This program of study prepares students to be better decision makers on urban planning and public administration issues at the scale of the neighborhood, city, county, and metropolitan region, for individual private employers and nonprofit agencies, for public agencies, and for elected or appointed officials. It prepares students for jobs responsible for administration in the public sector, providing analyses on policy alternatives and advocating change and improvement within organizations and society. Students are exposed to materials drawn from planning, public finance, law, and other social science literature, and to a critical view of current administrative practice. They are introduced to the history and professional culture of public administration and to the skills required to perform a systematic approach to problem solving, and they learn about data sources and how to use them appropriately.
A graduate certificate in planning and economic development is also available, as described in section 2060.30 of this graduate catalog.
