Master of Public Policy / Master of Urban Planning | USC Price

Oct 14, 2024

The USC Price Master of Public Policy / Master of Urban Planning dual degree program gives students the opportunity to develop advanced analytic and design skills with which to effectively address issues facing urban communities. The MPP/MUP dual degree program enables qualified students to earn the MPP and MUP in three years.

The MPP program requires a foundational background in statistics for all students. Incoming MPP students must complete three prerequisites: a college-level statistics course and two pre-semester program labs.

All entering MPP students are required to demonstrate proficiency in foundational statistical methods. Thestatistics prerequisite can be satisfied in one of two ways:

Completion of a college-level statistics or econometrics course with a grade of “B” or better within three yearsof matriculation. At minimum, prior coursework must have included essential topics in descriptive andinferential statistics such as measures of central tendency and precision, confidence intervals, and hypothesistesting. If relevant statistical coursework was completed more than three years prior, a waiver may begranted based on the level of statistical training completed and the degree to which currency with thismaterial was maintained through subsequent professional use.

If a student has not completed a college-level statistics course with a grade of “B” or better within three years of matriculation, they will need to complete a summer course prior to starting the MPP program. USC offers PPD 504 Essential Statistics for Public Management each summer; a grade of “C” or better in PPD 504 is sufficient to satisfy the statistics prerequisite. Students may also choose to satisfy the requirement by taking a summer course at another institution. The course must be for a grade and earn a grade of “B” or better.

The Professional Fundamentals and Statistics/STATA Labs provide an introduction to the program, acclimate students to skills that will be further developed in their first-semester courses, and help to create a genuine camaraderie within the first year student cohort. Entering MPP students are required to participate in the Statistics/S TATA Lab as well as the Professional Fundamentals Lab. The labs meet the week before the start of the fall semester. The Professional Fundamentals lab will lead directly into PPD 554 Foundations for Policy Analysis, while the Statistics/STATA lab will provide initial exposure to the statistical software that will be utilized extensively in PPD 558 Multivariate Statistical Analysis.

Statistics/STATA Lab topics include:

Professional Fundamentals Lab topics include:

Throughout the program, MPP and MPPDS students are invited to attend labs which are designed to introduce various professional skills and topics considered fundamental to public policy analysis. Labs are available to attend iThroughout the program, MPP and MPPDS students are invited to attend labs which are designed to introduce various professional skills and topics considered fundamental to public policy analysis. Labs are available to attend in-person and also recorded to enable online viewing.

Prior lab series topics include:

The Master of Public Policy/Master of Urban Planning dual degree requires 72 units of graduate work, with 40 public policy units and 32 urban planning units. The public policy units include 20 units of core courses, the 4-unit Policy Analysis Practicum, and 16 additional elective units divided between analytic and policy elective areas.

*Students are not permitted to simultaneously enroll in PPD 561a or PPD 561b and PPD 629)

Students choose two policy-related electives from among those courses managed by the MPP Program. The MPP program administrator can provide guidance on these courses. Note that a given course cannot count as both an Analytic Elective and a Public Policy Elective.

Students choose one of the six available concentrations in the MUP program: Arts and Culture, Design of the Built Environment, Environmental Planning and Analysis, Housing and Real Estate Development, Economic Development and Mobility and Transportation Planning. Students are required to complete the concentration gateway and methodology requirements (8 units) specific to their selected concentration of study.

Master of Urban Planning Concentration Options

Additional Requirements InternshipMPP/MUP dual degree students, like all Master of Urban Planning (MUP) students, must fulfill the internship requirement.