Master of Public Policy With Concentration in Urban Policy

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

This concentration is intended for future leaders who want public service skills and experience as part of their global management repertoire and for students seeking roles within public institutions or roles that interact with those institutions, especially on matters where public policy overlaps with business or other global enterprises. The concentration in public administration is designed by Thunderbird's renowned faculty and allows students to take courses in public administration through Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions.

Students earn a broad skill set and solid foundational understanding of public administration, leadership, management and policy analysis in service to the public good. This program prepares students for leadership roles in governmental and nonprofit organizations around the world.

The BA program in journalism and mass communication at ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, widely regarded as one of the nation's premier journalism schools, is a highly professional, hands-on degree program that prepares students for careers in media and communications.

Through access to a world-class faculty of veteran and current journalists, and with prestigious internships and hands-on learning opportunities, undergraduate students learn the values and principles that have long formed the core of the journalism profession, and they master the highly specialized, practical skills needed to succeed in today's digital world.

Topics of study can include unique courses in digital media, broadcast news, innovation and entrepreneurship, audience engagement, public relations and Spanish-language news. The Cronkite School's full-immersion professional programs afford students the opportunity to gain experience in activities like hosting the evening news on AZ PBS and creating digital advertising campaigns.

Prepare to lead community colleges, colleges and universities toward solutions in contemporary challenges. You'll gain the skills needed to operate successfully in environments that demand innovation, excellence, inclusion and collaboration.

The MEd program in higher and postsecondary education is designed to facilitate the professional development of those who work in colleges and universities in administrative roles, as well as academic support and student support positions.

The program develops leaders who have a strong understanding of the theory and practice of higher education administration; possess the ability to analyze issues confronting contemporary colleges and universities; and can exercise innovative and effective decision-making.

Coursework addresses a range of practice-focused topics in the field, including the following: the history of higher education in the United States; organizational characteristics of colleges and universities; important laws and policies pertaining to administrative practice in higher education; how colleges and universities are funded; how to work successfully with diverse stakeholders in contemporary higher education; and how to collect and use data to improve decision-making.

This 30 credit-hour, 10-course program is offered on a 7.5-week calendar in fall and spring semesters (six weeks in summer). Students may enroll part time or full time.

Most courses are offered in a hybrid format with 50% of the content delivered face-to-face (weekday evenings) and 50% delivered through independent or technology-supported learning experiences and fieldwork.

This program culminates with the creation and presentation of an applied project in which students demonstrate their understanding of critical issues in higher education and how to collect and use data to improve their professional practice. The project is also designed to promote graduates' career advancement in higher and postsecondary education settings.

Public health practitioners reduce the incidence of communicable disease and occupational illness among the public with sanitation, safety and disease mitigation practices. This degree is for students interested in working at state, local and territorial health departments where responsibilities could include injury prevention; communicable disease control; advising the public; planning public programs; regulating health standards in businesses, hospitals and public spaces; and coordinating screening services.

The BS in public health teaches students the scientific foundation of public health by focusing on public health domains, namely:

• Environmental health
• Ethical and cultural appropriateness in public health practice
• Infectious disease control
• National and local sanitation intervention implementation
• Occupational health and safety
• Urban and rural health procedures, statutes and regulations

An internship gives students practical experience in public health professions. Students are prepared for public health careers and graduate study in areas such as public health, population health and science of health care delivery.

The MS in clinical exercise physiology degree program prepares students for careers as clinical exercise physiologists. Students learn how to use primary and secondary prevention strategies to improve, maintain or attenuate declines in fitness and health in populations ranging from children to older adults. They learn to collaborate with medical professionals to guide exercise and rehabilitation programs for at-risk clients and clients with chronic diseases.

The American College of Sports Medicine is the national association responsible for establishing guidelines and recommendations for exercise testing, prescription and evaluation of research for both healthy populations and those with chronic disease. The ACSM certification is deemed the organization's most prestigious credential for clinical professionals with a master's degree and 600 hours of hands-on clinical experience. This program provides the knowledge, clinical experience and skills needed by individuals preparing for successful completion of the registration examination for the registered clinical exercise physiologist certification.

The MS in community resources and development with a concentration in tourism is a research-oriented master's degree program. Students learn to analyze and understand critical topics and issues pertinent to the fields of tourism, parks and recreation management, nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations, and sustainable communities.

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 core curriculum provides students with the intellectual tools to integrate their concentration areas, engage in transdisciplinary problem-solving and prepare for careers and graduate programs that increasingly cross disciplinary boundaries. An interdisciplinary studies student could choose to integrate concentrations like business and project management, psychology and social welfare, communication and justice studies, public administration and ethics, digital culture and computer gaming or many other unique combinations.

Interdisciplinary studies is an approach to answering questions, solving problems and addressing contemporary social issues from multiple perspectives. Interdisciplinary studies students take an active role in designing their educational plans and defining their career goals. The degree emphasizes written communication, versatility, self-assessment and critical thinking --- essential skills for today's dynamic world.

Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior. This diverse field includes mental health and counseling as well as child development, neuroscience and brain function, memory and decision-making, behavior analysis, statistics and crosses into other disciplines such as medicine, law, business and economics.

Emphasizing critical thinking and reasoning, and quantitative research methods and writing, this BS program in psychology goes beyond the classroom with practical experiences through internships, service-learning and faculty-supervised research. (Some opportunities are not available to students enrolled in the degree offered through ASU Online.)

The Bachelor of Science degree differs from the Bachelor of Arts degree in that it requires two additional lab courses and advanced statistical training, providing a greater depth of knowledge in the biological and neuroscientific aspects of psychology that are increasingly important both for research and for clinical practice. The advanced statistical training further prepares students for careers and graduate training involving psychological research, clinical research and legal policy research.

The BS program in health sciences provides students with the academic knowledge and skills that allow them to move directly into a range of employment opportunities within the health field or to continue their education in discipline-specific programs.

Students choose a track focus in either community-based health outcomes; health legislation and regulation; integrated care; or language, speech and communication.

A limited number of students each year may apply to pursue the echocardiography certificate through Mayo Clinic. Once the certificate is successfully completed, students may transfer the credits to Arizona State University and those credits may be applied toward completion of the Bachelor of Science in health sciences. Students interested in this option should seek advising before starting this track.