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The University of Texas at Dallas
Graduate Admissions

Masters in Public Policy (MPP) Course Descriptions

Graduate Courses:  This is not a comprehensive list of all possible courses.  It includes only those courses specifically noted in the Program Definition.  For additional courses please see the course offerings in Political Economy, Political Science, Economics, Political Economy and Public Affairs.

PSCI 5306 The American Legal System and the Practice of Law (3 semester hours)  The American legal system will be examined through seminar presentations by speakers experienced in judging and in legal practice. (3-0) Y
PSCI 5307 Legal Reasoning and Writing (3 semester hours)
The process of reaching legal decisions by relying on precedent, history, policy concerns, and tradition will be studied.  Additionally, techniques for researching and citing case law and statures will be examined. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6300 Proseminar in Democratization, Globalization, and International Relations (3 semester hours) Studies major theories of democracy, democratization and globalization, relationships between democratization and globalization, and their implications for citizen politics, government performance, and regime legitimacy. (3-0) Y
CRIM 6300 Proseminar in Criminology.
(3 semester hours) 
Introduction to graduate study in criminology through exposure to issues surrounding concepts of crime, criminals and societal response. Students learn to examine critically the theoretical, methodological and policy issues in criminology and criminal justice. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6301 Constitutional Law (3 semester hours
This class addresses the evolution of the American Constitution.  The course will examine major constitutional concepts that are important to an understanding of American Government.  Additionally, major interpretations of the Constitution and the role of courts in the American legal system will be explored. (3-0) Y
POEC 6301 Political-Economic Theories (3 semester hours) A critical analysis of theories of politics and economy.
Focuses on such thinkers as Smith, Marx, and Keynes, and on bodies of theory about political and economic systems. Explores the controversies that have shaped the development of political economy and their implications for interdisciplinary policy analysis. (3-0) Y
CRIM 6305 Law and Social Control. (3 semester hours)   Addresses the legal and theoretical basis of social control and the use of criminal sanctions to deter and punish criminal conduct. Students will learn to critically assess alternative punishment and sentencing models. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6305 Workshop in Constitutional Law Studies (3 semester hours) Students will undertake a major research topic on a law-related matter which will develop skills in legal research and writing, quantitative research, or field research. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6306 Human Rights and International Law (3 semester hours)
This course explores international agreements and their effects on individual rights in a variety of contexts such as international conflicts, civil wars, and oppressive political regimes. (3-0) R
PSCI 6307
Proseminar in Decision Making and Public Management (3 semester hours) Examines current scholarship on decisions made by public managers and associated efforts to calculate and examine the relative risks involved with the outcomes of management decisions. Considers management decisions that are internal to organizations, such as human resource decisions, and external decisions such as environmental management. Examines the mathematics and science of risk management.(3-0) Y
CRIM 6309 Communities and Crime (3 semester hours) Examines the trends and sources of crime and social disorder across communities. The course emphasizes relationships among crime, fear of crime, neighborhood change, neighborhood responses to crime, and public policies.
(3-0) R
CRIM 6310 Delinquency and Juvenile Justice (3 semester hours) Examines youth crime, child victimization, and juvenile justice.
Students learn the processes by which specific behaviors are identified as delinquent, the historical evolution of juvenile justice, and current policies and practices. (3-0) R
CRIM 6311 Crime and Justice Policy.
(3 semester hours)  An introduction to crime and the efforts to control crime through public policy. (3-0) Y
POEC 6312 (SOC 6312) Social-Economic Theories (3 semester hours) A critical analysis of theories of society and economy.
These include class, culture, solidarity, rational choice, transaction cost theory, principal agent theory, ideology and hegemony, network theory, collective action, bureaucracy, and American exceptionalism. (3-0) Y
POEC 6323 (PA 6313 and PSCI 6313) Public Policymaking and Institutions (3 semester hours) Surveys the major institutions associated with policymaking, including Congress, the Presidency, the bureaucracy, and interest groups. These institutions are studied by linking them to the decision-making theories of organizations, social choice and incrementalism. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6314 Policy Processes, Implementation and Evaluation (3 semester hours) Applies models of the policy system to the analysis of legislative, administrative and judicial processes at different points in the policy cycle.
Uses case studies, empirical analysis, direct observation, and group projects. Prerequisite: PSCI 5303 or consent of instructor. (3-0) Y
CRIM 6314 Policing (3 semester hours) Provides historical, social and political analysis of the roles and functions of policing in America . (3-0) R
CRIM 6315 Violent Crime (3 semester hours)
Examines the sources and patterns of violent offending across time and space. Topics include conceptions and typologies of violent crimes and offenders, victim-offender relationships, and efforts to predict and control violent offending. (3-0) R
EPPS 6310 Research Design I (3 semester hours) This course is the first in a two-course sequence devoted to the research enterprise and the study of data development strategies and techniques to facilitate effective statistical analysis. Topics generally covered include: (1) issues and techniques in social science research with emphasis on philosophy of science, theory testing, and hypothesis formulation; (2) measurement and data collection strategies, reliability and validity of measures and results, sampling, surveys; and (3) examination of qualitative versus quantitative research techniques, working with observational data, field research issues, and triangulation. (3-0) Y
EPPS 6313 Introduction to Quantitative Methods (3 semester hours) This introductory graduate-level statistics course is geared to the consumption of statistical methods commonly used in social science research. Topics include creating and interpreting graphical and tabular summaries of data, descriptive statistics, basic probability theory, sampling distributions, basic hypothesis testing (t-tests, chi-square tests, and analysis of variance), estimation of population parameters, confidence intervals and correlation. An introduction to regression analysis will also be provided. Topics are supported by computer-supported data analyses. (3 semester hours) (3-0) Y
EPPS 6316 Applied Regression (3 semester hours) This course provides a survey of the bivariate and multiple regression models estimated using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), with an emphasis on using regression models to test social and economic hypotheses. This application-focused course presents examples drawn from economics, political science, public policy and sociology, introduces the basic concepts and interpretation of regression models, and basic methods of inference.  Topics are supported by computer-supported data analyses. Prerequisite: EPPS 6313. (3-0) Y
CRIM 6322 Crime Prevention (3 semester hours) Examines situational, social, and legislative approaches to the prevention of crime and delinquency.
Emphasis on theories, protective factors, implementation and consequences of these approaches. (3-0) R
PSCI 6324 Local and State Government and Politics (3 semester hours) Examines public policy institutions and processes at the local and state levels in the United States , with particular attention to developments in the Dallas-
Forth Worth Metroplex and the State of Texas . Addresses issues of policy convergence, divergence, and representation. (3-0) R
PSCI 6325 Decision Theory (3 semester hours)
Explores the development of decision-making models and theories across organizational and institutional environments. Includes details analysis of decision making under conditions of certainty, risk and uncertainty. (3-0) T
PSCI 6331 Executives, Legislatures and Public Policy (3 semester hours) An investigation of the role played by executives and legislatures in shaping public policy in the United States . (3-0) T
PSCI 6333 Political and Civic Organizations (3 semester hours) An institutional perspective on political parties, interest groups, and other organizations such as labor unions and non-profit organizations that are important actors in political and civic affairs.  The emphasis is on internal operations of organizations, their strategic behavior, and interactions with government, including both regulation by the state and attempts to influence public decision makers. (3-0) T
PSCI 6336 (PA 6336) Bureaucracy and Public Policy (3 semester hours) Examination of processes involved in arriving at administrative decisions within the structure of the regime.
Reciprocal ties of influence and control between official organizations and other public and private organizational actors, as well as organizational dynamics such as communication, power, and decision making in administrative agencies. (3-0) T
EPPS 6342 Research Design II (3 semester hours) This course is the second in a two-course sequence devoted to the study of data development strategies and techniques to facilitate effective statistical analysis. Topics generally covered include: the logic of causal inquiry and inference in the Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, the elaboration paradigm and model specification, anticipating and handling threats to internal validity, hierarchies of design structure (experimental, quasi-experimental and non-experimental): linking design structure to effect estimation strategies and analyzing design elements in published literature. Students will be required to select a research topic in consultation with the instructor and prepare a written comparative design analysis. EPPS 6310, EPPS 6316 or equivalents recommended.  (3-0) Y
EPPS 6346 Qualitative Research Methods (3 semester hours) this course provides an overview of qualitative research in the Economic, Political and Policy Sciences. Students will investigate the assumptions underlying qualitative research approaches and critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of such approaches. Possible topics may include participant observation, ethnographic interviewing, ethnomethodology, conversation analysis, case study, and the analysis of historical documents. (3-0) T
CRIM 6348 Drugs and Crime (3 semester hours) This course provides students with a survey of the historical context of the legislative initiatives that have been attempted to combat the use of drugs, the relationship between drug use/abuse and crime, and the public policy problems surrounding the control of drugs.
(3-0) R
PA 6351 Introduction to Homeland Security (3 semester hours) This course provides a comprehensive overview of the structure of Homeland Security, its origins and developing trends and challenges. Selected material from Congress, FEMA, Department of Justice, local, state, and other government and non-government agencies will be studied. Examines both historical and contemporary Homeland Defense and Security issues. (3-0) Y
EPPS 6352 Evaluation Research Methods in the Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (3 semester hours) A review of research methods used in program evaluation, with an emphasis on public and non-profit social programs. Issues to be addressed include research design, appropriate performance standards, measurement and selection of indicators, sampling, data collection, and data analysis. (3-0) T
POEC 6361 (PSCI 6361) Political Violence and Terrorism (3 semester hours)
In this discussion-based seminar, we will cover the topics of terrorism, political violence, and civil war.  We will examine concepts, causes, and consequences of different types of political violence.  Additionally, we will discuss topics relevant to research, including discussions of different approaches (quantitative, qualitative, and formal) and a perusal of different data sources.  We will take advantage of literature from multiple disciplines. (3-0) T
POEC 6363 (PSCI 6363) Conflict and Development (3 semester hours)
This module will explore the nexus between violent intrastate conflict and development. It will examine some of the key conceptual frameworks advanced to understand conflict and will explore specific themes which have preoccupied researchers and policy practitioners in recent years. In addition to assessing the economic costs of the conflicts, this course will also examine the traditional factors that have been purported to explain the prevalence of insurgency. (3-0) T
POEC 6366 International Economics (3 semester hours)
The course focuses on international trade theory and the ongoing process of regional integration in the Americas , with particular emphasis on the North American Free Trade Agreement. (3-0) T
POEC 6367 Topical Issues in Conflict and Conflict Resolution   (3 semester hours)
This course will examine in detail three recent international or ethnic conflicts and the national and international efforts to resolve the conflicts and/or mitigate their effects.  The course will examine theories of conflict including ethnic conflict and just war theory.  It will examine the historical sources of the conflicts, the regional and international dimensions, the precipitating causes and the intensification of the conflicts.  Examples of conflicts that could be used include: the former Yugoslavia , India/Pakistan, Iraq and Kuwait , North Korea , Israel/Palestine and Sudan . (3-0) T
POEC 6369 National and International Security Strategies and Policies (3 semester hours)
With the end of the decades long Cold War, the U.S. has become the world's only superpower.  But the problem of national and international security continue to be a dominant concern of national and international political and economic life, just as it has been for more than sixty years.  Many nations continue to maintain high levels of military expenditure as a mainstay of their security policy.  Yet, there has been a profound change in the nature of the threats to security since the Cold War. Some, like the threat of intentional full-scale global nuclear war, have receded. Others, like the threat posed by nuclear proliferation and the terrorism of mass destruction, have increased. From acute hot spots to longer term questions of restructuring power and security arrangements in a post Cold War world, understanding the deeper issues of national and international security is critical to understanding what lies behind the headlines -- and what strategies are likely to be effective in achieving real security.  Topics include: the nature and meaning of security; security and military force; terrorism, accidents and accidental war; nuclear proliferation; the international arms trade; the experience of war; the economics of security policy; social and psychological factors; strategies for achieving security by nonmilitary means. (3-0) T
PA 6371 Pre-emptive Strategies and Tactics (3 semester hours) Provides a comprehensive study of formulating pre-emptive strategies and tactics related to terrorist attacks and certain man-made disasters, such as a chemical plant explosions. This course is a field-based application. Explores current published pre-emptive strategies and tactics, means and methods for improving current plans and explores new pre-emptive strategies and tactics driven by new intelligence assessments. (3-0) Y
PA 6380 (SOC 6380) Non-Profit Organizations (3 semester hours) This course examines issues related to the rise, scope, development and impact of non-profit organizations. The course explores both the unique missions of non-profit organizations and the management challenges posed by this expanding sector of the organizational environment.  (3-0) T
PA 6381 (SOC 6381) Non-profit Management (3 semester hours) This course examines issues, strategies, and techniques related to executive leadership and management in non-profit organizations.  (3-0) R
POEC 6V47 (PA 6V47) Policy Research Workshop in Health Care Policy (3-9 semester hours) Students join a faculty member in a group research project.
(May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 6 hours.) ([3-9]-0) T
POEC 6V62 Policy Research Workshop in Social Policy (3-9 semester hours) Students join a faculty member in a group research project.
(May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 6 hours.)  ([3-9]-0) T
POEC 6V76 Policy Research Workshop in Development Studies (3-9 semester hours) Students join a faculty member in a group research project. Topics vary from semester to semester.
(May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 6 hours.)  ([3-9]-0) T
EPPS 7304 Cost-Benefit Analysis (3 semester hours) Examines methods for measuring costs and benefits of public projects and policies, and the application of cost-benefit analysis to areas such as economic development, water resources, recreation, transportation, regulation, and the environment. (3-0) T
PA 7308 Social Networks and Intelligence Led Policing (3 semester hours) Provides a comprehensive study of concepts and methods for adopting intelligence as a foundation of law enforcement business operations for sound decision-making. Exploiting social networks is a primary means for preventing terrorism and crime. The course explores how intelligence led policing depends on creating strong community social networks to enhance policing of criminal networks. (3-0) Y
PA 7309 Protecting Critical Resources and Infrastructure (3 semester hours) Includes a comprehensive study of the current plans and policies in place for protecting critical resources and infrastructure, both public and private. The class will consist of a thorough review of the current literature pertaining to critical infrastructure protection policies, methods, plans, and identify new technology driven critical infrastructures. (3-0) Y 
POEC 7317 Economics for Public Policy (3 semester hours) Economics for Public Policy is a doctoral-level course designed to introduce students to the use of economic methods of the analysis of public policy. While the primary theoretical framework for the course is microeconomics, the course also includes macroeconomics. A variety of public policy topics is covered in the course such as education and education reform, employment and the labor market, taxes and redistribution, health and health care, poverty and inequality, and public assistance programs. A central theme in the course is the role of the government.  (3-0) Y
POEC 7318 (PA 7318) Ethics, Culture and Public Responsibility (3 semester hours) This course provides a general consideration of traditions of ethical thought, the interactions between personal behavior and cultural groups/norms, and the implementation of public responsibility. Topics to be considered shall include tensions between personal and collective goals, the nature and limits of tolerance, and the role of institutions such as the family, government, business, churches and interest groups.(3-0)Y
POEC 7320 (PSCI 7320) International Negotiations (3 semester hours) Examines both the substance and the process of international negotiations. Students study the theory and analysis of negotiations and identify issues, interests and positions of the parties. The course covers the substantive areas of arms control, trade, and environmental negotiations. The course moves from the analysis of simple, bilateral negotiations with only a few issues in contention to complex multilateral negotiations. (3-0) R
POEC 7321 Seminar on Business and Government (3 semester hours) Examines the interactions between markets and the state from a comparative and public policy perspective. Special emphasis will be placed on issues involving industry regulation/deregulation, antitrust/competition, innovation/industrial policy, infrastructure investment, intellectual property, social regulation, and global trade/investment. (3-0) Y
POEC 7323 (ECON 6343) Economic Regulation of Business (3 semester hours) Studies the rationale for, and the history and political-economic results of, government intervention in markets in the form of (1) direct regulation of prices, quantity, entry and exit, and product quality in industries (utility, communication, and transportation), and (2) indirect intervention through antitrust laws and the regulation of advertising. Government deregulation and changes in antitrust institutions also are explored. Prerequisite: ECON 5321 or ECON 5301 or POEC 5307. (3-0) T
EPPS 7370 Time Series Analysis (3 semester hours) The course considers several important topics in applied time series analysis including the specification and testing Box-Jenkins transfer function/intervention models. Other topics include pooled cross-sectional time series models, VAR, the LSE Approach, unit-roots, cointegration, error correction models, encompassing and exogeneity tests, and ARFIMA models. Students also learn how to use programs such as Eviews and RATS. (3-0) R
POEC 8V01 Independent Study (1-9 semester hours) Provides faculty supervision for student’s individual study of a topic agreed upon by the student and the faculty supervisor. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. (May be repeated for credit.) ([1-9]-0) R

Last Updated: August 26, 2010