About the Program
Entering the degree mid-career, Master of Public Affairs students are accomplished leaders, managers and executives in their fields with diverse and extensive work experience in the public, non-profit and private sectors. In some cases, students already hold an advanced degree or advanced training in a field. The focus of the degree is on policy analysis combined with deep engagement on questions of organizational leadership, innovation, strategy, and adaptation. The MPA curriculum has been strategically designed to not only equip students with the fundamentals to succeed in policy-driven roles, but also to give them the leadership capabilities necessary to excel.
Master's Degree Requirements
Unit Requirements: 30 Units
Required Core Courses:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PUB AFF 280 | The Eightfold Path for Policy Analysis | 1 |
| PUB AFF 287 | Innovation, Strategy and Leadership: Making Change in Public Organizations. | 2 |
| PUB AFF 285 | Ethical Issues for Policy Leaders | 1 |
| PUB AFF 215 | Economics for Public Policy Makers | 3 |
| PUB AFF 245 | Inferential Statistics for Policy Makers | 1 |
| PUB AFF W207 | The Capstone | 4 |
| PUB AFF 201 | Confronting Public Policy Challenges | 2 |
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 and 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 and 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 Charles Johnson, Associate Professor. Determinants of intergenerational mobility, societal consequences of incarceration, effects of maternal employment patterns on child well-being, socioeconomic determinants of health disparities over the life course.
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 and 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 and 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 and Ethnicity, Criminal Justice, Quantitative Methods, Economic Policy, Program Evaluation, Housing and Urban Policy, Immigration, Poverty and 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 and 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)
2670 Hearst Avenue
Phone: 510-642-4670
Associate Director of the MPA Program
H. Simon Bryce
2607 Hearst Avenue
Phone: (510) 642-1481
Senior Assistant Dean of Academic Programs and Dean of Students
Anne Campbell Washington
2607 Hearst Avenue
Phone: (510) 642-6318