Overview

The Maryland School of Public Policy provides students with program areas in environmental policy; international security and economic policy; social policy; and management, finance and leadership. These program areas cover relevant issues that are being confronted in today's society, and, as such, students are better prepared to tackle the responsibilities and challenges that await them in the professional world of policymaking.

Environmental Policy Program

Expanding human activities around the globe cause environmental problems that threaten human health, our economies and ecosystems. Many environmental policies have been effective; others have not. As problems proliferate, it will become increasingly important to find effective solutions that promote sustainable social, economic and environmental conditions. These solutions require us to understand and properly address the complexity of human activities, and their ramifications, from local to global scales, and for the short to the long run. Training talented individuals to analyze, design and implement polices that promote desirable environmental, social and economic outcomes are part of the Environmental Policy program's mission. Summary Detailed Overview

International Development

The development specialization focuses on the empirical, policy, and ethical dimensions of development. By “development” we mean beneficial economic, political, and social change, especially in poor countries. The specialization includes a focus on the nexus between international economic and international security trends, with a particular focus on the role of poverty and inequality in mediating those relationships. During the course of the specialization, students acquire the tools and skills required to accurately measure the effects of interventions on development outcomes, as well as to navigate the often acrimonious debates about the effects of globalization-related trends on developing countries and poor people within them. Detailed Overview

International Security and Economic Policy Program

In the post-September 11 world, security is foremost in the public mind. But progress towards this goal requires analysis and action on multiples fronts. National and international safeguards against nuclear, chemical and biological weapons must be strengthened without thwarting the enormous potential that science offers for improvement of human life. Borders must be secured from dangerous persons and materials without impeding the constructive flows of people and goods so essential to 21st century prosperity and dynamism. International regimes must be built to meet the challenges of globalization in security and trade and the environment, yet these regimes must allow room for emerging nations to democratize and enhance their welfare. The International Security and Economic Policy Program is a response to these current imperatives. Summary Detailed Overview

Management, Finance and Leadership

This specialization prepares future leaders and the individuals who will assume major management responsibilities at the local, state and federal level. Leadership and management are needed now more than ever. The public demand for excellence in the management of public resources has never been stronger. Virtually every level of government faces unprecedented pressure for improved accountability while striving to provide high levels of service at low cost. This growing challenge requires a keen understanding of complex financial mechanisms, management and leadership theories and practices and the ability of the government to work with private and nonprofit sectors. Summary Detailed Overview

Social Policy Program

“Social policy” embraces a broad range of programs, controversies, methodologies and strategies concerned with serving and shaping individuals, families and communities. Institutionally and intellectually complex, social policy regularly challenges policymakers and analysts who face high public expectations, competing value judgments, and inadequate or contested data. Target populations include the most vulnerable and challenged segments of society. Welfare reform and the No Child Left Behind Act are recent examples of major policy shifts that make this such an exciting field for policy analysis and management. Summary Detailed Overview

For PhD Students Only