- Faculty and Staff
- Research
- Public Service and Outreach
- Career Development
- For Alumni and Friends
- Calendar
- News
- Contact Us
- Sitemap
Domestic Policy Focus Field: City Management and Urban Policy
The effective governance of communities requires meeting a variety of policy and management challenges and promises the rewards and satisfactions of problem-solving with neighbors and friends. Students interested in pursuing city management and urban policy analysis work with faculty in the La Follette School and in other programs such as the Law School, the Institute for Research on Poverty, and the departments of Urban and Regional Planning, Landscape Architecture, Sociology, and Geography. Students interested in city management and urban policy can complete a focus field within their Master of Public Affairs program at the La Follette School. They also could pursue a dual degree with the Law School or a double degree with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
La Follette School graduates have successfully competed for nationally prestigious internships in this field in Kansas City, Miami-Dade County, Phoenix, and Atlanta. Careers range from city managers to budget directors, planning analysts, police officers, emergency service directors, and more. While most people in this field work in governments at all levels, many job opportunities exist with nonprofit organizations and consulting firms.
Field coordinator: Dennis Dresang
La Follette School faculty in this field
Electives from Other Departments
Students may take courses from other departments depending on their interests. Students should consult their advisors if they are unsure whether a course is appropriate for their focus field. These elective courses include:
AAE 744 Regional Economic
ECON 478 Urban Transport Economics
ED ADMIN 780 Administration of Community Education in School Settings
ED POL 911 Seminar in Urban Education
LAW 772 Local Governement Law
LAW 830 Land Use Controls
POLI SCI 815 Urban Government and Politics
POLI SCI 825 Race and Politics in the United States
POI SCI 886 State and Local Economic Politics and Policy
SOC 636 Comparative Urban Institutions
SOC 645 Modern American Communities
URPL 505 Urban Spatial Patterns and Theories
URPL 617 Community Development
URPL 720 Urban Economics
URPL 734 Regional Economic Problem Analysis
URPL 761 Central City Planning: Issues and Approaches
URPL 772 Planning Problems in Urban Growth and Development
URPL 844 Housing and Public Policy
URPL 868 Rationale of Urban Planning
Core Courses
PA 818 Quantitative Tools for Public Policy Analysis
PA 869 Workshop in Public Affairs, Domestic Issues
PA 873 Introduction to Policy Analysis
PA 874 The Policymaking Process
PA 878 Public Management
PA 880 Microeconomic Policy Analysis
PA 799 Professional Development Workshop
Recommended Public Affairs Electives
PA 827 Internship
PA 881 Cost-Benefit Analysis
PA 882 Social Welfare Policy and Management
Public Affairs Electives for this Focus Field
PA 875 Public Personnel Administration
PA 891 State and Local Government Finance
PA 892 Public Budgeting