Public Policy

All students are required to take the core curriculum, consisting of microeconomics, statistics, political institutions, policy implementation, and organizational management. These provide a broadly based foundation in social/policy analysis together with relevant quantitative, analytical, managerial, and organizational methods. The first seven of the core courses are normally taken in the first year.

Students take a minimum of three four-unit courses per quarter for a total of 80 units, including eight core courses, eight elective courses, a three-quarter seminar for the Applied Policy Project, and an internship course. Normally all 80 units must be graduate and professional courses (200 and 400 series). However, students also may take a maximum of two 596 courses (eight units total) and/or one upper division course (four units total) when similar course content is not offered at the graduate level. In such instances, the 596 units may apply toward the entire graduate course requirement for the degree and the one upper division course (four units) reduces the amount of graduate course work required to 76 units.

Public Policy core courses are sometimes waived with the instructor's consent if the students can demonstrate mastery of the material through satisfactory completion of previous course work that covered similar concepts and content. Students receiving a waiver are still expected to complete the unit equivalent of the waived course via an elective.

Public Policy, M.P.P./Law, J.D.

Students who pursue the concurrent degree program with the School of Law complete the eight core courses, elective courses, an internship course, and the three-quarter seminar for the Applied Policy Project for total of 68 units. The remaining 12 units of course requirements are fulfilled through law courses taken for the J.D. program and are applied toward the M.P.P. degree.

During the first year, students follow the required law curriculum, taking 33 units. The second year is spent in the M.P.P. program taking 36 units toward the M.P.P. degree. During the third and fourth years, students take the remaining 32 units of the M.P.P. curriculum and 40 units of law courses to complete the J.D. degree.

Public Policy, M.P.P./M.B.A.

Students who pursue the concurrent degree program with the John E. Anderson School of Management complete the eight core courses, elective courses, an internship course, and the three-quarter seminar for the Applied Policy Project for a total of 68 units. The remaining 12 units of course requirements are fulfilled through Management courses taken for the M.B.A. program and are applied toward the M.P.P. degree.

Public Policy, M.P.P./M.D.

Students who pursue the concurrent degree program with the School of Medicine complete the eight core courses, elective courses, and the three-course seminar for the Applied Policy Project for a total of 68 units. The remaining 12 units of course requirements are fulfilled through courses taken for their M.D. program and are applied toward the M.P.P. degree.

Public Policy, M.P.P./M.P.H.

Students who pursue the concurrent degree program with the School of Public Health (Department of Health Policy and Management) complete the eight core courses, elective courses, an internship course, and the three-quarter seminar for the Applied Policy Project for a total of 68 units in Public Policy and 56 units in Health Policy and Management. The remaining 12 units of course requirements are fulfilled through Public Health courses taken for the M.P.H. program and are applied toward the M.P.P. degree.

Public Policy, M.P.P./M.S.W.

Students who pursue the concurrent degree program with the Department of Social Welfare complete the eight core courses, an internship course, elective courses, and the three-quarter seminar for the Applied Policy Project for a total of 68 units. The remaining 12 units of course requirements are fulfilled through Social Welfare courses taken for the M.S.W. program and are applied toward the M.P.P. degree.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

400 hours of field training in an approved policy setting are required and generally completed between the first and second years of the program. However some students may complete fieldwork hours during the academic year. Students enroll in four units of internship course work via PUB PLC 496 either during the quarter or at the conclusion of their internship. In addition to serving in the internship, the course work includes professional development sessions directly related to their field experience. Students who have substantial professional experience or have a position to which they will be returning after graduation may petition to waive the internship requirement. The request must be submitted by the end of spring quarter of the first year of the M.P.P. program. Students receiving a waiver are still expected to complete the unit equivalent of the waived course via an elective.

Capstone Plan

This requirement is met by completion of an Applied Policy Project (APP) during the three-quarter policy seminar, which builds on the core courses, internship experience, and elective courses. The department provides a 33-page Handbook which outlines the scope, process, logistics, and grading of the Applied Policy Project. The Handbook is updated annually based on student and faculty feedback about the previous year’s experience. In the APP process, students conduct a detailed investigation of a real-world policy question with an external client. They learn to frame the problem in a wider social context and in terms of the greater public good. Students are encouraged to grapple with the challenges of policy implementation in the midst of competing and often conflicting social, political, economic and practical interests. The final Applied Policy Project is graded by the team of faculty advisers and is presented orally in front of the Department faculty and the student body. The Applied Policy Project is certified complete by the faculty APP advisers. Each year there are three to four sections of this seminar course, each taught by a separate faculty adviser who collectively comprise the evaluation team. Course grades for individual students may vary based on peer review and instructor evaluation of each student’s contribution to the final Applied Policy Project. A student or team who do not meet the minimum standard of policy analysis will need to continue working on the project until such time as the project meets the minimum professional standards of analysis and policy making.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

From graduate admission to award of the degree, normal progress is six quarters. Maximum time allowable from enrollment to graduation, including leaves of absence, is three years (9 quarters).

MAXIMUM TTD

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree, and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A faculty counseling board is established for every student whose grade point average is below 3.00 for any quarter or who fails to make satisfactory progress toward the degree. The board is responsible for reviewing the student's record, aiding the student in raising academic performance to meet minimum standards, and recommending termination if minimum standards are not met. Recommendation for termination may also be made, even if the academic work is satisfactory, if the student fails to demonstrate in course work, internship, or professional relations the standards essential to responsible and ethical practice of public policy analysis.

UCLA is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and by numerous special agencies. Information regarding the University's accreditation may be obtained from the Office of Academic Planning and Budget, 2107 Murphy Hall.