Every year, clients engage Goldman School students during the regular school year to work on policy analysis projects. Students bring together the skills learned in core courses to solve real-life problems for off-campus clients. Such projects are of two kinds:
Advanced Policy Analysis Projects. In their final (fourth) semester of study, Goldman School students are required to write a high-quality professional paper (Advanced Policy Analysis, or APA) in order to complete the Master of Public Policy degree. With faculty supervision and advice, each student conducts a thorough analysis of a major policy question facing a "real-world" organization/practitioner, applying the interdisciplinary methods, approaches, and perspectives studied in GSPP’s core curriculum. This paper must meet not only the academic standards of the School’s faculty, but also the standards and needs of a practitioner who acts as a "client" for the work.
Introductory Policy Analysis Projects. In the spring of their first year (second semester), Goldman School students take a workshop class called Introduction to Policy Analysis, or IPA. During the course, students work in groups of three to five to produce a policy analysis for use by a real world "client," typically an individual in a public sector organization confronting some policy problem or opportunity.
| Introductory Policy Analysis ( IPA ) |
Advanced Policy Analysis ( APA ) |
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| # OF STUDENTS | 3-5 first-year students with some guidance from a faculty coach. | 1 second-year student with weekly advice from 8-10 peers plus a faculty coach. | |
| PROJECT TIMING | Mid-February to early May | Mid-January to early May *By mutual agreement, students sometimes begin work earlier than January. |
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| # OF HOURS WORKED | ¼ of each student’s time, multiplied by the number of students. This is one of 4 courses taken during the spring semester and represents at least 12 hours per week of each student’s time. | ¾ of the student's time. This is typically either the only course or one of two courses taken during the spring semester, and represents at least 30 hours per week of the student's time. | |
| STUDENT BACKGROUND | 1 semester of coursework already taken. Most students have prior work experience before starting GSPP. | 3 semesters of coursework already taken, plus one summer internship. Most students have prior work experience before starting GSPP. | |
| COMPENSATION | Clients are expected to reimburse the students for incidental expenses including travel, conference registration fees, phone calls, photocopies, etc. | Clients are expected to compensate the student as well as reimburse for incidental expenses. Typical range is between $6000-$8000, but some clients pay more than this. | |
| PROJECT NEGOTIATION | Client and a faculty member negotiate whether the project will be placed on the "menu" students are given to select from. Several criteria apply, including match with distribution of student interests, decision-relevance, and scope. | Client and student directly negotiate project goals and tasks. The final project topic and scope is subject to faculty approval to ensure that it meets academic requirements. | |
| PROJECT SELECTION | About 75% of projects on the project menu are actually chosen. Which projects are selected depends on the aggregate of student preferences among those projects on the menu. A computer program receives student preferences and then matches students and menu projects. | There is more certainty that the client's project will be chosen, assuming 1) there is student interest and 2) the client and the student agree on scope and compensation. GSPP faculty do not match students with projects. | |
| CONTACT INFORMATION | John Ellwood Professor of Public Policy Phone: (510) 642-4512 E-mail: |
Cecille Cabacungan Director of Career & Alumni Services Phone: 510-642-1303 E-mail: |