Master of Public Policy Courses

Curriculum

The first year is comprised almost entirely of a core curriculum that is required for all students. It is designed to provide a foundation that is steeped in Pepperdine's unique perspective that the formation, evaluation, and practice of public policy is a sacred calling devoted to service at the most profound level. The core curriculum also intends to provide an introduction to the tools necessary for analyzing public policy, its impact on individuals and society, and methods for evaluating the costs and benefits of various policies and programs. 

Much of the first year's curriculum sets up a dialog across courses between the conservative but morally neutral law and economics tradition on the one hand and, on the other, the morally challenging ethical issues whose relationship to specific policies and programs is often not concrete and specific or, at most, left vague and ambiguous. 

The James Q. Wilson Core*

Dedicated to the memory of one of the School of Public Policy's founders and professors, the James Q. Wilson Core reflects Wilson's indelible impression on our curriculum. In particular our distinctive set of required courses immediately begins to prepare students for a well-rounded approach to public policy – one that includes not only its quantitative aspects, but also what it means to consider the "public" in the creation of policy. This necessitates an exploration of the "Great Ideas" on government and citizenship, along with study in America's Founding principles, and how they have shaped the government/citizen relationship over these last two centuries.

Students select an area of specialization:

• Applied Economic Policy
• American Policy and Politics
• Dispute Resolution
• International Relations and National Security
• State and Local Policy

Elective Course Offerings: