[Urban Planning/Public Policy/Data-Driven MPP Programs?]

On 7/1/2017 at 6:43 AM, PolicyStud said:

I would recommend checking CMU's MSPPM program. You don't need to apply to the "data analytics" track specifically to take their classes.

I've written some pros/cons here:

 

Since CMU's MSPPM program is housed in the same college as the information science program, you'll have access to a wide range of data-related courses, from the more social science-oriented like econometrics to programming courses in machine learning. Courses at the School of Computer Science are available as well if you're up for them. When I was applying to other policy schools, I compared the curriculum with other programs, and I must say that the breadth and depth of CMU's courses in data science far exceeds that of any public policy program and even many data science programs. Most topics you might be interested in--from data warehousing to unstructured data mining and from visualizations to operations research--are available, and pretty much any other topic you can think of is covered in the computer science department.

If you have any questions, feel free to message me.

Thanks for answering! Will definitely look into CMU. What would you say are the specifications of most of the students and professors there? 

[Urban Planning/Public Policy/Data-Driven MPP Programs?]

I'm currently a data analyst in DC with the intention of grabbing an MPP and an MA if necessary to help pivot toward data-oriented urban planning. I'm interested in understanding the intersection between local communities and government policy, with an emphasis on infrastructure and planning. At the moment, I'm scouting out public policy programs, as I don't anticipate applying for a few years (graduated from Berkeley political science spring of 2016), and would love any advice or direction in terms of the styles of MPP programs. I'm looking for resources on the different "flavors" of the programs as well as any other advice one might have!