Decision Analysis, Modeling, and Quantitative Methods 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
An integrated course on the use of quantitative techniques in public policy analysis: computer modeling and simulation, linear programming and optimization, decision theory, and statistical and econometric analysis of policy-relevant data. The student develops a facility in distilling the policy relevance of numbers through an analysis of case studies and statistical data sets.
Decision Analysis, Modeling, and Quantitative Methods: Read More [+]

PUB POL 249 Statistics for Program Evaluation 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
How do we know whether a program or policy is having its intended impact? This course will cover the methods used to answer this question. The focus will be on quantitative studies, with an emphasis on the econometric techniques used in experimental and non-experimental evaluations. We will also discuss the role of program evaluations in policy analysis and design and the limits to program evaluation as a tool for policy improvement. Examples will be drawn from real-life social policy interventions in domestic and international settings.
Statistics for Program Evaluation: Read More [+]

PUB POL 250 The Politics of Public Policy 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
This course examines the political and organizational factors involved in developing new policies, choosing among alternatives, gaining acceptance, assuring implementation, and coping with unanticipated consequences. Materials will include case studies, theoretical, empirical, and interpretive works from several disciplines.
The Politics of Public Policy: Read More [+]

PUB POL 251 Microeconomic Organization and Policy Analysis 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Research seminar to develop public policy analyses based on microeconomic theories of organization, including collective demand mechanisms, behavioral theory of regulatory agencies and bureaucracies, and productivity in the public sector.
Microeconomic Organization and Policy Analysis: Read More [+]

PUB POL C253 International Economic Development Policy 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
This course emphasizes the development and application of policy solutions to developing-world problems related to poverty, macroeconomic policy, and environmental sustainability. Methods of statistical, economic, and policy analysis are applied to a series of case studies. The course is designed to develop practical professional skills for application in the international arena.
International Economic Development Policy: Read More [+]

PUB POL 256 Program and Policy Design 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2011, Fall 2005
Studio/laboratory in the design of non-physical environments. Complements courses in policy analysis, public management, economics, and political science; especially intended to integrate elements of professional programs in public policy and related areas. Students will design, in groups and individually, programs and policies that create value in the public sector, including statutes, regulations, and implementation projects. Comparative reviews will feature invited guests. Graduate level of 156.
Program and Policy Design: Read More [+]

PUB POL 257 Arts and Cultural Policy 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015
Survey of government policy toward the arts (especially direct subsidy, copyright and regulation, and indirect assistance) and its effects on artists, audiences, and institutions. Emphasizes "highbrow" arts, U.S. policy, and the social and economic roles of participants in the arts. Readings, field trips, and case discussion. One paper in two drafts required for undergraduate credit; graduate credit awarded for an additional short paper to be arranged and attendance at four advanced colloquia throughout the term. Graduate level of 157.
Arts and Cultural Policy: Read More [+]

PUB POL 259 Benefit-Cost Analysis 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2016
This course discusses and criticizes the conceptual foundations of cost-benefit analysis, and analyzes in depth some important applied aspects such as endogenous prices of other commodities, methods to infer willingness to pay, valuation of life, uncertainty and the rate of discount. The goal of this course is to teach you the theory and practice of cost-benefit analysis, with an eye to preparing you to confidently conduct a CBA for an employer or client starting on day one of your career as a policy analyst. There will be three main components to the course: The textbook, discussion, and the semester project.
Benefit-Cost Analysis: Read More [+]

PUB POL 260 Public Leadership and Management 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014
This course is designed to help students develop their skills for leading and managing groups, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and public advocacy, with the goal of achieving positive social change. Materials include case studies, analyses, and works from several disciplines. Course is open to first and second year MPP students, but recommended for first year.
Public Leadership and Management: Read More [+]

PUB POL 269 Public Budgeting 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013
Public sector budgeting is an activity that incorporates many, perhaps most, of the skills of the public manager and analyst. The goal of this course is to develop and hone these skills. Using cases and readings from all levels of American government, the course will allow the student to gain an understanding of the effects and consequences of public sector budgeting, its processes and participants, and the potential impacts of various reforms. Graduate level of Public Policy 179.
Public Budgeting: Read More [+]

PUB POL 270 Kid-First Policy: Family, School, and Community 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2014
This seminar appraises the critical policy choices that shape the lives of children and adolescents from birth through high school and beyond. The issues are as varied-and hotly debated by politicians and policy-makers-as banning Coke machines in schools to reduce obesity, regulating teenage abortion, providing universal preschool and helping abused children. Students from across the campus-public policy, education, social welfare, business, sociology, political science, economics-bring different perspectives. Discussions and readings draw on insights from across the policy sciences. Problem-solving is the focus in seminar meetings and research projects.
Kid-First Policy: Family, School, and Community: Read More [+]

PUB POL 271 The Political Economy of Inequality 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017
This course is designed to provide graduate students with a deeper understanding of the organization of the political economy of the United States and why earnings and wealth have been diverging over the last thirty-five years. Given that most of the underlying forces causing this trend in the U.S. are also prevalent in other nations, the lessons learned in this course are likely to be relevant elsewhere. The course is also intended to provide insights into the political and public policy debates that have arisen in light of this divergence, as well as possible means of reversing it.
The Political Economy of Inequality: Read More [+]

PUB POL C271 Energy and Development 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016
This advanced graduate seminar will examine the theoretical frames and models used to examine the linkages between energy and development, and the impacts of one on the other.


Energy and Development: Read More [+]

PUB POL 273 PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AND POLICY IMPLEMENTATION 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017
This course examines concepts and case studies to illustrate how to be an effective organizational leader in government and the non-profit sector. Topics include formulating and articulating goals; the influence of assets and the external environment; the importance of structure, culture and craft; reforming when resources are scarce; negotiation techniques; and elements of crisis management. students are expected to read all assignments before class and be prepared to be active participants in class discussion, debates and negotiations. The instructor will provide discussion questions for each subsequent session.
PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AND POLICY IMPLEMENTATION: Read More [+]

PUB POL 275 Spatial Data and Analysis 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
This course introduces students to spatial data and its analysis, modeling of spatially dependent processes, and related policy problems. Through hands-on analysis, students will learn to extract quantitative information from spatial data for applied research and public policy. Students will be introduced to spatial statistics, spatially dependent simulation, and spatial optimization. Students will learn to think creatively about spatial problems through examples drawn from economics, politics, epidemiology, criminology, agriculture, social networks, and the environment. Students will benefit from prior experience with basic computer programming, although prior experience is not required.
Spatial Data and Analysis: Read More [+]

PUB POL 279 Research Design and Data Collection for Public Policy Analysis 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Fall 2011
Public policy analysis requires a sophisticated understanding of a variety of types of data. Empirical arguments and counterarguments play a central role in policy debates. Quantitative analysis courses teach you how to analyze data; this course will introduce you to strategies of data collection and principles for critically evaluating data collected by others. Topics include measurement reliability and validity, questionnaire design, sampling, experimental and quasi-experimental program evaluation designs, qualitative research methods, and the politics of data in public policy.
Research Design and Data Collection for Public Policy Analysis: Read More [+]

PUB POL 280 Ethics, Policy, and the Power of Ideas 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2016, Fall 2014
This seminar brings together two related frames for policy thinking: the ethics of policy, that is, what does it mean to do the right thing? and the intervention of policy, that is, how do new policy paradigms emerge? Those who seek to govern well inescapably confront questions of value in their political, professional, and personal choices. the discussion of ethical dilemmas, which will take up the first half of the semester, is designed to provoke analytic reflection on the moral challenges and responsibilities of public policymaking in a democracy. The focus is on the many and often competing obligations, commitments and values that should guide public actors, as well as on the public principles that guide the design of good public policy. Politics and conventional analytics dominate policy in the short run. But over the longer term, conceptualizations as varied as exit/voice/loyalty, satisficing, the tipping point, memes, winner-take-all, strong democracy, broken windows, and the prisoners dilemma profoundly influence the policy conservation.
Ethics, Policy, and the Power of Ideas: Read More [+]

PUB POL 282 Environment and Technology from the Policy and Business Perspective 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2010, Fall 2009, Fall 2008
Most environmental issues involve technology, either in the role of "villain" or "hero." This course uses the lens of specific technologies to survey environmental policy and management, with an emphasis on the complexities of policy-making with diverse interest groups. The class includes case studies, guest practitioners, and a group project in which students employ a range of analytic tools and frameworks in order to develop creative, effective, and actionable environmental solutions.
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PUB POL C284 Energy and Society 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Summer 2018 10 Week Session, Fall 2017
Energy sources, uses, and impacts; an introduction to the technology, politics, economics, and environmental effects of energy in contemporary society. Energy and well-being; energy international perspective, origins, and character of energy crisis.
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PUB POL C285 Nuclear Security: The Nexus Between Policy and Technology 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
The course will review the origins and evolution of nuclear energy, how it has been applied for both peaceful and military purposes, and the current and prospective challenges it presents. The purpose of the course is to educate students on the policy roots and technological foundations of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons so they are positioned to make original contributions to the field in their scholarly and professional careers.
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PUB POL 286 US National Security Policy 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2015
An extensive examination of contemporary U.S. national security issues and how policy is developed and implemented. Topics include Russia after the Cold War with emphasis on nuclear and biological weapons; crisis decision-making and the key players in national security policy; the struggle against terrorism, especially since 9/11, with some reference to homeland security; the challenges to U.S. policy in the Middle East after the Arab spring; China as the chief great power rival; and the role of unmanned vehicles, cyber, and special operations as key elements of U.S. policy. Students will write policy memos, participate in crisis simulation exercises, and complete a take-home final examination.
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PUB POL 288 Risk and Optimization Models for Policy 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2016
Optimization and simulation models in stochastic and deterministic contexts. Monte Carlo simulation, Bayesian models and decisions, linear and nonlinear programming, queing models, and a review of heuristics and biases in individual risk assessment. Hands-on exploration of tools oriented to management and policy decisions in public and nonprofit organizations. Objective for students: lifelong habit of learning and using new analytic methods.
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PUB POL 290 Special Topics in Public Policy 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Course examines current problems and issues in the field of public policy. Topics may vary from year to year and will be announced at the beginning of the semester. Open to students from other departments.
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PUB POL 292 Directed Advanced Study 1 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2014
Open to qualified graduate students wishing to pursue special study and research under direction of a member of the staff.
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PUB POL 295 Supervised Research Colloquium 1 - 9 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2009, Fall 2008, Spring 2008
Open to qualified graduate students wishing to pursue special research under direction of a member of the staff. Discussion and analysis of dissertation research projects, including conceptual and methodological problems of designing and conducting policy research.
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PUB POL 296 Ph.D. Seminar 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Discussion and analysis of dissertation research projects, including conceptual and methodological problems of designing and conducting public policy research.
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PUB POL 297 Graduate Student Led Course in Public Policy 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Course examines current problems and issues in the field of public policy. Topics vary from year to year.
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PUB POL 298 Directed Advanced Study 1 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Open to qualified graduate students wishing to pursue special study and research under direction of a member of the staff.
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PUB POL 299 Independent Study in Preparation for the Advanced Policy Analysis 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
By arrangement with faculty. Open only to qualified second-year graduate students working toward the M.P.P. degree.
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PUB POL 375 GSI Practicum 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
This course is directed at Graduate Student Instructors for undergraduate and graduate courses, and reviews the most important elements of effective teaching, especially teaching graduate students in professional programs like the Master of Public Policy. It satisfies the graduate division requirement for a 300 course for GSI's.
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Faculty and Instructors

Faculty

Daniel J. Acland, Assistant Adjunct Professor. Benefit-Cost Analysis, Behavioral Economics, Behavior Change, Public Health.
Research Profile

Sarah F. Anzia, Assistant Professor. Elections, Government, Politics, State and Local Politics and Policy, Public Sector Unions, Women in Politics, Public Employee Pensions.
Research Profile

Henry Brady, Professor. Comparative politics, public policy, electoral politics, political participation, survey research, program evaluation, statistical methods in the social sciences, social welfare policy, Soviet Union, inequality in America.
Research Profile

Jennifer L. Bussell, Assistant Professor. Africa, comparative politics, Latin America, public policy & organization, South Asia.
Research Profile

Alain de Janvry, Professor. Agriculture, Poverty & Inequality, Rural Development, Quantitative Analysis of Development Policies, Impact Analysis of Social Programs, Technological Innovations in Agriculture, Management of Common Property Resources.
Research Profile

Sean Farhang, Associate Professor. Law and Political Science, Law and Politics, Courts, Regulation.
Research Profile

Avi Feller, Assistant Professor. Program Evaluation, Quantitative Methods.
Research Profile

Lee Friedman, Professor. Economic Organization, Environmental Markets, School Finance, Utility Regulation, Environment, Regulation, Public Finance.
Research Profile

Alexander Gelber, Assistant Professor. Economic Policy, Labor and Employment, Public Finance, Tax Policy, Social Security, Family Policy.
Research Profile

Jack Glaser, Associate Professor. Political Psychology, Stereotyping, Prejudice & Discrimination, Research Methods, Social Psychology, Hate Crime, Unconscious Social Cognition, Racial Profiling, Policing.
Research Profile

Jennifer M. Granholm, Adjunct Professor. Law, Energy, Renewable and Clean Energy, Labor and Employment, Politics, Economics of Industry, Manufacturing and Job Markets.
Research Profile

Hilary Hoynes, Professor. Tax Policy, Labor and Employment, Youth and Families, Government.
Research Profile

Solomon Hsiang, Associate Professor. Agriculture, Climate Change, Environment, International, Coupled Natural and Human Systems, Political Economy, Development Economics, Applied Econometrics.
Research Profile

Rucker Johnson, Associate Professor. Poverty and Inequality, Social Welfare, Labor and Employment, Urban Economics.
Research Profile

Daniel Kammen, Professor. Climate Change, Engineering, Environment, Energy, Renewable and Clean Energy, Energy Forecasting, Health and Environment, International R&D Policy, Race and Gender, Rural Resource Management.
Research Profile

David Kirp, Professor. Children, Youth and Families, Education, Race & Ethnicity, Law, Politics, Ethics, Early Childhood Education, Higher Education, Community.
Research Profile

Amy E. Lerman, Associate Professor. Politics, Criminal Justice, Privatization, Public Opinion, American Bureaucracy, Political Behavior.
Research Profile

Jane Mauldon, Associate Professor. Demography, Children, Youth and Families, Program Evaluation, Race & Ethnicity, Quantitative Methods, Social Welfare, Health, Poverty.
Research Profile

Stephen M. Maurer, Adjunct Professor. Homeland Security, Innovation Intellectual Property, Open Source, and Innovation, WMD Terrorism, Biosecurity, Phramaceutical Innovation, Database policy.
Research Profile

Michael Nacht, Professor. US National Security Policy and International Relations, Science, Technology and Public Policy, Management Strategies for Complex Organizations.
Research Profile

Janet Napolitano, Professor. Education, Leadership and Management, Politics.
Research Profile

Michael O'Hare, Professor. Arts Policy, Quantitative Methods, Environment, Public Management.
Research Profile

Steven Raphael, Professor. Labor and Employment, Race & Ethnicity, Criminal Justice, Quantitative Methods, Economic Policy, Program Evaluation, Housing & Urban Policy, Immigration, Poverty & Inequality, Discrimination, Employment Discrimination, Labor Economics, Racial Inequality, Urban Economics.
Research Profile

Robert Reich, Professor. Industrial Policy, Labor and Employment, Leadership and Management, Politics, Poverty, Inequality, Leadership and Social Change, Macroeconomic Policy, Social and Economic Policy.
Research Profile

Larry A. Rosenthal, Assistant Adjunct Professor. Housing and Urban Policy, Law, Land Use, Civic Engagement.
Research Profile

Jesse Rothstein, Professor. Tax Policy, Economic Policy, Education, Labor and Employment, Program Evaluation, Public Finance, Quantitative Methods.
Research Profile

Richard M. Scheffler, Professor. Health Policy and Health Economics, Competition and Regulation in Health Insurance Markets, The ACA and Covered California, Accountable Care Organizations and Market Power, Organization and Financing of Mental Health Services, Social Capital and Health, Global Health Workforce, Pay for Performance in the US and Around the Globe.
Research Profile

Janelle Scott, Associate Professor. Advocacy Politics, Educational Equity, Policy Analysis & Evaluation, Politics of Education, Privatization, Qualitative Methods, Education, Race & Policy, Urban Leadership, Urban Schooling.
Research Profile

Jennifer Skeem, Professor. Criminal Justice, Health Policy, Children, Youth and Families, Psychology and Law, Risk Reduction, Mental Health.
Research Profile

Lecturers

Mia Bird, Lecturer. Economic Demography, Criminal Justice Policy, Social Welfare Policy.
Research Profile

Hector Cardenas, Lecturer. US-Mexico Binational Policy, Data Driven Decision Making, Information Technology Strategy, Public Sector Operations, Regulatory Reform, Criminal Justice Reform.
Research Profile

Brent Copen, Lecturer.
Research Profile

Timothy M. Dayonot, Lecturer. Negotiation, Mediation and Conflict Resolution, Legislative Advocacy, Government Management.
Research Profile

John Decker, Lecturer.
Research Profile

Daniel Heimpel, Lecturer. Children, Youth and Families, Journalism and Media.
Research Profile

Saru Jayaraman, Lecturer. Food Policy.
Research Profile

Dan Lindheim, Lecturer. Housing and Urban Policy, Budget, Finance, Labor and Employment, Poverty and Inequality, City Management, Education Finance & Policy, Police and Criminal Justice, Public Employee Pensions, Public Health.
Research Profile

Larry Magid, Lecturer. Politics, Transportation Policy, Energy Policy, Strategic Communications.
Research Profile

Sudha Shetty, Lecturer. International Leadership and International Public Policy, Violence Against Women, International Child Abduction.
Research Profile

Amy Slater, Lecturer. Negotiation, Conflict Resolution.
Research Profile

Steven Weissman, Lecturer. Energy, Renewable and Clean Energy, Law, Environment.
Research Profile

Visiting Faculty

Michael Flaherman, Visiting Scholar. Budget/FinancePublic Employee Pensions.
Research Profile

Peter H. Schuck, Professor. Torts and Compensation Systems, Immigration, Citizenship and Refugee Policy, Administrative Law and Regulatory Policy,.
Research Profile

Emeritus Faculty

Eugene Bardach, Professor Emeritus. Leadership and Management, Implementation, Mental Health, Political Skill, Social Regulation.
Research Profile

Robert M. Berdahl, Professor Emeritus.

John Ellwood, Professor Emeritus. Financial Management, Public Sector Budgeting.
Research Profile

Michael W. Hanemann, Professor Emeritus. Environment, Water Management, Environment and Resource Economics.
Research Profile

Arnold Meltsner, Professor Emeritus.

Allan Sindler, Professor Emeritus.
Research Profile

Eugene Smolensky, Professor Emeritus. Poverty and Inequality, Public Finance, Income Distribution, Public Finance Welfare Reform.
Research Profile

Contact Information

Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP)

2607 Hearst Avenue

Phone: 510-642-4670

Fax: 510-643-9657

Visit School Website

Dean

Henry E. Brady, PhD

104 GSPP Main

hbrady@berkeley.edu

Senior Assistant Dean for Academic Programs & Dean of Students

Martha Chavez

Room 240, GSPP Addition

Phone: 510-643-4266

martha_chavez@berkeley.edu

Head Graduate Adviser, MPP Program

Jane Mauldon, PhD

313 GSPP Main

Phone: 510-642-3475

jmauldon@berkeley.edu

Head Graduate Adviser, PhD Program

Amy Lerman, PhD

205A GSPP Main

Phone: 510-642-1137

alerman@berkeley.edu

Associate Director of Student Affairs and Undergraduate Minor Adviser

Jalilah LaBrie

245 GSPP Addition

Phone: 510-642-1940

jalilah@berkeley.edu

Managing Director of Career & Alumni Services and PhD Admissions & Student Affairs Advisor

Cecille Cabacungan

2607 Hearst Avenue

Phone: 510-642-1303

cecille@berkeley.edu

Graduate Student Services Adviser, MPP Admissions & Career Services

Lezley Hightower

Phone: 510-642-7888

lhightower@berkeley.edu

Graduate Student Services Adviser, PPIA Program & Course Scheduling

Noah Romero

Phone: 510-643-6961

noah.romero@berkeley.edu

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