The Graduate Certificate in Analytics in Public Affairs is a 15 credit hour program of study. Courses in cost-benefit analysis, public finance, and data analysis in public affairs are focused on application and practice, not on theoretical knowledge.
There is an increasing need at the regional, national, and global levels to harvest data that is newly available through the increasing use of technology and the rapid progress in technology. Every sector, including public affairs, is being exposed to a wealth of new data and possibilities.
Armed with an understanding of data analytics, students in the program will develop the tangible skills necessary to provide analytical support for decision-makers at all levels of government and to support organizations that provide
policy information to the public more broadly.
Analytics in Public Affairs certificate program
Curriculum
The 15 credit hour certificate consists of four required courses and one elective.
Required classes (12 credit hours; choose four classes)
Noncalculus survey of concepts in probability, estimation, and hypothesis testing. Applications of contingency table analysis and analysis of variance, regression, and other statistical techniques. Computer processing of data emphasized.
Focus on analytical models and their use in solving problems and making decisions in the public sector. Discussion of standard approaches to modeling and estimation of parameters.
This course applies benefit-cost analysis to public and environmental policies. The first part of the course develops the foundation of benefit-cost analysis. The second part of the course consists of case studies applying benefit-cost analysis to actual policy decisions.
This course examines how the programs of public agencies are proposed, established, operated, and evaluated. Discussion of the role and conduct of research in the program evaluation process. In addition, techniques of effective evaluation and analysis are discussed.
An introduction to the field of policy analysis. Includes a discussion of different models, approaches, conceptual foundations of the field, and the basic issues surrounding application. Students without appropriate previous coursework are expected to do extra reading under the guidance of their instructor or choose to audit existing masters courses.
Elective (3 credit hours)
Choose one additional O’Neill graduate public affairs course, which cannot include independent research studies, readings, or internship classes.
This course covers the creation and management of public spaces as well as aspects of urban planning. Students will be exposed to selected topics of importance in urban/local management including service delivery and sustainability, and methods for improving urban spaces through understanding the relationships between people and spaces.
This course examines the fiscal role of government in a mixed economy; sources of public revenue and credit; administrative, political, and institutional aspects of budgets and the budgetary process; as well as problems and trends in intergovernmental fiscal relations.
A conceptual and technical overview of geographic information systems (GIS). Applications in various fields of public affairs and environmental science will be explored.