Master of Professional Studies in Community Development Practice

at Kaplan Group - Arizona State University - Downtown Phoenix Campus USA

The BS program in criminology and criminal justice is for students who want to understand the causes of crime, the role of criminal justice agencies in the control of crime and the consequences of crime.

Students learn sociological, psychological, biological and economic explanations for individual crime as well as differences in crime across neighborhoods, states, countries and over time. They also learn about the history, legal issues and current practices of crime control via police agencies, the court system, prisons, probation and parole.

These topics are delivered by top-ranking research faculty who offer students hands-on research opportunities and by experienced criminal justice professionals with intimate knowledge of the daily realities of crime and criminals. Students are encouraged to take advantage of internship opportunities in more than 200 agencies, study abroad programs and flexible course scheduling offered in-person, online and across multiple campuses.

The BA program in community development equips students with tools to collaborate with, empower and educate diverse community constituents by drawing on grassroots and inclusive frameworks such as sustainable development, social and environmental justice, participatory democracy, social and economic equity and social accounting.

The School of Public Affairs offers a BS in public service and public policy with a concentration in nonprofit leadership and management.

The role of nonprofit organizations continues to grow and presents broad policy implications for future public sector professionals. This program empowers students to understand the unique aspect of the social, political, economic and philanthropic factors related to the nonprofit sector.

The School of Public Affairs offers a concentration in health policy as part of the BS program in public service and public policy. This program allows students to build a course of study that focuses on the health care industry. This sector continues to be a major part of the U.S. and world economy.

The concentration in health policy provides students who have an interest in policy to focus on health-related issues and their policy implications. The courses in the concentration are offered by the College of Health Solutions and the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.

Learn to understand complex public problems and develop and implement innovative policy solutions. Through coursework and real-world projects, you can gain the analytic skills required for addressing society's most challenging problems.

The MPP program equips students with the analytical tools they need in order to understand and address public policy issues. Students also develop skills in managing the process of policy development, approval, implementation and evaluation, as well as gain policy-specific knowledge on issues such as poverty, education, the environment and public safety.

Social services delivery is a fundamental building block of government affairs. Through this concentration, students explore the foundation and practices of social services and how social services can be designed, delivered and evaluated at local, state and federal levels.

The MS program in physical activity and health offers a unique opportunity for advanced training with options to focus on exercise science, fitness and conditioning, or physical activity and health promotion alongside faculty who are immersed in the latest research.

This program prepares students to translate and apply evidence-based exercise science, fitness and lifestyle behavior change approaches to improve health and well-being and prevent chronic disease across the lifespan. It also prepares students to design fitness and conditioning programs for athletes.

Students in the program develop competencies in research design, statistical methods and the ethical conduct of research studies and they have the opportunity to conduct a mentored research project as part of a thesis, if desired. They also learn to apply theoretical models of behavior change for the development and implementation of interventions to facilitate the adoption and maintenance of physical activity and other health and wellness behaviors. Students develop and demonstrate their knowledge of the causes, risks factors and impact of exercise, physical activity and fitness on the disease process in cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, cancer, musculoskeletal health and functional fitness through a critical examination of epidemiological research and exercise intervention studies.

The School of Public Affairs offers a BS in public service and public policy with a concentration in parks and recreation management.

Leisure and quality of life are an essential part of U.S. society. This program provides students a transdisciplinary education in the management of parks, protected areas and community-based recreation services.

Understanding the intersections between business and politics is more important than ever for managers and executives in the private, nonprofit and public sectors. The World Economic Forum's latest Future of Jobs Report and McKinsey Global Institute's Jobs of the Future report both have suggested that transdisciplinary, virtual collaboration and cross-cultural competence are extremely important job skills for the near future. Thunderbird's MGM program with a concentration in global affairs equips students with the knowledge base and hard skills needed to thrive in the growing job markets at the nexus of global business and international politics.

This concentration is designed for students who aspire to take on management and executive positions in government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Commerce, the State Department and the Treasury Department or similar roles in the government of a student's home country. The global affairs concentration also positions graduates for leadership roles in international organizations such as the World Bank or World Trade Organization and in major companies that require analysts to monitor policy trends, managers to oversee global supply chains and representatives to advance global business interests to governments, both domestic and foreign.

Through the BS degree program in nonprofit leadership and management, students are empowered to become successful professionals who work to advance the quality of life in communities.

The nonprofit sector in the United States is unique in form and function. This sector includes institutions and individuals situated between government, public, business and commerce sectors. With more than 1.6 million organizations in the U.S., the sector employs more people than the finance, insurance and real estate industries combined. Philanthropy (voluntary action for the public good) is a hallmark of the nonprofit sector as individuals give their time, money and know-how to causes about which they care.