Unlock your potential with the University of Arizona's Master of Public Policy program. Our innovative curriculum is tailored to empower you with the quantitative analysis skills needed to excel in both the public and private sectors. Designed for today's busy professionals, our evening courses will allow you to balance your career while advancing your education.
Core Competencies
Students who graduate with an MPP will obtain the following core competencies to:
Curriculum
Our curriculum is developed and updated to make sure it is reflective of the student body we serve, as well as the challenges they may face as policy analysts. The Master of Public Policy program aims to prepare students to successfully navigate an ever-changing workforce in both public and private sectors. Graduates of our program learn to incorporate different data analysis strategies that supports clear policy outcomes for organizational success. Our core courses, and electives taught within the department, are offered in the evenings on the Main Campus to accommodate our many students who wish to work full-time while pursuing their degree.
To further ensure our students’ success after graduation, our curriculum includes a Capstone Project that requires students to engage in research and evaluation, while remaining under the guidance of our extensive professional and academic faculty. The Capstone project takes place during the final semester of study to allow all curriculum knowledge to be incorporated into the experience. Our graduates are qualified to enter in government or a public agency workforce, fully equipped for success!
Required Coursework
The two-year course of study for the Master of Public Policy includes 42 required credit hours divided among three components: 24 core units, 15 elective units, and 3 units of a capstone project. The MPP program leadership and faculty members will work with students to find appropriate electives to help develop expertise in the student’s policy area of interest.
Core Courses (24 units)
This course focuses on various theories of how public policy is formulated.
This course is a survey of microeconomic and macroeconomic principles for the public policy scholar. The first half of the semester will cover principles of microeconomic markets from a policy perspective. The second half of the semester will examine core macroeconomic concepts in order to give public policy scholars foundational economic intuition to understand and model complex policy problems.
This course focuses on techniques for evaluating processes and outcomes of public sector and non-profit programs.
This course focuses on fiscal issues facing governments at the sub-national level. Included is a survey of state and local fiscal systems in the country and detailed analysis of the major state and local revenue sources (such as income tax, sales tax) and expenditure categories (such as K-12, higher education and welfare), and economic and administrative issues in intergovernmental relations.
This course provides a graduate-level introduction in the application of statistical analysis to decision making in public and nonprofit organizations. The course emphasizes both the practical and theoretical aspects of statistical analysis, as well as instruction in the use of computer software (STATA) for carrying out statistical analysis.
This course begins with the theory of motivations for public policy including market failures, government failures, as well as distributional and other normative goals. The second half of the course will apply theory to real world policy issues. Students will also critically deconstruct and analyze a variety of policy analysis documents. Lastly, students will use economic models to quantitatively analyze policy.
This course is the second semester of a year-long Quantitative Policy Analysis sequence. The course will focus on quantitative tools to empower students to assess the effectiveness and impact of policy. The second semester will build on the first course by introducing additional tools focusing on causal interpretation. Techniques include natural experiments, randomized control trials, and quasi-experimental methods (including difference-in-difference, regression discontinuity, panel data techniques). Similar to the first semester and in addition to our core content, each week students will read an article utilizing a quantitative policy analysis method to understand the approach and critique the model assumptions. Homework assignments will put theory into practice and teach students coding skills using STATA.
This course will focus on regression analysis as a quantitative tool to assess the effectiveness and impacts of policy. Topics will include Ordinary Least Squares, Hypothesis Testing, Logistic Regressions, Instrumental Variables, and Time Series Methods, as well as specification choice, regression diagnostics, and robustness testing. In addition to the core content, each week students will read an article utilizing a quantitative policy analysis method to understand the approach and critique the model assumptions. Homework assignments will put theory into practice and teach students coding skills using STATA and/or R.
Please note these courses are sequenced and should be completed in the following order:
- PA 504 & 552 (both fall courses)
- PA 553 & 555 (both spring courses)
- PA 554 (fall course)
Please note that the following sample plan is based on full-time enrollment and courses listed are according to the semesters in which they are typically taught to aid in planning. However, course availability is subject to change at departmental discretion.
Elective Courses (15 units)
Explore specialized courses designed to deepen your expertise and broaden your impact in different areas of public policy. All courses listed are 3 units each.
PA 506: Bureaucracy, Politics, and Policy
Explore how federal agencies influence the creation of policies.
PA 507: Conflict Management in the Public Sector
Available Fall 2025!Equip yourself with essential skills in conflict management resolution including negotiation, arbitration, mediation, and litigation.
PA 512: Local Government
Available Spring 2026!The examination of counties and municipalities, focusing particularly on local governments within the Western United States.
PA 513: Government, Business, and the Nonprofit Sector
Discuss the consequences of third-party management of public services, and develop skills in contracting, monitoring and measuring performance.
PA 520: Advocacy Strategies & Community Participation
Available Summer 2025!Equip yourself with strategies for engaging citizens and consumers of social and human services in policy advocacy and community decision-making.
PA 521: Sustainable & Equitable Water Management (currently named Utility Management)
Available Spring 2026!Learn theoretical insights and practical applications regarding the fundamentals of water sustainability and utility management within local government.
PA 572: Digital Research in Politics and Policy
This course emphasizes the remarkable work emerging in politics and policy due to recent technological advancements, and encompasses a wide range of applications, from health and defense to environmental and agricultural policy.
PA 581: Environmental Policy
Discover the role of government in the management of energy, natural resources and the environment, as well as the process and policy alternatives with special attention to the Southwest.
PA 597M: Public and Nonprofit Management Information Systems
Available Fall 2025!An introduction for future public and nonprofit managers to gain the techniques and critical-thinking skill necessary for managing organizations in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
PA 597W: Grantwriting
Available Fall 2025!Understand the elements of program development, fundraising, nonprofit management, funding research, proposal design, and the process involved in developing a successful funding proposal.
PA 620A: Collaborative Governance in Theory, Practice, and Research (online)
Available Fall 2025!Explore how government, nonprofits, and communities work together to tackle complex issues—blending theory, real-world case studies, and practical tools you can apply right away.
PA 622A: Institutional Design and Learning in Collaborative Governance (online)
Available Spring 2026!Gain an in-depth analysis of institutions involved in collaborative governance, focusing on key areas of structure, processes, innovation, and performance.
Please note that courses may not be offered every semester or academic year, and additional pre-approved courses can be found in D2L/Brightspace upon enrollment in the program.
Capstone Project/Course (3 units)
The MPP capstone project is an opportunity for students to showcase what they have mastered in the program. The project is a solo research project based on a policy matter of interest to the student. The project plan typically includes an overall project hypothesis, master's competencies addressed by the project, design implementation, evaluation assessment and milestones. The project contributes to the development and enforcement of the student's knowledge and skill sets in the field of public policy.
Please note the capstone course is available as a spring only course and should be one of the final courses to complete in the program.
Enrollment requirements:
- Students should be in good academic standing for capstone enrollment.
- 6 of 8 core courses should be completed prior to enrollment in the capstone course.
- PA 555 must be completed prior to enrollment in capstone.
- Students MUST submit a Master's Plan of Study in GradPath and have it approved by all reviewers prior to enrollment in Capstone Course. See the Graduation Checklist webpage for additional details.