Apr 19, 2024  
2017-2018 Graduate Catalog 
    
2017-2018 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Public Policy (PUBL)


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Graduate Programs


SUSAN STERETT, Director
TIM BRENNAN, Graduate Program Director

Degrees Offered

M.P.P., Ph.D. (Degree Types )

Faculty

Professors

ADLER, MARINA A., Ph.D. (Sociology and Anthropology), University of Maryland, College Park; Social science methodology and statistics, cross-national gender, work and family issues, the welfare state and social policy in international perspective.
BAKER, MATTHEW, Ph.D. (GES),  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; watershed ecology, riparian ecosystems, ecosystem/landscape ecology, watershed hydrology and biogeochemistry. 
BISSELL, RICHARD Ph.D. Emergency Health Services), University of Denver;
Emergency Public Health, Disaster Epidemiology, Emergency Management, EMS Research. 
BOEHLING, REBECCA, Ph.D. (History), University of Wisconsin, Madison; Holocaust, post-World War II Germany and German-American relations.
BRENNAN, TIMOTHY J., Ph.D. (Public Policy and Economics), University of Wisconsin, Madison; Anti-trust regulation, electricity markets, telecommunications and broadcast policy, copyright, philosophy of economics.
CARPENTER, ROBERT, Ph.D. (Economics), Washington University; Macroeconomics, monetary economics, industrial organization, theory of the firm.
COATES, DENNIS, Ph.D. (Economics), University of Maryland, College Park; Public economics, econometrics.
ECKERT, J. KEVIN, Ph.D. (Sociology and Anthropology), Northwestern University; Environmental gerontology, medical anthropology, aging services management and delivery, residential care/long-term care quality, qualitative research.
ELLIS, ERLE C., Ph.D. (GES), Cornell University; global ecology, landscape ecology, biogeochemistry, land-use change and sustainable land management.
FARROW, SCOTT, Ph.D. (Economics), Washington State University; Industrial organization, environmental economics and risk analysis.
GINDLING, T. H. JR., Ph.D. (Economics), Cornell University; Economic development.
HERRING, CEDRIC, Ph.D. (Language, Literacy and Culture), University of Michigan; Workplace diversity, race and public policy, stratification and inequality.
JOHNSON, ARTHUR T., Ph.D. (Political Science), State University of New York, Buffalo; Public administration, personnel, housing policy, sports policy.
LAMDIN, DOUGLAS, Ph.D. (Economics), University of Maryland, College Park; Corporate finance, managerial economics.
MATON, KENNETH I., Ph.D. (Psychology), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Minority student achievement, empowering community settings, strengths-based psychology research and policy, community psychology of religion.
MEYERS, ROY T., Ph.D. (Political Science), University of Michigan; American politics, budgeting, public administration and policy.
MILLER, NANCY A., Ph.D. (Public Policy), University of Chicago; Health policy, health care financing, health care evaluation.
MITCH, DAVID, Ph.D. (Economics), University of Chicago; American and European economic history.
RUBINSTEIN, ROBERT L., Ph.D. (Sociology and Anthropology), Bryn Mawr College; Cultural and medical anthropology, anthropology of aging, gerontology, gender, qualitative research methods.
SALKEVER, DAVID S., Ph.D. (Public Policy), Harvard University; Health economics, economics of mental health, disability studies, economics and behavior of nonprofit organizations.
SCHAFFER, EUGENE C., Ed.D. (Education), Temple University; International education, classroom interaction, school reform, school effectiveness, schools of high-reliability, and the study of students placed at-risk.
SCHALLER, THOMAS F., Ph.D. (Political Science), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; American politics, campaigns, elections, parties, and media politics.
SHORT, JOHN RENNIE, Ph.D. (Public Policy), University of Bristol, UK; Urban issues, globalization and the city, the megalopolis, urban theory, land use planning.
STERETT, SUSAN, Ph.D.. (Public Policy), University of California, Berkeley; law in social welfare, displacement and adaptation to sea level rise, ethics in translational data science
STUART, MARY, SCI.D. (Sociology and Anthropology), The Johns Hopkins University; Public health, health systems research, evaluation.
WALZ, BRUCE WALZ (Emergency Health Services), Ph.D., University of Maryland; Education and EMS.
YEAKLEY, ALAN, Chair (GES), Ph.D., University of Virginia; ecosystem ecology, watershed hydrology, with emphases on urban ecology and riparian ecosystems.

Associate Professors

BENNETT, PAMELA R., Ph.D. (Public Policy) University of Michigan; Sociology of education, residential segregation, racial and ethnic inequality, social stratification.
BIEHLER, DAWN (GES), Ph.D., University of Wisconsin - Madison; historical geography of public health in US cities, environmental justice, urban and feminist political ecology, housing, human-animal interactions. 
DICKSON, LISA, Ph.D. (Economics), University of Texas at Austin; Labor economics, economics of education, econometrics.
FORESTIERE, CAROLYN (Political Science), Ph.D., Emory University; comparative politics, Western Europe, institutions, research methodology.
HUSSEY, LAURA, Ph.D. (Political Science), University of Maryland, College Park; Social welfare and morality policy, public opinion on policy issues, American public policy, politics, and administration.
JENKINS, J. LEE (Emergency Health Services), M.D., The George Washington University School of Medicine; Emergency Public Health and Disaster Health.
KALFOGLOU, ANDREA L., Ph.D. (Sociology and Anthropology), The Johns Hopkins University; Bioethics, public health ethics, reproductive policy and ethics, genetics policy and ethics, research ethics, public engagement in science and policymaking.
KARS, MARJOLEINE, Ph.D. (History), Duke University; United States colonial, Atlantic world, American women’s history.
KING-MEADOWS, TYSON, Ph.D. (Political Science), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Congress, African-American politics, electoral behavior.
LANSING, DAVID (GES), Ph.D., Ohio State University; Rural livelihoods, political ecology, environmental governance, climate change policy
LINCOVE, JANE, Ph.D., (Public Policy) University of Southern California; Economics of education, education policy, international development, equity and efficiency of market-based education reform.
RITSCHEL, DANIEL, Ph.D. (History), Oxford; Great Britain, economic and social policy, historiography.
ROSE, MORGAN, Ph.D. (Economics), Washington University; Applied microeconomics, corporate finance, corporate governance, industrial organization, and financial institutions.
SCHUMACHER, JOHN G., Ph.D. (Sociology and Anthropology), Case Western Reserve University; Medical sociology, physician-patient relations, bioethics, research methods.
VIAUROUX, CHRISTELLE, Ph.D. (Economics), University of Toulouse, France; Theoretical and applied econometrics, structural applied microeconomics, structural applied game theory, microeconomics.
YUAN, CHUNMING, Ph.D. (Economics), UCLA; International economics/finance, financial economics, econometrics.

Assistant Professors

CHAPIN, CHRISTY FORD, Ph.D. (History); University of Virginia; Political, Business, and economic history and capitalism studies.
CURRAN, F. CHRIS, Ph.D., (Public Policy), Vanderbilt; education policy, educational outcomes for underserved and disadvantaged youth, quantitive methods
EDWARDS, LAUREN HAMILTON, Ph.D. (Public Policy), Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University and Georgia Institute of Technology; Public and Nonprofit management, strategic management and performance, and local government management.
HENDERSON, LOREN, Ph.D., (Sociology and Anthropology), University of Illinois; Diversity issues, stratification and inequality, health disparities, and race, class, gender and sexuality.
HOLLAND, MARGARET B. (GES), PhD. University of Wisconsin-Madison; human dimensions of environmental change, land tenure, environmental conservation and resource management, land use dynamics, rural livelihood strategies.
OYEN, MEREDITH, Ph.D. (History), Georgetown University; Sino-American relations, the role of migrants, transnational networks, and nongovernmental organizations in bilateral relations in the twentieth century.
RAKES, CHRISTOPHER, Ph.D. (Education), University of Louisville; Mathematics education, secondary education, mathematics misconceptions, teacher knowledge, research methodology, research quality.
STITES, MICHELE (Education), Ed.D., George Washington University; early childhood, mathematics, special education. 
YE, CHRISTINE, Ph.D. (Economics), University of California-Berkeley; Health economics, public policy, applied econometrics, labor economics.

Professor Emeritus

LaNOUE, GEORGE R., PhD. Yale University (Public Policy and Political Science),education policy, constitutional law and policy (civil rights and First Amendment) public procurement policy.
MANDELL, MARVIN B., Ph.D. (Public Policy), Northwestern University; Program and policy evaluation, evidence-based policymaking.
NORRIS, DONALD F., Ph.D. (Public Policy), University of Virginia; Urban and metropolitan politics, public management, information systems in public organizations (including electronic government).
 

Program Description

The School of Public Policy offers a graduate program designed for highly motivated individuals who wish to pursue advanced studies in public policy and public policy analysis. The program is interdisciplinary, drawing from economics, sociology, political science and the policy analysis field, with an emphasis on the public sector and training in evaluation and analytical methods. In addition to a common core curriculum, students choose a concentration in a specific policy area or social science discipline. The policy concentration options are: evaluation and analytical methods, educational policy, environmental policy, emergency services (Ph.D. only), health policy, public management, and urban policy. Students may also choose from two disciplinary concentrations: economics and policy history (Ph.D. only).

The student body includes full-time and part-time students. Mid-career students are an important component of the program. Nearly all our courses are offered in the evening to permit students who work to pursue their degrees.

The public policy degree prepares students for positions in a variety of fields, including policy analysis, high-level administration, research, consulting and teaching. The curriculum provides students with an understanding of the policymaking process and the forces affecting it. Students are taught the basic tools and concepts for analyzing public policy, including the logic of policy analytic thinking; the ability to comprehend and make use of relevant social science research, theories and concepts; an understanding of research methodology and quantitative and qualitative research techniques; and the appropriate and effective use of these techniques in policy research and analysis.

Program Specialties

The School of Public Policy offers programs jointly with the University of Maryland School of Law leading to both the J.D. /M.P.P. and J.D. /Ph.D. degrees. A comparable J.D. /Ph.D. program also exists with the University of Baltimore School of Law. Students may enter the joint program after enrolling in both UMBC and one of the law schools. Public policy students may enter a law school program no later than upon completion of the second year in the M.P.P. or Ph.D. program, but they are urged to do so following the first year. The University of Maryland School of Law will accept nine credits from the public policy degree toward the J.D. degree for students enrolled in the joint M.P.P. /J.D. The UMBC Graduate School, through the School of Public Policy, will accept up to six credits from the law school toward the M.P.P. degree. The advisor for the joint program at the law school and an advisor designated by the School of Public Policy must approve each student’s schedule.

For the JD/Ph.D. The University of Baltimore School of Law or University of Maryland School of Law will accept nine credits from the public policy Ph.D. degree toward the J.D. degree. The UMBC Graduate School, through the School of Public Policy, will accept up to 18 credits from the law school. However, because of the course requirements for the public policy field examination, it is unlikely that more than 12 to 15 credits from the law school actually will transfer toward the Ph.D. degree.

For the articulated M.P.A./Ph.D., qualified students in the University of Baltimore’s Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program may apply for admission to the Public Policy Ph.D. program while enrolled in the M.P.A. If admitted, they can count certain M.P.A. courses toward the public management concentration of the Ph.D., and likewise take UMBC public policy courses that may transfer back to the University of Baltimore’s M.P.A. program, thus reducing the total number of courses taken at each campus.

Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s in Public Policy

The Accelerated Pathways Program provides a way for UMBC undergraduates with strong academic records to begin taking graduate level courses toward the M.P.P. degree in their senior year. In conjunction with the student’s undergraduate and public policy advisors, a student may be able to apply up to four graduate level courses taken as an undergraduate toward the M.P.P. degree. By taking advantage of this option, a UMBC undergraduate can reduce the time to obtain the M.P.P. UMBC undergraduates interested in enrolling in the Accelerated Pathways Program should apply for admission by the second semester of their sophomore year.

M.A. in Economic Policy Analysis

The School of Public Policy and the Department of Economics offer a joint M.A. in Economic Policy Analysis (ECPA). The course of study combines a multi-disciplinary approach to policy analysis, with a focus on the use of economic tools to analyze policy issues. See the Economic Policy Analysis, M.A. program description contained in this catalog.

Placement Success

Recent graduates hold positions in federal agencies such as Defense, Education, Environmental Protection, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Social Security, Management and Budget, and the National Institutes of Health; state agencies such as Health and Mental Hygiene, Legislative Services and the Maryland Higher Education Commission; county and city governments; nonprofit organizations such as The Associated, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kaiser Family Foundation, and research organizations such as AbtAssociates, Impaq International, Macro International, Optimal Solutions, and Westat.

Other graduates are employed as faculty and administrators in community and four-year colleges and universities, and as hospital administrators and staff of medical associations. Several recent graduates have obtained Presidential Management and Governor’s Policy Fellowships

Program Admission Requirements

Applicants to the School of Public Policy must submit an application and fee, official transcripts of previous academic work, three letters from professors (preferably) or others who can speak to the student’s academic performance and potential for success in graduate school, a statement of goals, a résumé, and scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). International students must also provide scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). All original documents should be sent to the UMBC Graduate School. Admission decisions are based on the student’s undergraduate and graduate academic record, test scores, recommendations from professors, the match between the student’s interests and the program’s curriculum and the likelihood that the student will complete the program successfully. Applicants to the M.P.P. should hold or be nearing completion of a bachelor’s degree. Many successful applicants for the Ph.D. already hold a master’s degree, but applications for the Ph.D. without a master’s degree will be considered.

Consult the website for application deadlines, publicpolicy.umbc.edu.

Candidates for the joint J.D./M.P.P. or J.D./Ph.D. programs, and the articulated M.P.A./Ph.D. with the University of Baltimore must apply for admission to each school separately and meet each school’s admission criteria.

Additional Information

For further information, contact Sally Helms, administrator of academic affairs, School of Public Policy,
1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250. Phone: 410-455-3202; fax: 410-455-1172; e-mail: gradpubpol@umbc.edu

Facilities and Special Resources

The School has its own computer laboratory. Students may have the opportunity to assist in the policy-related research projects of the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research, The Hilltop Institute and the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education. Students also have opportunities to conduct joint research projects with faculty.

 

Financial Assistance

The School of Public Policy provides financial assistance in the form of graduate assistantships. These assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis. Students awarded graduate assistantships must be enrolled full-time. The Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research and The Hilltop Institute also support graduate students through externally funded grants and research projects. In addition, support is available through co-op programs, internships, work-study and other arrangements. Students may also be supported on faculty members’ research grants and contracts.

UMBC also funds returning Peace Corps volunteers for graduate work through the Shriver Peaceworker Fellows Program. Several public policy students enroll annually in this program.

Students seeking to study full time should consult the Graduate School Catalog and the UMBC Office of Financial Aid for details about the variety of other scholarships, grants and loans available. Students who work full time should check with their employers about tuition assistance. Doctoral students are encouraged, but not required, to devote at least two semesters to full-time study. UMBC attempts to finds ways to make that financially possible, including one-semester dissertation fellowships.

Programs

Courses

    Public Policy

    Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Graduate Programs