Public Policy

Degrees Offered: M.A., M.P.P., professional certificate programs
ase.tufts.edu/uep
617-627-3394

All programs prepare public-spirited individuals for careers in government, non-profit organizations, citizen advocacy groups, and the private sector. Faculty and student interests and course offerings cluster around the following: sustainable communities; environmental justice; community development and housing; race, class, and social welfare policy; child and family policy; land use planning; natural resource management; science/technology, ethics, and environmental policy; environmental risk; corporate responsibility and the environment; climate change; international environmental policy; environmental education; program evaluation; applied research methods; planning tools, techniques, and strategies; nonprofit organizations; and citizen roles in policy and planning.

The two-year M.A. program emphasizes field-based learning, and the development of necessary skills for policymaking and planning. It requires an internship and thesis. The one-year M.P.P. (Master of Public Policy) program is designed for individuals with at least seven years of relevant professional experience who wish to further develop their policy and planning capabilities.

A three-year dual master's degree program with Tufts' Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy focuses on international environmental policy. Another dual master's program is available with Tufts' Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. There is also a five-semester dual master's degree program with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

The department also offers certificates in Community Environmental Studies and Management of Community Organizations. Both programs are open to individuals with a bachelor's degree and require four courses. The certificate in Management of Community Organizations provides management training within the framework of social, economic, and political values that shape the nonprofit sector. The certificate in Community Environmental Studies provides professional training for careers in today's evolving environmental field. Students interested in earning a graduate degree can often apply the certificate courses toward a Tufts master's degree in urban and environmental policy and planning.

Joint master's degree programs exist with the departments of biology, child development, civil and environmental engineering, and economics.

Students may attend all programs on a part-time basis.

FACULTY/SPECIALTY

Julian Agyeman
Ph.D., University of London
Sustainability policy, environmental justice, environmental education

Lawrence S. Bacow
President of Tufts University J.D., Ph.D., Harvard University
Environmental policy and regulation, facility siting, environmental dispute resolution

Rachel G. Bratt
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Housing and community development

Laurie Goldman
M.S., Israel Institute of Technology
Urban and Regional Planning

Justin Hollander
Ph.D., Rutgers University
Urban planning and policy development

Francine Jacobs
Ed.D., Harvard University
Child and family policy, program evaluation

James Jennings
Ph.D., Columbia University
Urban and neighborhood politics, social welfare, community development

Sheldon Krimsky
Ph.D., Boston University
Environmental policy and environmental ethics

Barbara M. Parmenter
Ph.D., University Texas-Austin
Social welfare and housing policy, policy implementation, and public and nonprofit management

Ann Rappaport
Ph.D., Tufts University
Environmental management, environmental policy

Robert Russell
J.D., Harvard Law School
Environmental law and policy

Jon Witten
J.D., Suffolk University
Land use planning