Students work together in groups of two or three to design and carry out the policy analysis necessary to address a specific policy problem for the agency. Faculty members work with the students to identify projects of interest, to establish relations with the agency, and to perform the policy analysis. Class meetings are designed to help students develop professional skills, to interact with each other and with other faculty and experts in the field, and to report on progress. A formal presentation of project findings is required, and visits to agencies during office hours are arranged during the academic year. This yearlong course allows students to integrate their previous course work to diagnose and solve actual problems in public and nonprofit organizations.
Students work in teams on a problem identified by a client in a public service organization.
The teams are required to develop a work plan, to provide periodic progress reports to the class, and to produce a final written and oral presentation of results. This course gives students the opportunity to link theory with practice and to acquire skills that are applicable to their professional career objectives. This course allows students to build on the skills they have acquired in the management curriculum to diagnose and solve actual problems in public and nonprofit organizations. This course is organized as a collaborative student project that develops and integrates professional skills in planning. Its focus may be on an area, a function such as housing or transportation, or on a body of methodology.