Community Economic Development Policy (M.A.)

The 2008-2009 Advanced Degree Programs Brochure  (PDF 320 kb) is now available for download.

The Advanced Practioner programs include Research, Policy & Management components in interdisciplinary Master of Arts and Ph.D. programs. The M.A. in CED Policy is an advanced practitioner professional program designed to address the needs of senior professionals for a policy focus and a shorter program of study than offered by the more academic Ph.D. program. The emphasis is on analytical skills for policymakers and senior managers. M.A. advanced core courses are in the Ph.D. program and other applied policy-oriented courses are in the national or the international M.S. programs. A supervised paper acts as a thesis. Applicants to the M.A. in Policy Program need a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, preferably in a relevant field; defined policy interests; and a minimum of five years of progressively responsible policy experience in CED; 10 years of total experience in the field is highly desirable.

Candidates for the M.A. must complete 36 credits of course work that includes required doctoral-level courses and a planned combination of policy-oriented courses offered by the graduate programs. Course work may be completed over 20 months in an extended weekend format. A residential format allows an accelerated pace, and involvement in planning or research projects at the school. Depending on the courses taken each semester, students will follow either the Master's Weekend schedule (four three-day meetings per semester) or the doctoral schedule (five five-day meetings each semester).

An M.A. policy/M.B.A. joint program is available. Ph.D. courses taken as part of the M.A. may be applied toward the Ph.D. degree if a student applies and is subsequently admitted to the Ph.D. program. The M.A., joint M.B.A. and Ph.D. programs are separate programs with different requirements and applications.