Quantitative Analysis for Public Policy
PPOL 4300
This course will provide the MMP student with the tools of mathematical analysis needed for the advanced study of public policy issues and evaluation of alternatives. Topics will include descriptive statistics, probability, sampling, estimation, inference and hypothesis testing, variable analysis and correlation, regression theory, reliability and validity, and prediction and simulation. Students needing review of college-level algebra will be referred to appropriate tutorials. The overall learning objective of this course is to help students recognize and apply basic statistical concepts to Public Policy and, more in general, Social Science analysis. Students will learn how to use statistical software to: build datasets, describe data in a visual and analytical fashion, perform statistical tests, and construct basic statistical inference models. Students will also learn how to report their analytical findings for Public Policy analysis.