Public Policy Certificate

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This graduate certificate program provides students with a foundation in public policy analysis. It is designed to provide expertise in public policy to individuals who do not want to pursue the Master of Public Policy degree. Potential students include those who are pursuing another degree and want to complement that work with a specialization in public policy, as well as qualified students holding a bachelor’s degree who have not matriculated at USC. The certificate develops policy analytic skills and their integration with a policy issue area of interest to the student.

Applicants for the Certificate in Public Policy who have not matriculated at USC must make a formal application for admission to the certificate program, provide transcripts of all college work, a resume and one letter of recommendation.

The program consists of 16 units of graduate course work.

Core Courses (12 Units)

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

Elective Course (4 units)

Students choose one PPD or PPDE elective course. It can be a course managed by the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program or a course that is part of the MPP’s “Analytic Elective” options. Refer to the MPP catalogue listing for the list of PPD and PPDE “Analytic Elective” options Analytic Elective List . The MPP program administrator can provide guidance on other courses that are managed by the MPP program. Course substitutions for off-campus programs may be approved by the MPP director.

Additional Information

Students in the Master of Public Policy, Master of Science in Public Policy Data Science, and Master of International Public Policy and Management programs are not eligible to pursue the Public Policy Certificate.