HUBERT H. HUMPHREY
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Maria Hanratty, Concentration Head
Humphrey Center, Room 251
hanra003@umn.edu
612-625-6500
ADVANCED POLICY ANALYSIS METHODS
2011-2012 Concentration Information
The concentration in Advanced Policy Analysis Methods builds on the core courses in policy analysis
and quantitative methods. Policy analysis is systematic, structured thinking about policy problems. It
involves the production of knowledge and information in and of the policy process. Methods and
tools addressed include problem structuring, monitoring, formal deductive modeling, statistical
inference, forecasting, simulation and evaluation. The concentration in Advanced Policy Analysis
Methods allows students to focus on mastery of additional policy analysis tools or methods or on the
application of a specific policy analytic method to a subject matter area. The focus of interest could
be on health, labor, education, the environment, racial and ethnic disparities, agriculture or other
relevant areas.
Past experience suggests that there is a strong market for people with advanced policy analysis skills
at all levels of government and in the private and non-profit sectors. Graduates with policy analysis
skills and interests currently work at offices ranging from the federal Office of Management and
Budget, the Government Accountability Office, and the Congressional Budget Office to policy
analysis and planning units within state and local governments.
Concentrations must include a minimum of 9 credits of Advanced Policy Analysis coursework;
these 9 credits may NOT include core courses
Core Courses Required for MPP students with an Advanced Policy Analysis Methods
concentration:
PA 5032
Intermediate Regression Analysis
(2 cr)
AND
PA 5033
PA 5035
Multivariate Techniques (2 cr)
OR
Survey Research and Data Collection (1.5 cr)
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Select elective courses from among the following (to bring total concentration credits to 9 or
more)*
PA
5041 Qualitative Methods for Policy Analysis
PA
5271 Geographic Information Systems: Applications in Planning & Policy Analysis
PA
5301 Population Methods and Issues for the United States and Third World
PA
5311 Program Evaluation
PA
5421 Racial Inequality and Public Policy
PA
5431 Public Policies on Work and Pay
PA
5722 Environmental and Resource Economics Policy
PA
8312 Analysis of Discrimination
PA
8390 Advanced Topics in Advanced Policy Analysis Methods
APEC 5031 Methods of Economic Data Analysis
APEC 5151 Applied Microeconomics: Firm and Household
APEC 5341 Public Finance
APEC 5511 Labor Economics
APEC 5611 Economic Aspects of Environmental Management
APEC 5651 Economics of Natural Resource and Environmental Policy
APEC 8203 Applied Welfare Economics and Public Policy
APEC 8205 Applied Game Theory
APEC 8211 Econometric Analysis I
APEC 8212 Econometric Analysis II
APEC 8401 Consumer Behavior and Policy
APEC 8402 Information and Behavioral Economics
APEC 8403 Demand Analysis and Household Economics
APEC 8404 Labor Economics and Human Capital
APEC 8602 Economics of the Environment
ECON 5151 Elements of Economic Analysis: Firm and Household
ECON 5890 Economics of the Health-Care System
EDPA 5501 Principles and Methods of Evaluation
EDPA 5521 Cost & Economic Analysis in Educational Evaluation
EPSY 5243 Principles and Methods of Evaluation
GEOG 5561 Principles of Geographic Information Science
GIS
5571 Introduction to Arc Info.
GIS
5573 Desktop Mapping
HRIR 5054 Public Policy and Employee Benefits: Social Safety Nets
HRIR 8051 Compensation and Benefits
HRIR 8052 Compensation Theory and Applications
HRIR 8053 Employer-Sponsored Employee Benefit Programs
POL 8124 Game Theory
POL 8125 Dynamic Analysis
POL 8126 Qualitative Methods
POL 8131 Advanced Methods and Models
PUBH 6035 Applied Research Methods
PUBH 6112 Risk Analysis: Application to Risk Based Decision Making
PUBH 6113 Public Policy and Risk: Strategies for Effective Decisions and Discourse
PUBH 6717 Decision Making Under Uncertainty
PUBH 6724 The Health Care System and Public Health
PUBH 6832 Economics of the Health Care System
SOC 8201 Social Stratification and Mobility
SOC 8801 Sociological Research Methods
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SOC 8811 Advanced Social Statistics
STAT 5302 Applied Regression Analysis
STAT 5303 Designing Experiments
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* Not all courses on this list are offered every year. Some courses may have prerequisites. Students may
select other courses for this concentration, subject to approval by the concentration head. Students who
include coursework not listed on this handout as part of the Advanced Policy Analysis concentration should
attach a Concentration Exception Request form to the Degree Program form, both of which are submitted to
Humphrey Graduate Student Services (225 HHH) in the student’s second to last semester.
Affiliated Faculty
Maria Hanratty, associate professor
Judy Temple, professor
Stephen Hoenack, professor
Morris Kleiner, professor
Deborah Levison, associate professor
Samuel L. Myers, Jr., professor
Ph.D. in Applied Economics
The advanced policy analysis concentration also serves as a field within the Applied Economics
Ph.D. Program. For more information see:
http://www.apec.umn.edu/GradProg.html
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