Fall 2025

Overview of current health policy and health care issues in the United States; analysis of health policy issues from a range of different perspectives in the health sector.

Economic foundations for public policy analysis; concepts of efficiency and equity, analysis of market failure and policy interventions; challenges in policy-making.

Health policymaking process in the United States; how federal, state and local policymakers and stakeholders approach key health issues

Develops a framework for understanding public policy and its role in solving current complex issues. Theories, processes and institutions that shape policymaking and professional development for policymaking. Course sections may vary in policy subject emphasis.

Gateway to BS, Public Policy, Management and Planning and minor in Planning and Development. City building and development process; who plans, politics of planning and development; major topics include land use, fiscal policy, transportation, sustainability, and economic development.

Review of legal and ethical traditions of citizenship withemphasis on the latter; consideration of implications for currentpractice of public policy-making and management.

The urban context for planning and policy decisions. Socioeconomic, physical and spatial structure of cities; and the underlying demographic, economic and social processes that drive their ongoing transformation.

Social justice issues through the lens of public policy and urban planning with main focus on Los Angeles; critical thinking skills about the fields and their relevance to social justice.

Policy, planning, and development skills for practice; internship seminar; leadership, group dynamics and presentation skills; application of management; organizational diversity; reflection on experiences.

Statistical applications applied to the real world; techniques including probability, sampling; hypothesis formation and testing; correlation, and linear regression.

Justifications for and effects of government policies; tax and spending sides of government budgets; public goods; externalities; social insurance; redistribution and welfare; tax policy.

Institutional foundations and analysis of public policy issues; policy formulation and implementation; application of theories; case analyses.

Qualitative methods of analysis; ethical and political implications of policy choices; issue diagnosis and policy design skills; critical reasoning and ethics; policy leadership.

Learning the institutions of health care delivery and financing; evaluating key health policy issues; understanding and using economic, statistical and mathematical tools as ways to inform health policy issues.

Public policy agenda-setting, alternatives formulation, and implementation for crime and criminal justice; analysis of specific issues including crime control, death penalty, and gun control.

Introduction to critical issues of environmental policy in looking toward a more sustainable future; the science and policy of climate change; equity and justice; the greening of industry, governing for sustainable development; policy tools in addressing issues of environmental protection and sustainability

Interrelated roles of business and public institutions; effects of public policies and laws on business sector; incorporates public and business perspectives.

Current transportation planning and policy critiques. Transportation planning: the relationship to urban structure; conventional and para-transit modes; analysis of local plans.

Policy and planning as shaped by sustainability theories; sustainability indicators; topics include water resources, air quality, land use regulations, environmental design, carrying capacity, ecological footprint analysis. Duplicates credit in former PPD 461.

Theories of the voluntary nonprofit sector in society and its relationship to government and business; public policies toward the sector.

Applied analytic modeling and data manipulation; visual presentation; interpretation of data; needs assessment and market failure analysis; indexing; extrapolation and simple forecasting; simple risk analysis; benefit-cost analysis.

Seminar in cross cutting topics in public policy and urban studies that engages students with faculty and scholars in interdisciplinary research and analysis of key problems and issues in the fields.

Healthcare trends affecting the management of healthcare organizations; impact of regulations and reimbursement; strategies for operational success; organizational roles and responsibilities.

Introduction to urban informatics including the fundamentals of coding, urban data analysis and statistics, visualization, mapping, smart cities/technology and telling stories with data.

Application of methods in the exploration of a specific project, policy, or organization from the multiple perspectives of the five tracks in the undergraduate program.

Evolution of government housing and community development programs; present practices, e.g., housing elements, economic development, neighborhood rehabilitation; housing needs and market analysis; housing and health.

Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit. Departmental approval.

Writing of the honors capstone project in an area of interest related to the track of study; research and writing skills.

Economic theory as applied to public policy. Concepts of efficiency and equity, analysis of market failure and policy interventions.

Essential statistics for public managers and administrators; application of statistical methods in addressing public policy and management questions.

Key microeconomic concepts and economic fundamentals for health policy and management professionals. Ties economic principles to real-world applications in health and healthcare.

Strategies to improve hospital operations, including supply chains, staffing, informatics, data analytics and patient flow.

Introduction to concepts and facts regarding the healthcare system, healthcare policy, epidemiology and disease trends, prevention, healthcare organizations, personnel, diversity, evidence, delivery systems, population health, financing and reimbursement.

Rights of consumers; health-related powers of governments; rights and responsibilities of health care providers; interrelationships of rights, powers, and responsibilities. Recommended preparation: PPD 509 or substantial prior work experience in health care organizations. Open only to graduate students.

Accounting as a management tool; accounting systems; basic accounting concepts and procedures; budgets; financial statements. Open only to graduate students.

Quality issues and complexities affecting healthcare; fundamentals of quality improvement programs; examination of quality issues and improvement programs in various health care venues; strategies

Explores the history and theories underlying professional planning practice; evolving theoretical frameworks that will shape the planning field. Focuses on theoretical/historical perspectives on social justice, inclusion, and diversity.

Application of methods in planning, programming, research, andevaluation in a professional context; data collection andanalysis; case studies; practical applications.

Introduction to data analysis for planning practice. Includes quantitative and qualitative methods. Traditional methods such as regression and emerging methods including social media, visual/spatial analysis, programming.

Administrative concepts, institutions, legal systems, and practices; values; facilitation of responsibilities and rights; professional applications for personal, private sector and public achievement.

Financial management applied to public and nonprofit organizations; financial valuation, financial markets, budgeting, tax administration, debt financing, cost-benefit analysis and financial analysis. Duplicates credit in PPDE 645.

Methods and models for policy and program evaluation; methods of collecting and analyzing evaluation data; processes for linking evaluation to policy formulation and program management.

Supervised study of management, analytical, or other professional activities in government; integration of theory, practice and relevant literature.

Behavior in organizations; focus on personal, interpersonal, and group level factors that influence such behavior.

Constitutionally accountable and ethical practice, individually and organizationally; applications of core competencies; practical inquiry, analysis, systems; comparative frameworks; citizenship and public service.

Introduction to public policy analysis; issue diagnosis and policy design; analytic reasoning and argumentation; the role of the public policy professional; ethical issues in policy analysis.

Management science methods that support decision making in policy, management, and planning settings. Includes linear programming, queuing theory, decision analysis, and forecasting.

Applied multivariate statistics in support of policy, management, and planning problem solving. Includes regression analysis, logit models, and an introduction to time-series models and multi-equation estimation.

Application and integration of the knowledge and techniques of analytic, quantitative, managerial, political and ethical analyses to specific public policy problems.

Enables students to integrate theory, research and practice into an applied project of their own choosing. The output of this course is a professional report in a selected public policy or management area.

Use of statistical reasoning to answer questions related to public policy and management. Students will review and understand selected statistical techniques for analyzing data and for addressing public policy and management questions of interest using applied data analysis.

An introduction to the concepts and methods of public policy analysis and management. Highlights some of the constraints of the policy process. Includes examples from the United States but also presents comparative views of the contours of public policy in both developed and developing nations. The course applies public policy and management frameworks to selected areas of social policy.

Concepts of risk analysis, risk in engineered systems, environmental risk, security risks; fault trees, event trees, risk simulations; risks and decision-making.

Introduction to important legal, technological, social, environmental and policy issues involved in the planning, finding, contracting and delivery of transportation infrastructure.

Research leading to the master's degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.

Part-time or full-time, practical work experience in the students field of study. The internship must be located at an off-campus facility. Students are individually supervised by faculty. May not be taken until the student has completed at least one semester of enrollment in the graduate program with a cumulative 3.0 GPA.

History, development, trends; major policy issues; organization of systems; principles and techniques of administration; management of institutional and community based programs. Open only to graduate students.

Emphasis on current or emergent issues in the health care industry. Focus on impact of recent health legislation and/or health care system responsiveness.

Approaches to community participation, introducing students to the theories behind participatory methods as well as to the skills to implement them.

Determinants and analytical models of land use; interaction of land uses with environmental quality and natural resources, land use policy instruments; regulation, taxation, public services.

Legal, political/institutional, and technical aspects of environmental impact reports for urban planning.

Urban form and emerging community design practices; design project development; evaluation and assessment of site planning in cities and local communities.

Socioeconomic change, economic development theory, assessment techniques, and economic indicators in the context of planning and development policies and programs.

Urban planning and social work: theory, values, techniques of inquiry, and problem- solving methods appropriate to urban planning and social work.

Introduction to GIS systems and usage in the public sector; spatial data; understanding software and the application of technology; analysis of data using GIS.

Analysis of policies relating to transportation alternatives; institutional environment and background; federal, state, regional, and local agency responsibilities and interactions.

Theories of community and economic development and a contextual understanding of the forces that change the development and community life of urban areas.

Introduction to the theories and concepts and good city form. Explores the options for designing more livable and sustainable urban communities.

Sources of government revenue, intergovernmental financial relations, budgeting, public goods theory. Theoretical and applied skills in analysis of equity and efficiency issues.

Theory and practice of collaborative policy and planning processes involving stakeholders from public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Leadership skills in the design and facilitation of multi-party negotiations and consensus-building.

Analysis/field application of action research models for strategic planning in public agencies; design of effective public systems; citizens/administrators' roles in strategic decision-making.

Issues in nonprofit management and leadership including: the role of boards; strategic planning; marketing and fundraising; financial management; and volunteer and human resource management. Recommended preparation: PPD 689.

Theories and techniques of assessing and improving interpersonal relationships and group dynamics in an organizational context; action research-based approaches to implementing organizational change.

Definition and history of terrorism, counterterrorism, domestic policy and public sector management; intelligence/information sharing and analysis; emergency preparedness planning, response and recovery.

Nonprofit organizations and their relation to government and business; the role of philanthropy, social enterprise, and public support and implications for policy, strategy and management.

Exploring the complex relationships that exist among policies, policymakers, and the media; analyzing the role of journalists and policy analysts in the public policy process.

Philosophy of social science; applied social research; research design; sampling & validity; overview of qualitative and quantitative methods

Reflective and critical approach that questions data collection techniques, positions relative to those being studied, and explanatory methods. Recommended preparation: PLUS 502 or PLUS 504.

Research fields and design; literature reviews; critical reading and critiquing; project development

Critical analysis of the policy field; theoretical foundations; integration of qualitative, organizational, and political consideration; policy research.

Urbanization, urban economics, land use, the politics of growth, governance, regulation, and the state, immigration, and place promotion.

Implementation of microeconometric techniques and assessment of studies; empirical strategies for research questions and data preparation and analytic tasks in Stata.

Research leading to the doctorate. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.