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Concentrations
In-depth knowledge of a policy arena allows managers and analysts to move confidently into the work force while robust skill-sets help them handle whatever challenges the job presents.
Specialized knowledge, continued professional development and applied skills are a primary focus of the second year. The MPA Curriculum requires all students to take at least 15 points (about 5 courses) in a Concentration, but allows students to take as many as 27 points (about 9 courses) if doing so would further their career objectives.
The MPA Program organizes in-depth study of policy areas and skill sets into four major concentration areas
Management
This concentration is intended for students interested in general management and operations in the public and non-profit sectors. It helps prepare students to be leaders in the public and increasingly in the private sector, developing skills in decision making by focusing on the fundamental skills of operating complex organizations in a changing environment. There is also a focus on building skills in governance, the organization of nonprofit organizations, strategic planning and program development. For those interested in the public or the private sector on issues of public financial markets and budgets, there is a focus on knowledge and skills in the areas of accounting, financial management, economics, and capital markets.
Typical careers for concentrators in Management include: running line agencies in local, state and federal government; managing non-profit organizations (either domestic or international); working in bond rating agencies or the public sector capital markets; and working in public sector groups of management consulting firms.
Typical courses taken include Decision Models, Operations Management, Non-profit Management, Budgeting (Public Sector), Budgeting (Non-profit Sector), Accounting, Economics of Finance, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Law for Non-profit Managers, Ethical Dilemmas in Public Policy, Implementation and the Urban Policy Process, among many others.
Advanced Policy Analysis
This concentration is intended for students who desire expertise in policy analysis and its core skills of economic analysis, data analysis, and program evaluation. The remarkable resources of Columbia University, including its world-class social science departments and full array of top-ranked professional schools, afford students extraordinary opportunities in this area.
Typical careers for concentrators in Advanced Policy Analysis include program evaluation, planning, and research positions in the public, non-profit, and private sectors, both domestically (at the federal, state, and local levels), and internationally, economic analysts at both private and public institutions to name a few .
Typical courses include Cost- Benefit Analysis, Macroeconomic Policy, Public Economics, Gender Economics, Advanced Quantitative Analysis, Time Series Analysis, and Program Evaluation.
Social Policy
This concentration is intended for students whose interests in policy include those issues that affect social welfare in the areas of health, education, employment, race and ethnicity, gender, immigration and immigrant incorporation.
Coursework is diverse and draws from offerings at many of the University professional schools and graduate divisions including Social Work, Public Health, Teacher's College and the Departments of Political Science, Sociology and Economics.
Urban Policy
This concentration is intended for students whose interests in policy are among the major issues facing urban development. These include city management, urban planning, housing, urban education and international urban education.
Coursework is diverse and draws from offerings at many of the University professional schools and graduate divisions including Urban Planning at the School of Architecture, Social Work, Teacher's College, and the Departments of History, Political Science, Sociology and Economics.