School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences
As we begin the 21st century, the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences is strategically positioned to offer leadership in addressing society's most pressing concerns. Our mission is simple: develop scholars and practitioners who love to learn, individuals who can integrate knowledge and analyze sophisticated problems, and who are committed to advancing the search for truth and justice. Our domain is broad: risk management, economic performance, terrorism, voter behavior, health care, democratization, social inequality, international trade, and conflict resolution only hint at the wide variety of specific topics that must be addressed by informed social scientists. Our approach is comprehensive: strong disciplinary foundations, a dynamic interdisciplinary environment, and a striving to achieve a synthesis of theory-based knowledge and practical experience through internships, workshops, and seminars.
The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences awards master's degrees in Applied Sociology, Criminology, Economics, Geospatial Information Sciences (jointly with the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics), International Political Economy, Justice Administration and Leadership, Political Science, Public Affairs, and Public Policy; and PhD's in Criminology, Economics, Geospatial Information Sciences (jointly with the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics), Political Science, Public Affairs, and Public Policy and Political Economy. Each degree program offers a rigorous foundation with enough flexibility to specialize and earn additional certification in city planning, crime and justice analysis, economic and demographic data analysis, evaluation research, geographic information systems, geospatial intelligence, local government management, nonprofit management, and remote sensing. These certificate programs are available to degree-seeking as well as non-degree students seeking highly focused curricula that can benefit their professional development. We invite you to explore our programs, scrutinize our faculty, examine our resources, and, then, to join us as we prepare to face our future.
Degrees Offered
Faculty
Professors: Daniel G. Arce , Abraham Benavides , Kurt J. Beron , Brian J. L. Berry , Denise Paquette Boots , Patrick T. Brandt , Thomas L. Brunell , Yongwan Chun , Paul Diehl , Euel W. Elliott , Daniel A. Griffith , Edward J. Harpham , Jennifer S. Holmes , Bruce A. Jacobs , Dohyeong Kim , Dong Li , Robert C. Lowry , Clint W. Peinhardt , Fang Qiu , Meghna Sabharwal , Richard K. Scotch , Sheryl L. Skaggs , Marianne C. Stewart , Donggyu Sul , Robert W. Taylor , Bhavani Thuraisingham , Lynne M. Vieraitis , John L. Worrall , May Yuan
Associate Professors: Rodney Andrews , Jonas Bunte , Anthony R. Cummings , Simon M. Fass , Seth Giertz , Evgenia Gorina , James R. Harrington , Tomislav Kovandzic , Sarah Maxwell , Susan Williams McElroy , Banks P. Miller , Darwin (Trey) Miller , Irina Panovska , Kevin Siqueira , Michael Tiefelsdorf , Victor Valcarcel
Assistant Professors: Anne Burton , Rebecca Cordell , Brenda Gambol Gavigan , Thomas Gray , Michelle Harris , Jonas Hedlund , Andrew Krajewski , Yeung Jeom Lee , Maria (Camila) Morales , Allison Russell , Lauren Santoro , Elizabeth Searing
Clinical Professors: John R. McCaskill , Elmer Polk
Visiting Assistant Professor: Amanda Kreuze
Professors Emeriti: Brian J. L. Berry , Ronald Briggs , Anthony M. Champagne , Lloyd J. Dumas , Donald A. Hicks , L. Douglas Kiel , Murray J. Leaf , Todd Sandler
Associate Professor of Instruction: Karl K. Ho
Assistant Professor of Instruction: Galen Dickey-Laprocido
Objectives
There is increasing awareness of the impact that rapid technological, economic, and social change is having on society. The graduate programs in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences are designed to prepare students for careers in the rapidly evolving public, private and nonprofit sectors by developing expertise in areas such as policy analysis, economic decision making, and public management. Our PhD Programs are also designed to prepare students for careers in both teaching and research. Each graduate program is discussed in more detail.
Facilities
Students have access to the computing facilities in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the University's computer labs. The school has its own teaching laboratories. The University's computer labs also provide personal computers and UNIX workstations for student use. Databases, a computerized geographic information system, and Westlaw, a legal research system, are also available for student research. Doctoral students have opportunities to participate in research programs directed by members of the faculty.
Further details are available in respective sections.
Admission Requirements
The University's general admission requirements are discussed on the Graduate Admission page.
All programs require applicants to have a baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher education, GRE or GMAT scores, transcripts, and letters of recommendation. Specific additional requirements are discussed for each program in their respective sections.
Prerequisites
The details for each program are discussed in their respective sections. Students may be required to take courses to prepare them for coursework.
Research
The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences offers graduate degrees in twelve master's programs and six PhD programs. These programs represent a wide range of both disciplinary as well as interdisciplinary courses for students. Our master's degree offerings include MS degrees in Applied Sociology, Criminology, Economics, Geospatial Information Sciences, International Political Economy, Master of Public Affairs, and the Master of Public Policy degrees. The PhD programs include programs of study in Criminology, Economics, Geospatial Information Sciences, Political Science, Public Affairs, and Public Policy and Political Economy. The Economics and Political Science programs offer innovative courses of study in these disciplinary areas. The PhD in Public Policy and Political Economy combines rigorous methodological training with a strong substantive focus in different policy areas. The school also offers non-degree certificate programs in Economic and Demographic Data Analysis, Geographic Information Sciences (GIS), Geospatial Intelligence (GeoInt), Local Government Management, Nonprofit Management, Program Evaluation, and Remote Sensing.