Successful public health studies, policies, and interventions rely on evidence to guide their design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Because public health is not a simple, reactive, “take the pill three times a day” solution, but a purposeful approach to preventing disease and promoting health, the tools of scientific inquiry to document, measure, evaluate, and understand all the consequences of health interventions are essential. Learning to identify, gather, and interpret evidence is therefore crucial for public health practitioners. The Research Methods & Applications studio provides an introduction to scientific inquiry and evidence and their relationships to public policy. Using an integrated approach spanning multiple disciplines, students will be provided with a basic introduction to quantitative and qualitative measurement and data collection, tenets of epidemiologic study design, statistical inference and data analysis techniques, and the tools of science. Views on the differences between scientific and other types of inquiry and knowledge, classical models of how science and evidence can inform policy and programs, and sources of tension at the science- policy interface will be explored and discussed. The methods introduced in this course will provide a toolkit with which to help measure and estimate the relationships between the smaller pieces that comprise the complex and dynamic web of systems in public health.
This course examines key issues in open economy macroeconomics, including the determinants of exchange rates; causes and consequences of inflation; central banking and international monetary arrangements; the money supply process in open economies; capital flows and global banking; the balance of payments and current account imbalances; national income accounting and the nature of twin deficits; the effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policies in open economies; fixed versus flexible exchange rates; the economics of monetary integration, and the role of the supply side and long-run economic growth. The course is policy-oriented, analyzing case studies and issues relating to the current global economic and financial situation, including the economics of banking crises, the causes and consequences of inflation, the U.S. budget and current account deficits, the value of the dollar, the Japanese economy, Chinese trade and the value of the renminbi, the operation of the European Monetary System and the European Central Bank, the international transmission of economic disturbances, secular stagnation in the U.S., the consequences of AI, the widening of global income inequality, and other related topics.
The objective of this course is to introduce students to microeconomics, providing them with a strong foundation of the basic principles of economic theory. We will discuss consumer theory (preferences, choices, and demand), producer theory (production functions, cost minimization, and supply), and their interaction in the market, represented by the perfectly competitive equilibrium.
The objective of this course is to introduce students to microeconomics, providing them with a strong foundation of the basic principles of economic theory. We will discuss consumer theory (preferences, choices, and demand), producer theory (production functions, cost minimization, and supply), and their interaction in the market, represented by the perfectly competitive equilibrium.
Like many fields of learning, biostatistics has its own vocabulary often seen in medical and public health literature. Phrases like statistical significance", "p-value less than 0.05", "95% confident", and "margin of error" can have enormous impact in a world that relies on statistics to make decisions: Should Drug A be recommended over Drug B? Should a national policy on X be implemented? Does Vitamin C truly prevent colds? However, do we really know what these terms and phrases mean? Understanding the theory and methodology behind study design, estimation and hypothesis testing is crucial to ensuring that findings and practices in public health and biomedicine are supported by reliable evidence.
This course facilitates learning about 1) basic principles related to ecological interactions of life on earth and 2) the causes and consequence of changes in biological diversity. For the first portion of this course, we will focus on how organisms interact with one another and with the non-living environment. For the second portion of this course, we will study the effects of biodiversity at the genetic, population, community, and landscape levels. This course aims to give students an understanding of the ways in which biology can contribute to the solution of environmental problems facing human society and to contribute biological perspectives to an interdisciplinary approach to environmental problem solving.
Students learn how ecology can inform land use decisions and applied management strategies of natural resources (e.g. water, air, biodiversity), particularly in urban environments. The course covers topics ranging from applied ecology and conservation biology to sustainable development. It uses a cross-disciplinary approach to understanding the nature of ecology and biological conservation, as well as the social, philosophical and economic dimensions of land use strategies.
Students learn how the atmosphere, oceans, and freshwater systems interact to affect climate. Causes of greenhouse warming, energy production and alternatives are studied. A local case study focuses on planning for climate change on inter-annual, decadal, and centennial time scales. A goal of the course is to teach an appreciation of uncertainties and predictability in earth systems. A particular emphasis will be placed on the role of humans over the last centuries, in the perturbation of the natural climate. Students will learn how these perturbations can be characterized and distinguished from natural fluctuations. The course will also examine an integrated view of the Earth’s energy budget, structure and circulation of the atmosphere and the ocean, and the interaction between oceans and atmosphere.
Students are introduced to the hydrologic cycle, as well as to processes governing water quantity and quality. Students learn how the atmosphere, oceans, and freshwater systems interact to affect the hydrological cycle and climate. The course focuses on basic physical principles (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, stream flow, percolation, and groundwater flow), as well as environmentally relevant applications based on case studies. Students are exposed to water issues from global to regional scales, and to the ways that humans affect water availability in surface and groundwater systems.
This course focuses on developing financing strategies that accelerate the decarbonization of affordable housing in compliance with state and city climate laws. Developing affordable housing that is energy efficient involves a blend of conventional and specialized financing tools like federal tax credits, government grants and subsidies, and private capital from mission-driven lenders. Through a structured hierarchy of debt and equity, called a capital stack, students will explore the ways in which expanding energy investments in affordable housing reduce the energy burden of tenants by lowering utility costs, contribute to tenant comfort through operational autonomy, and ensure long-term affordability through improved building performance.
The course teaches basic techniques for understanding particular environments and the key chemical processes of environmental science, including those that have to do with pollution generation and control. The purpose of the course is to teach students how to analyze chemical information that they will encounter as environmental managers. The focus is on chemical contaminants on local-to global-scale levels. Students learn how these contaminants are influenced by the physical, chemical, and biological processes that naturally take place in ecosystems.
The purpose of this course is to foster an understanding of how environmental scientists think and solve environmental issues, and to develop an expertise in assessing the validity of scientific research and its conclusions. The course explores the effects of contaminants on human health and the health of other living beings within an ecosystem. While toxicologists study a wide variety of toxicants, from naturally occurring poisons (venoms) to synthetic chemicals, this course will emphasize anthropogenic toxicants, and whether and how exposure to these chemicals should be controlled.
This course is designed for future leaders and top-level advisors within both governmental and non-governmental (i.e. private for-profit and non-profit) organizations. The goal is to introduce the participants to the basic concepts, skills, and tools of “positive political theory” in policymaking. A significant portion of the class material will be devoted to abstract theoretical foundations of strategic political interaction, which will prove instrumental in understanding and predicting patterns of political behavior and outcomes. Although there will be a sizable amount of literature you will be asked to rummage through, our approach will not be entirely interpretive. In fact, a significant amount of class time will be allocated to the practical application of knowledge gathered from readings and discussions. Although the reading materials will focus primarily on national policymaking in the United States, we will from time to time refer to other sub-national levels (i.e. states and municipal) and countries.
This course asks how global cooperation can help meet global challenges. The readings, lectures, and class discussions address ongoing debates over the prospects for global governance. Special attention is given to the role of international institutions, including the United Nations, regional organizations, and international financial institutions. We discuss global policies on investment and trade, combating poverty, and sustainable development. Pressing security issues are also discussed, including peacebuilding in war-torn societies, terrorism, cybersecurity, and weapons of mass destruction.
The format of the class combines open-ended lectures and interactive discussions of assigned readings. Each week, students discuss and debate three assigned articles that offer differing interpretations of the global dilemma addressed in the session. Assigned readings are carefully selected to convey of a range of opinions on controversial themes. Restricting the syllabus to several readings per week cannot do justice to the complexity of each topic. However, a realistic reading assignment enables students to fulfill this requirement diligently, and you are expected to do so. Supplementary sources will be suggested, to encourage exploration of specific topics in greater depth.
Individualized, guided learning experiences at the graduate level in a selected area of concentration. The area of concentration selected should reflect both the role of the clinical specialist / nurse practitioner and the student’s specific interests. Proposed work must be outlined prior to registration and agreed upon by both faculty and student.
MPA and MIA-Track II Economics Core.
This course continues the one-year sequence initiated with SIPA IA6400 and focuses on macroeconomics. The goal of this course is to provide students with the analytical framework to examine and interpret observed economic events in the global economy. The causal relationships between macroeconomic aggregates is based upon microeconomic principles. The subject matter always refers to concrete situations with a particular focus on the causes and effects of the current global financial crisis. The controversial nature of macroeconomic policies is central.
MPA and MIA-Track II Economics Core.
This course continues the one-year sequence initiated with SIPA IA6400 and focuses on macroeconomics. The goal of this course is to provide students with the analytical framework to examine and interpret observed economic events in the global economy. The causal relationships between macroeconomic aggregates is based upon microeconomic principles. The subject matter always refers to concrete situations with a particular focus on the causes and effects of the current global financial crisis. The controversial nature of macroeconomic policies is central.
The TMGT Capstone serves as the culmination of the M.S. in Technology Management program journey. In this course, students will apply the learnings from the entire program to solve a real-world challenge that an organization is facing with a technology solution.
This course is designed to comprehensively prepare students for the NCLEX-RN licensure examination by integrating nursing science knowledge, clinical judgment, and evidence-based test-taking strategies. Students will utilize NCLEX practice assessments to implement a study plan based on individual performance analytics.
Through case studies, guest presentations, literature reviews and interactive class sessions, this course will examine how social enterprise has challenged and transformed models for serving and empowering local communities. We will understand how it has inspired and been applied to business and impact models, and, even mindsets to improve the creation of public value in areas such as health, human services, workforce and small business development. We will also consider the challenges and limitations that have been experienced as social enterprise has been deployed through for-profit and nonprofit entities. Finally, we will explore how the public and private sectors at-large could better support social enterprises to launch, scale and generate greater positive impacts.
MIA & MPA Quantitative I Core.
This course introduces the fundamentals of statistical analysis, with applications in public policy, management, and the social sciences. Students will begin with basic techniques for describing and summarizing data and progress toward more advanced methods for inference and prediction. The course emphasizes practical tools for interpreting quantitative data and drawing evidence-based conclusions about the social world.
MPA Quantitative II Core.
This course introduces regression analysis as a key tool for policy analysis and program evaluation. Emphasizing causal inference, students will learn to assess the impacts of programs and policies using both experimental and non-experimental methods. The first half of the course reviews foundational concepts from Quant I and builds toward multiple regression techniques; the second half applies those tools to real-world policy settings. Designed for future practitioners, the course focuses on applying and communicating statistical concepts in accessible, non-technical language, and prepares students for advanced coursework in data analysis and program evaluation.
The purpose of this six-week course is to provide a greater understanding of the complex role the United Nations plays in world politics and the maintenance of peace and security through multilateral decision making. In this uncertain political climate, it is even more important to understand global institutions, their strengths and weaknesses and how they function. The United Nations with its 193 member states provides a mirror onto the world and if that world is fractured, the UN body will reflect those fissures.
What is the UN track record in promoting and protecting human rights? This intense six-week course will examine the UN human rights standards, mechanisms, institutions and procedures established over the past sixty years and question their effectiveness. With a particular focus on the actions (or lack thereof) of the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council and diverse international judicial institutions like the International Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court, the course will illustrate, through practical case studies, the inherent challenges associated with the protection of human dignity, the enforcement of human rights and the fight against impunity.
The United Nations recently passed its seventieth anniversary and a new Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, was selected by the Security Council to succeed Ban Ki-moon. At this critical juncture, the international system is being challenged to provide adequate responses to the rise of violent extremist groups, waves of refugees arriving in Europe, and to --†fewer but deadlier --armed conflicts. As prevention continues to be elusive and recent - mostly intrastate --armed conflicts have proven to be particularly resistant to peaceful settlement whether through mediation, the deployment of peace operations or peacebuilding projects, the question of the relevance of the UN is posed yet again. Has the Security Council been successful in using the tools at its disposal, from prevention to peace operations and enforcement measures? What has become of the Responsibility to Protect? Is a divided Security Council facing a crisis of relevance? What does it mean for peace operations sent where there is no peace to keep? What are the persisting obstacles to effective prevention? What are the lessons from the evolving partnership with regional organizations? How can peace be sustained over the long term? What will have been Ban Ki Moon's legacy? What are the prospects for UN reform and what could it look like? To address these questions and more, the course will examine the evolving role of the world organization in global security, shaped by its member states with different strategic interests and by the broader geopolitical context in which it operates.
This six week course provides an overview of the contribution the United Nations development system has made in the sphere of development. The course traces the historical evolution of the UN's contribution in the areas of development cooperation, poverty reduction, environment and climate, human rights, gender and humanitarian action. It explores the emerging role of non-state actors, in particular the private sector and civil society. The last sessions will examine in detail the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 and the recognition that to be relevant in today's rapidly changing world, the UN must commit itself to major reform. The course will draw extensively from the practical experience of the instructor.
This course explores the unique and distinct foreign policy behavior of different states in the international system. Explanations of state behavior will be drawn from many overarching international relations frameworks including but not necessarily limited to realism, liberalism, and constructivism. The effects of power, culture, institutions and history will be examined.
This course is designed to help students use economic reasoning to analyze public policy. It is centered around the government budget and the revenue and public spending choices that need to be made in the context of balancing the government budget. We will learn about revenue sources and expenditure needs, and the balance between spending and the resources needed for such spending. An important goal of the class is to have students apply economic concepts to current public policy issues. Students learn not only economic concepts, but also how to explain them to decision-makers. The culmination of the course is a team project where students will design a solution to current budgetary problems.
MIA and MPA Policy Skills I Core.
This course provides students with practical skills to communicate clearly and persuasively on issues they care about. Whether writing to influence policy, shape public opinion, or present ideas within an organization, the ability to craft sharp, purposeful messages is essential. Students will learn to distill their key arguments, adapt their writing for different audiences, and develop strong foundational pieces such as op-eds, press releases, and policy memos. The course also introduces generative AI tools as part of the writing process—teaching students how to use AI to brainstorm, draft, and revise more efficiently, while critically assessing its outputs. As AI transforms how we write and communicate, this course equips students to harness its benefits while maintaining their own voice, judgment, and clarity of thought.
Pediatric Primary Care Nursing Clinical I is designed to develop skills in history taking, developmental evaluations and physical assessment for the pediatric client and to prepare the student to provide primary care to children. It focuses upon the promotion of health and the prevention of illness to promote optimal physical, intellectual and emotional growth and development. The clinical experience involves performing complete assessments on newborns, preschoolers, school-aged children and early adolescents and well childcare in a pediatric setting.
Pediatric Primary Care Nursing II focuses on the delivery of primary health care to school-age children and adolescents. This includes health promotion, the prevention of illness, and the management of common episodic problems. Using the school for clinical experience, the student will assess the status, teach individuals and groups of children, and will work with teachers and parents. Students will utilize knowledge of growth and development to develop age appropriate teaching plans, and assess children and families to assume an active role as health consumers. Current courses in pediatric pathophysiology and child development contribute to the student's knowledge base. Students continue to provide primary care to their caseload of well children in their pediatric primary care sites.
This course examines the foundations, decision-making processes, and substance of American foreign policy, particularly as it has developed over the past fifty years. We explore the role of American political culture, the presidency, Congress, and the foreign policy bureaucracy in helping to determine America's relationship with other states and international organizations. We pay particular attention to the recurring tensions that run through American foreign policy: isolationism v. internationalism, security v. prosperity, diplomacy v. military power, unilateralism v. multilateralism, and realism v. idealism. Each week we will explore a broad theoretical/conceptual theme and then focus on a specific topic that exemplifies a practical application of the theme.
Special Operations are typically defined as national security actions in hostile, denied, or sensitive environments, and often require covert, clandestine, or low-visibility approaches. From hostage-rescue operations to tactical reconnaissance, special operations forces are typically deployed for national security objectives in which traditional military units are not suitable or applicable. This course examines the nexus of special operations and national security, with the United States serving as its primary example. It has four core objectives: 1) develop an understanding of the concepts and ideas of special operations in national security; 2) explore the priorities and challenges of the utility of special operations, from intelligence to policies to investments; 3) exchange insights, paradigms, and perspectives in class discussions and assignments; and 4) sharpen analytical thinking, research methods, writing skills, and verbal communication. Major themes of study will be: national security fundamentals; concepts of war, conflict, and special operations; and the use of special operations forces over time.
Through a review of major academic literature, lectures, and class discussion, this course examines many of the central concepts, theories, and analytical tools used in contemporary social science to understand international affairs. The theoretical literature is drawn from fields including comparative politics, international relations, political sociology, and economics. The course is designed to enhance students' abilities to think critically and analytically about current problems and challenges in international politics.
MIA & MPA Ethics Core.
This course investigates how ethical considerations shape, complicate, and often introduce dilemmas into the work of policymaking. It asks what justice, democracy, and responsibility demand in concrete policy contexts—should political leaders prioritize stability or accountability in post-conflict settings? Should elected officials follow their moral convictions even when doing so goes against the preferences of their constituents? Should public servants uphold the law when it conflicts with their moral principles? When is it right to work within flawed systems to achieve change, and when is it better to act from the outside? Through a mix of theoretical readings and case studies, students will learn to balance political, institutional, and ethical considerations, develop arguments for their moral choices, and advocate effectively for their policy decisions. The course is designed to cultivate reflective practitioners who can identify moral dilemmas in public policy, weigh competing values, and articulate their ethical positions in ways that are both critical and constructive.
This course empowers students to develop a deep understanding of the major issues of East Asian security. We will examine the various challenges to stability in East Asia in the context of power, institutions, and ideas (the three primary factors that impact international relations), including: China’s increasing assertiveness; the North Korean nuclear crisis; historical stigma amongst Japan, South Korea, and China; lingering Cold War confrontations on the Korean Peninsula and across the Taiwan Strait; and an unstable relationship between the US and China. Through a comparison with the West, students will inquire whether a unique approach is required when considering appropriate responses to security issues in East Asia.
This course serves as an introduction to the study of international political and economic relations. We look at the connections between politics and economics as well as markets and governments and relate them to key substantive issue areas such as finance, trade, investment, marketing, income inequality and poverty, and globalization. In examining the issue areas, we shall look both at how scholars think about them and how private and public decision makers analyze and impact them. The teaching is informed by the sharing with students knowledge deriving from multiple disciplines, cultures, and languages to help them gain useful real-world insights.
Aimed at increasing student awareness of the prevalence, context, dynamics, and potential outcomes of interpersonal violence (IPV), the goal of this course is to provide advanced practice nurses with the information needed for prevention, identification, assessment appropriate intervention, and resource referral for clients and families who are at risk for, have a history with, or are currently experiencing IPV. Course content will explore the dynamics, causes and consequences of IPV, specifically: domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, and sexual assault.
May be repeated for credit, but no more than 3 total points may be used for degree credit. Only for electrical engineering and computer engineering graduate students who include relevant off-campus work experience as part of their approved program of study. Final report required. May not be taken for pass/fail credit or audited.
This course is designed for graduate nurses to provide them with the skills to understand and utilize research evidence in decisions about clinical practice. The course is designed to help graduate nurses articulate relevant practice-based questions, search the literature to identify relevant evidence, evaluate the quality of research on which the evidence is based, and discuss the application of the evidence in clinical practice to improve quality of care.
This course is designed to provide the student with a systematic approach to the delivery of health promotion and disease prevention in primary health care to individuals, families, communities, and aggregate populations.
This core course examines contextual contributors to health status and the current social, legal, and political determinants of healthcare systems, emphasizing the U.S. system. Issues are explored to understand their impact on current and future delivery of health care, in particular on advanced practice nursing. The class focuses on how to bring the professional values of nursing to bear in policy debate and how nurses partner in the policy process to improve health outcomes of populations and quality of the healthcare delivery system.
The purpose of this course is to learn about fundamental drivers of value and risk by analyzing financial statements of businesses in different industries. Every public company provides a lot of financial and operational information in its filings. How can this information be used to evaluate its prospects and its risks?
The course is organized around two themes (1) how to identify relevant information in the financial information reported by firms, and (2) how to draw inferences using sound analytical methodology. To this end, we will review techniques for valuation and risk analysis used by banks and asset management firms. The valuation models you will study in this course are all fundamental models – models that use
financial information and review the fundamental operating characteristics of the company. We will learn to build simple financial models, perform risk analysis and fine tune value drivers. Much of the data comes from the financial statements – but it requires a careful study of arcane footnotes to unearth the information provided by the companies. This is an advanced course that goes into the details of footnote analysis, accounting rules, and financial presentations. This course builds on what you learned in Financial Accounting and Corporate Finance. These courses are pre-requisites for taking this course. It is assumed that you have already taken these courses. If you have not taken these courses you should first talk with me before you register. This course will build significantly on your knowledge from those courses. If your basics are solid and you are interested in learning to read financial statements; if you wish to learn to apply financial analysis; this course is for you. We will use excel to build some of the models – but this is not a course in excel. But, it is highly recommended that
you have a good working knowledge of how to build formulas in excel before you come to this class.
By the end of the course, you should be able to perform a thorough, credible investment or credit analysis that meets a high standard. Students should have the ability to estimate fundamental values, and pull apart the information in the financial statements to get relevant information. This course should be of interest to those contemplating careers in investment banking, security analysis, private
equity, hedge funds, and corporate finance.
Quality healthcare relies on systematic, collaborative, and evidence-based approaches to improve patient outcomes. This course offers students supervised, experiential learning in the application of initiatives to enhance patient safety and care delivery. Students will analyze quality improvement and nursing leadership processes that foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
The MDE e-Portfolio will be a multimedia collection for the individual student learning experiences. It will allow the student to take part in both summative and formative assessments on work done throughout the program while providing a vehicle for personal growth and development. Upon completion of the MDE Program, the e-Portfolio provides the graduating student with a showcase of acquired skills and knowledge to assist with the pursuit of further academic work and/or transition to professional life.
This graduate course is designed to provide the student with the knowledge and skills to facilitate changes in practice delivery using quality improvement strategies. Historical development for total quality management and strategies for implementing process improvement are emphasized. Students will learn how to develop a culture of appreciative inquiry to foster inquisition and innovation. Upon completion of this course, students will design a plan for implementation of a quality improvement project.