Public Policy 2009/2010
Public policy is a highly disciplined, evidence-based approach to the analysis and solution of contemporary issues, such as fiscal policy, entitlement reform, health care, national security, regulation, education and immigration.
The graduate program in public policy offers a master of public policy (MPP) and provides you with the opportunity to analyze, create and articulate innovative policies responsive to the most challenging issues facing this nation, while respecting and supporting your passion to serve responsibly.
CAREER ADVANCEMENT
MPP graduates enjoy exciting careers as public policy professionals—running government agencies, leading nonprofit organizations, serving as consultants to corporations or political campaigns, or developing a perspective for a client with a legislative or regulatory agenda. The MPP program will provide you with the analytical and critical thinking skills you need, plus the professional contacts that will open the door to career success.
FACULTY EXPERTISE
Faculty members in the MPP program are academics, policy experts, legal scholars, and former and current elected officials. Our instructors represent a wide range of policy expertise, including political history, economics, health policy, regulatory policy, lobbying, education policy, constitutional law and quantitative analysis.
FLEXIBILITY
Most MPP classes are offered in the evenings and on some weekends, allowing you to gain real-life public policy experience during the day through full-time employment or policy internships. In addition, our flexible dual-degree program gives you the opportunity to enhance your future career by combining your MPP with several other relevant graduate degrees.
OPPORTUNITY
The DU campus is located just minutes from downtown Denver, a regional hub for major corporations, financial institutions, law firms, nonprofit organizations, think tanks, and more government offices than any other U.S. city outside of Washington, D.C.
Institute for Public Policy Studies
Mary Reed Building 107
2199 S. University Blvd.
Denver, CO 80208
303-871-2468 / ipps@du.edu
www.du.edu/ipps
Mary Reed Building 107
2199 S. University Blvd.
Denver, CO 80208
303-871-2468 / ipps@du.edu
www.du.edu/ipps
Scholarship and Financial Aid
Financial Aid Guidelines
The first step in qualifying for financial aid is to complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
After application files are complete and after applicants have been interviewed, each prospective student will be carefully considered for need-based and merit-based funds. The Institute for Public Policy Studies awards the scholarships and grants listed below.
Scholarships and Grants
Gov. Richard D. Lamm Scholarships -- $40,000
Gov. Richard D. Lamm Scholarships are awarded on a merit-basis to applicants who demonstrate a passionate interest in current public policy problems and offer unique solutions. Students may be awarded Lamm Scholarships of up to $10,000. The Lamm Scholarship Fund was created by the Institute for Public Policy Studies’ co-director and the former three-term Colorado governor, Richard D. Lamm. No additional application is required.
Kuehl Family Scholarships -- $25,000
The Kuehl Family Scholarships were created in 2001 by Jan Nurnberger to honor the University of Denver’s role in the undergraduate public policy education of her granddaughter, Sarah Kuehl. Today, Ms. Kuehl (BA in public policy, University of Denver; MPP, Harvard) is a senior policy analyst for the U.S. Senate Budget Committee specializing in Social Security, community and regional development, and transportation. In Spring 2003, Ms. Kuehl taught a Great Issues Forum on Social Security and entitlements with Gov. Lamm. Kuehl Scholarships generally range from $2,500–$5,000 and no additional application essay is required. Scholarships are awarded on a merit-basis and all applicants who meet the February 15 deadline are considered.
Dean's Scholarships -- $45,000
Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences dean, Anne McCall, has made the Dean’s Scholarships possible. Dean’s Scholarships are merit-based and generally awarded for $2,500 - $7,500. All applicants who meet the February 15 deadline are considered.
Graduate Research Assistantship Tuition Waivers & Stipends --$30,000
The Institute for Public Policy Studies employs 2-4 MPP students to work with faculty on research projects. Assistantship awards include tuition waivers credited directly to a student’s tuition bill and stipends in the form of a salary. Assistantship awards range from $7,500 to $15,000. All applicants who meet the February 15 deadline and make note in their application packet (e.g., cover letter and resume) that they wish to be interviewed for this type of award will be considered.
Graduate Work Study Awards -- $5,000
Graduate Work Study Awards are granted to students who demonstrate financial need on the FAFSA, meet the February 15 deadline, and indicate interest in this type of aid. Awards range from $2,500 to $5,000.
Colorado Graduate Grants -- $20,000
Colorado Graduate Grants of up to $5,000 are awarded to Colorado residents with high need. All applicants who meet the February 15 deadline, have Colorado residency status, and file the FAFSA will be considered.
Application Requirements and Deadlines
| Program | Degrees Offered | Number of Credits | Full Time/Part Time | Tests Required—Min. Scores |
| Public Policy | Master of Public Policy (MPP) | 60 | FT/PT |
GRE — varies (LSAT or GMAT may be considered in select cases) TOEFL — 88/570(IBT/PBT) IELTS - 6.0 |
Additional Requirements:
- Online application
- $60 application fee
- official transcripts
- three letters of recommendation
- a personal statement of professional objectives
Application Deadlines:
- Fall quarter (Sept.–Nov.) - July 15
- Fall quarter financial aid deadline - Feb. 15
- Winter quarter (Jan.–Mar.) - Nov. 15
PREREQUITES:
completed BA or BS degree from an accredited university
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
For complete international applicant information, please visit the Office of Graduate Studies Web site. International applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a complete admission packet at least six weeks prior to the program’s application deadline.
GRADUATE RECORD EXAM (GRE)
Applicants must request that Educational Testing Services forward results to the University of Denver, Office of Graduate Admission. The institution code for the University of Denver is R4842. For information concerning GRE registration please visit www.gre.org or contact:
Graduate Record Examination
Educational Testing Service
P. O. Box 6000
Princeton, NJ 08541-6000
609-771-7670
Applicants should take the entrance exam well in advance of their intended application date. Please allow at least 14 business days for your general test scores and six weeks for your subject test scores to be received. Several departments and schools will not process applications until scores have been received. Entrance exam scores older than five years from the date of the application may not be acceptable for admission.
APPLICATION FEES
There is a $60 nonrefundable application fee, which covers the cost of processing application materials. The application fee may be paid online with a credit card at the time of application submission. Otherwise, the application fee may be paid on a bank draft or personal check drawn on a U.S. bank and submitted by mail to the address listed below. Applications will not be considered for admission until this fee is paid. No waivers or deferrals are allowed with the exception of McNair and CORE scholars. A letter of verification needs to be sent to verify participation in the scholar programs.
TRANSCRIPTS
Applicants are required to submit one official transcript from each post-secondary institution they have attended, or are presently attending, where two quarter hours (or one semester hour) or more were completed. This includes transcripts for credit earned as transfer work, study abroad and college credit earned in high school.
An official transcript must include the original signature of the registrar and/or the seal of the issuing institution, and must be enclosed in an envelope with the stamp or signature of the registrar across the sealed flap. Proof of a bachelor's and master's degree (if applicable) is required from a regionally accredited college or university.
Applications will not be forwarded to the department for review until official transcripts have been received.
All credentials submitted become property of the University of Denver and cannot be copied or returned to the student or any person(s).
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Three (3) letters of recommendation are required. Letters of recommendation should be written by professors if you are a recent college graduate. If you have been out of school for some time, you may have the letters written by supervisors or others who can speak to your academic potential.
Letter of recommendation requests are sent to your recommender via email within one business day of the submission of your online application. You will be asked to provide names and email addresses of individuals who will be writing your recommendations. Please ensure you have accurate email addresses for your recommenders prior to submitting your application.
We suggest you let your recommender know the recommendation request will be coming from the University of Denver in advance. This will allow him/her to send a letter electronically and meet the application deadline if applicable. Instructions for an evaluation form will be included in the email for those departments with such requirements.
ESSAY
Your personal statement (application essay) should be two to three pages in length, preferably double-spaced. Address your reasons for wanting to earn an MPP degree, what you could contribute intellectually to the program, your special interests and specific purpose for applying to the University of Denver.
The Essay/Personal Statement can be uploaded and attached to your online application before submission.
MAILING ADDRESS
Mail transcripts and any additional items to:
University of Denver
Office of Graduate Studies
Mary Reed Building, Room 5
2199 S. University Blvd.
Denver, CO 80208-4802
Degree Requirements
The dual-degree or flexible dual-degree programs give you the opportunity to enhance your future career by combining your MPP with several other relevant graduate degrees. The MPP program offers a formal dual degree with the Sturm College of Law and many other flexible dual degree options with the Daniels College of Business, Graduate School of Social Work, Conflict Resolution Institute, School of Communication and the Joseph Korbel School of International Studies, among others.
Degree Requirements
The master of public policy (MPP) is a two-year, 60-quarter-hour program. Students must complete:
- 60 quarter-hours of MPP-approved credits with a GPA of 3.0 or higher
- 7 core courses (28 hours)
- 6 Great Issues Forums (12 hours)
- Policy Memorandum Research Credit (4 hours)
- electives (16 hours)
- optional internship (up to 5 hours)
- optional independent study (up to 5 hours)
CORE COURSE REQUIREMENTS
- PPOL 4100 The American Public Policy System
- PPOL 4400 Analytical and Critical Skills
- PPOL 4600 Regulatory Policy
- PPOL 4700 Public Management and Budgeting
- PPOL 4200 Microeconomics for Public Policy Analysis (Quantitative Series 1/3)
- PPOL 4300 Quantitative Methods for Public Policy Analysis (Quantitative Series 2/3)
- PPOL 4500 Cost-Benefit Analysis (Quantitative Series 3/3)
COURSES IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS
Students may earn elective credits from other DU departments if approved by the director in advance.
GREAT ISSUES FORUMS
The Great Issues Forums are a series of policy seminars focused on the nation's most important current issues. The Graduate Program in Public Policy offers five of these two-day, full-day courses every year for 2 quarter hours of credit each. Students must complete six forums (12 hours) to earn the MPP. The topics of these seminars rotate frequently, as expertise and events warrant, and are an integral part of the MPP program. (See course descriptions for a list of previous forums.)
POLICY MEMORANDUM
As the capstone project of the MPP experience, the Policy Memorandum integrates the knowledge and skills learned in and outside the classroom. The Policy Memorandum provides an opportunity to experience firsthand the type of practical and professional work often required of a policy analyst. Students identify and define a real-world policy issue; analyze the issue by conducting research, gathering data and interviewing professionals with opposing views; analyze the costs and benefits of the issue; and recommend courses of action.
Course Descriptions
PPOL 4100 The American Public Policy System
This course establishes a solid foundation for subsequent study of public policy by focusing on three specific foundational areas: (1) an intensive examination of the inputs of the policy process, including problem definition, social values, governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, legislation and regulations, and events; (2) an assessment of a variety of policymaking models; and (3) a survey of the modern history of American public policy. 4 qtr. hrs. each.
PPOL 4400 Analytical and Critical Skills
Provides the tools to analyze competing (and often ideological) points of view using empirical techniques and statistical inference as a key to creating better public policy based on evidence. Case studies are drawn from the current legislative and regulatory environment and provide opportunities to construct a course of action based on the use of logically consistent arguments and on the persuasive use of facts and empirical data. 4 qtr. hrs. each.
PPOL 4600 Regulatory Policy
This course opens with a brief exploration of the economic, jurisprudential and constitutional foundations of regulatory policy and the administrative process. Key topics include regulation by legislation versus regulation by agency action; agency rule making; agency adjudication; and deregulation. Emphasis is placed on the competing roles of government and nongovernmental stakeholders. Students complete a cost-benefit analysis of the administrative performance at an independent federal regulatory agency. 4 qtr. hrs. each.
PPOL 4700 Public Management and Budgeting
This course provides an in-depth look at public management and budgeting, including strategic planning for outcomes and policy objectives; budget construction and methodologies, such as line item budgeting, zero-based budgeting, program budgeting and performance budgeting; principles of structural balance, including revenues, expenditures, funds and proper reserves; and managing with flexibility, competition and accountability.
The course also focuses on the intervening role of taxpayer initiatives, transparency, lobbying, media and politics. At the end of the course, students propose and defend a budget before a panel of budget experts selected from state and local government. 4 qtr. hrs. each.
PPOL 4200 Microeconomics for Public Policy Analysis (Quantitative Series 1/3)
Economics is about choice, and microeconomic theory begins with how consumers and producers make choices. Economic agents interact in markets, so the courses examine the role markets play in allocating resources. Theories of perfect and imperfect competition are studied, emphasizing the relationship between market structure and market performance. This is a course aimed at developing an understanding of microeconomics models. It focuses on how economists use theory to explain and predict the effects of public policy on individuals and market equilibrium, with application to current policy examples. 4 qtr. hrs. each.
PPOL 4300 Quantitative Methods for Public Policy Analysis (Quantitative Series 2/3)
The objective of this course is to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to categorize, describe, analyze and interpret data that can inform public policy decision making and contribute to our understanding of the impact of public policies. This course emphasizes the application of statistical concepts and methodologies to the analysis of social issues in public policy, including the limitations of quantitative methods in generating answers to social policy questions. 4 qtr. hrs. each.
PPOL 4500 Cost-Benefit Analysis (Quantitative Series 3/3)
The aim of this course is to build on the quantitative tools acquired in the previous two quantitative courses (microeconomics and quantitative methods) by using them to do real policy analysis. This course enables the student to balance the qualitative and quantitative aspects of policy analysis and to utilize the cost-benefit approach to recommend a course of action. 4 qtr. hrs. each.
Great Issues Forum Descriptions
The Ballot Initiative Process
Instructor: Alexis Senger (chief legislative analyst, Joint Budget Committee, Colorado General Assembly).
The ballot initiative process has been called the “unexamined arena of power politics.” In Colorado, it has been used to hold down homeowners’ property taxes (Gallagher Amendment); increase state spending requirements for K–12 education (Amendment 23); limit state government revenues (Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights); and place term limits on elected officials. This forum examined the initiative process from both theoretical and practical perspectives using case studies and explored the question, “What happens when direct democracy converges with representative democracy?” 2 qtr. hrs.
Education Policy
Instructor: Peter C. Groff (president, Colorado State Senate; executive director, DU Center for African American Policy).
This forum featured discussion of education funding, state-mandated standards, school vouchers and Colorado Amendment 23. The forum included presentations by a diverse group of policy professionals, including representatives of the Colorado Children’s Campaign, Colorado League of Charter Schools, Colorado Department of Education, Colorado Education Association and Colorado Association of School Boards. 2 qtr. hrs.
Entitlements: The Public Policy of Medicare and Social Security Reform
Instructors: Richard D. Lamm (Colorado governor, 1975–1987) and Sarah Kuehl (senior analyst, U.S. Senate Budget Committee).
This forum was an in-depth examination of the fiscal challenges of an aging America, focusing largely on Social Security and Medicare programs. Topics included important demographic trends, the budget implications of an aging society, various reform proposals and the role of interest groups in the debate. 2 qtr. hrs.
Faith and Public Policy
Instructor: Peter Groff (president, Colorado State Senate and Executive Director of the Center for African American Policy).
This forum left students with a clearer understanding of the role faith plays and has played in policy, the impact of faith in creating current policy and the role faith will play in the 2008 elections. 2 qtr. hrs.
Foundations of American Government
Instructor: Andrew Busch (professor, Government Department, Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, Calif.).
Foundations of American Government was an overview of the founding personalities, principles and documents of the United States. This forum was a guide to the foundations of American government and a key to understanding modern public policy. 2 qtr. hrs.
Imagine a Great City: The Public Policy of Great Cities
Instructor: Peter C. Groff (president, Colorado State Senate; executive director, Center for African American Policy).
Imagine a Great City provided students with an understanding of the creation of public policy for a major American city. Using Denver as a case study, the forum looked at how cities develop; social class; race, ethnicity and gender; housing; education; crime; and the impact of the suburbs on a city’s public policy. The forum featured presentations by two former Denver mayors, Federico Peña (managing director, Vestar Capital Partners; U.S. Secretary of Transportation, 1993–1997; U.S. Secretary of Energy, 1997–1998) and Wellington E. Webb (president, Webb Group International). 2 qtr. hrs.
Immigration Policy
Instructor: Richard D. Lamm (Colorado governor, 1975–1987).
This forum examined the history of American immigration policy and the contemporary pressures for reform. Important topics included questions of assimilation and the interpretations of what it means to be an American; history of U.S. immigration law starting with the “Great Wave” of immigration in the 1880s; changes in immigration policy in the 1920s and 1960s; and policy reasons both for immigration and for limiting immigration. 2 qtr. hrs.
Messages and Meaning: Public Relations in the Context of Public Policy
Instructor: Jeffrey Levine (senior vice president of Healthcare Media Relations, Hill & Knowlton, Washington, D.C.).
This forum looked at the use of public relations to advance public policy. Important topics included message development; the symbiotic relationship between news and PR; and the different ways public relations, public affairs and journalism use messaging. 2 qtr. hrs.
National Security
Instructor: Christopher Carr (professor, U.S. Air Force, Air War College, Montgomery, Ala.).
All professions have their own discrete language and cultural mores, but the defense sector is more opaque and separate than most professions. Indeed, secrecy is an inherent element of national security policy. This forum provided a comprehensive analysis of the structure and function of the national security community, as well as an overview of American strategic priorities. 2 qtr. hrs.
Polling and Elections
Instructor: Michael McKenna (MWR Strategies, Washington, D.C.).
During the dramatic mid-term campaign of 2002, Michael McKenna, a Washington, D.C., pollster, presented a forum on the methodology, importance and limitations of polling. This forum concluded with a presentation by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (an IPPS partner organization) of an international Sept. 11-related poll conducted by the GMF and the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations. 2 qtr. hrs.
The Subprime Mortgage Crisis
Instructor: Richard D. Lamm (Colorado governor, 1975–1987).
This forum explored the dimensions of the economic crisis involving policy makers, which involves securitization and its ramifications for the economy in a time of recessionary trends. 2 qtr. hrs.
America’s Unresolved Public Policy Issues
Instructors: Richard D. Lamm (Colorado governor, 1975–1987) and Bill Owens (Colorado governor, 1999–2007).
This forum covered such topics as social security, health care, global warming and terrorism in relation to public policy. 2 qtr. hrs.
For More Information
The Graduate Program in Public Policy Web site offers the most current
information on courses, requirements, faculty and student news. Go to
http://www.du.edu/ipps for more information on the program.
Directors
Gov. Richard D. Lamm
LLB, University of California, Berkeley
co-director, Institute for Public Policy Studies; executive director, Center for Public Policy and Contemporary Issues; Colorado governor (1975–1987)
Richard A. Caldwell
JD, MA, University of Denver
co-director, Institute for Public Policy Studies; director, undergraduate and graduate programs in public policy