Major Courses and Plans of Study
With the policy research and analysis concentration, you will choose from a range of core courses tailored to you interests as well as taking a set of required degree courses. Explore a few of the concentration courses below, or download a full plan of study as part of the MPA program.
- PIA 2125 - City & Region Theory & Practice
This course is about the current challenges faced in cities and regions, nearby and around the world - and how those challenges might be met. The majority of the world's citizens live in cities, and therefore one cannot talk about human progress without thinking about progress in cities. As "mega-regions" consolidate, small cities grow rapidly, and older industrial cities shrink, the managerial, policy, and planning capacities of governments come under increasing stress. How can cities meet these challenges? To facilitate understanding of these dynamics and issues, this course is divided into two parts. The first part provides a general background necessary for the second part. We define the general concepts of "city" and "region," and we talk about measurement issues involved in understanding what is happening to them. We also learn about the policy and planning process involved in addressing any issue in a city or region. The second part focuses on the challenges cities and regions face, and how to solve them. Solving them implies having a theory about what causes them, so this part will begin with a discussion of what urban scholars define as an ideal city and region. It will then move on to cover specific urban policies such as transit oriented development, the use of eminent domain for urban projects, community development, etc. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the practical issues of implementing urban and regional policies, and learning about actual experiences with such policies in particular places.
- PIA 2250 - Working with Public Interest Technologies & Civic Data
This class is designed to equip students passionate about social justice issues to work with public interest technologies and civic data using a curriculum co-developed by four Pitt centers: Center for Analytical Approaches for Social Innovation (CAASI), Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC), the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and the University Honors College (UHC). The goal is to discern the opportunities and challenges that can come from working with technology and civic data, prepare students to understand and account for community dynamics, develop socially-responsible research and data practices, and implement projects that hold benefits for both community partners and students. This is not a quantitative course and no programming experience is expected.
- PIA 2740 - Planning & Analysis Sustainable Regions
This course is presented in three sections. The first section concerns foundations and perspectives of sustainable development, to include human relationships with the environment; economic models of sustainability; and equity and participation in sustainability issues. The second section concerns planning and analysis for sustainability within a regional context, to include governance, planning, and assessment frameworks. The final section focuses on sustainability in practice, considering regional approaches to sustainable energy and transportation, food and water systems, green infrastructure, and innovation.
