The Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University announced today the addition of a new Master of Public Affairs (MPA) curriculum. Beginning with the fall 2022 semester, the new curriculum will offer new core graduate courses that address societal changes, including social equity and justice, with a focus on diversity.
“We take our leadership role extremely seriously starting within these halls to ensure that, as we send students out into the world, they not only meet challenges head on but also lead us through them,” said O’Neill School Dean Siân Mooney. “It’s important that this new curriculum ensures our graduates can put knowledge into action through governance, leadership, and innovation in any sector they enter.”
The O’Neill School MPA program is one of the top-ranked public affairs degrees in the U.S. and abroad. And now it’s also one of the most flexible, offering classes in-residence, online, or a hybrid option.
“We are bringing together all of the key elements to enhance the diversity of perspectives and topics across our course offerings,” said MPA Program Director and O’Neill Professor Sanya Carley. “Our new core more prominently features topics of social equity and justice, diversity and equity, and international issues, and equips students with even more professional skills such as project management and data visualization.”
The new curriculum will prepare students for the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. In addition to preparing students to lead in their chosen fields, the core curriculum will expose them to the process of policymaking. These required courses will prepare students to face big issues current to society:
- Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making
- Problem Solving for Effective Decision Making
- Designing and Managing Complex Projects
- Public Management Economics
- Law for Public Affairs
- Leading and Managing Public Affairs
- Policy Process and Institutions
- International Policy and Institutions
- Public Finance and Budgeting
- Social Equity and Justice
- U.S. or Global Capstone
“The O’Neill School is a known leader in public affairs, and we are so proud of that, but we wanted to innovate and do even better,” said Carley. “The right time for transformation is now because the world is changing so much. Our students are the next group of leaders to take on climate change and engage in social justice, among other pressing issues facing societies around the globe. They need to be prepared to respond, and it’s our job to equip them.”
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