Program: Urban Education Policy/Public Policy (PhD/MPP) - University of Southern California

Apr 02, 2025

USC Catalogue 2020-2021

The Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education Policy/Master of Public Policy dual degree offers students interested in careers in Educational Policy rigorous training in education, policy research and analysis. Students emerging with this dual degree will apply in-depth knowledge of policy processes, content and analysis to critical questions of contemporary education policy.

The PhD/MPP requires five calendar years of full-time study. The first academic year is devoted to MPP classes, the second to PhD classes, completion of the MPP practicum in the third year, PhD qualifying exam in the fourth year and the PhD dissertation in the fifth year.

Students can enter this program one of two ways: (1) apply simultaneously to both programs and state their intent to be admitted to the dual degree program; or (2) apply to the PhD during the first semester as an MPP student. If admission is approved by each school, students will be admitted to the dual degree program.

Student must complete 84 units (48 from the PhD in Urban Education Policy and 36 from the Master of Public Policy).

Degree Requirements for the PhD

The PhD in Urban Education Policy, adapted for the dual degree, requires a minimum of 48 units of course work, comprising the following elements: Core Block (16 units), Concentration Block (15 units), Research Block (12 units), and Dissertation Proposal and Dissertation Block (5 units).

Degree Requirements for the MPP

The Master of Public policy, adapted for the dual degree, requires a total of 36 units, as listed below.

PPD 503 Economics for Public Policy Units: 4
PPD 554 Foundations of Policy Analysis Units: 4
PPD 555 Public Policy Formulation and Implementation Units: 4
PPD 558 Multivariate Statistical Analysis Units: 4
PPD 560 Methods for Policy Analysis Units: 4
PPD 561a Policy Analysis Practicum Units: 1
PPD 561b Policy Analysis Practicum Units: 3
PPDE 668 Applied Econometrics for Program Evaluation Units: 4

Electives

Students in the dual degree program will complete 8 units of analytic electives.

COMM 650 Survey Construction and Validation Units: 4
PPD 542 Policy and Program Evaluation Units: 4
PPD 587 Risk Analysis Units: 4
PPD 647 Finance of the Public Sector Units: 4
PPDE 636 Urban Spatial Ethnography and Critical Cartography Units: 4
PPDE 660 Environmental Policy Design and Analysis Units: 4
PPDE 661 Methods for Equity Analysis Units: 4
PPDE 665 Economic Impact Analysis: Methods and Applications Units: 2 *
SSCI 581 Concepts for Spatial Thinking Units: 4
*Students who select PPDE 665 will take an additional 2 units of electives in consultation with the adviser.

Additional Requirements

Program Adaptation

Students in the dual degree are not required to take the 4-unit management elective or the 12-unit specialization elective requirement from the MPP program. The management electives normally taken in the standalone MPP are not an appropriate fit for students pursuing this dual degree and their probable career paths. Instead they are required to take PPDE 668 and 8 units of analytic course work/electives, and because they will specialize in educational policy, they will obtain the relevant expertise through the Rossier course work.

Students also do not take the 12-unit Cognate Block and 3 units of the 15-unit Research Block from the PhD program because the scope of these block requirements are interdisciplinary in nature or research-oriented, and as such are naturally suited to combine with the MPP.

Students work with their adviser to make the best selection of elective course work to align with their educational and career goals.