Catalogue 2006-07

• The Schools
• USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development
  • Undergraduate Degrees
    • Bachelor of Science in Public Policy, Management and Planning
    • Progressive Degrees
    • Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies: Public Policy and Management
    • Minor Programs
  • Aerospace Studies
  • Military Science
  • Naval Science
  • Graduate Degrees
  • Dual Degree Programs
  • Doctoral Degrees
  • Courses of Instruction

Undergraduate Degree

Minor Programs

Minor in Children and Families in Urban America

What’s happening to children and families in urban America? Students will examine changing demographics, economics, and cultures and the challenges of building communities that support families. They will assess innovative ways to improve access to and utilization of human services, including inter-professional practice, integrated services and community-based initiatives. Analysis of current social policies and policy reform initiatives will provide a framework for students who want to help improve student outcomes for children and families.

This minor includes courses from social work, planning, psychology, communication, education and other academic areas. It requires 22 units. See the USC School of Social Work section for course requirements.

Minor in Construction Planning and Management

This program covers the most current theories and practice of construction planning and management. The program provides a valuable adjunct credential to professional school students pursuing careers in business administration, public administration, environmental studies, and other areas; and a unique opportunity for professional focus to students in the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Construction activities are complex. In contemporary society, effective planning and management of these activities requires specialized knowledge of the technical, economic and political environment. This program couples the knowledge of how construction activities are organized with a broader understanding of the urban system in which construction projects are embedded. With the exception of statistics, all of the required courses are within the Department of Civil Engineering and the School of Policy, Planning, and Development.

Any USC undergraduate who has completed the equivalent of two full-time semesters in good standing is eligible to pursue the minor program. This minor program is rigorous enough to serve as an introductory credential for students subsequently electing to pursue advanced studies in development, urban planning, construction management or allied fields.

See the Department of Civil Engineering for course requirements.

Minor in Environmental Planning and Development

A wide range of USC undergraduates will enter professional and business positions in which issues related to environmental planning will play an important role. This minor offers students the opportunity to study the growing professional field of environmental planning. The minor combines a strong scientific foundation with professional courses in planning and development and with electives from a variety of academic programs at USC. It requires 31-32 units. See Environmental Studies for course requirements.

Minor in Health Policy and Management

This 24-unit minor in health policy and management provides students with a background in the institutions, policy and management issues in the field of health care and the skills necessary to pursue a range of health-related management and/or policy opportunities in the for-profit, nonprofit and governmental sectors. This minor is appropriate for students interested in pursuing careers in the health care field, especially students majoring in pre-health services fields, business, gerontology or the social sciences.

Required courses		Units
PPD 230	Introduction to Health Policy and Management (gateway course)	4
PPD 330	Introduction to Health Care Systems	4
PPD 413	Administration of Health Care Organizations	4

Electives		Units
Choose three courses from one of the two tracks:
Health Issues Track
ECON 472*	Economics of Medical Care	4
GERO 416	Health Issues in Aging	4
GERO 421	Managed Care for an Aging Society	4
HP 412	Health Promotion and Prevention Policy	4
HP 420	Gender and Minority Health Issues	4
HP 422	AIDS in Society	4
SOCI 475	Medical Sociology	4
Health Management Track
ECON 472*	Economics of Medical Care	4
PPD 316	Human Resource Management for Public Organizations	4
PPD 318	Financial Accounting in Public and Nonprofit Organizations	4
PPD 320	Organizational Behavior in Public Administration	4
PPD 407**	Financial Management of Public and Nonprofit Organizations	4

Minor in International Policy and Management

The minor in international policy and management brings together courses from the School of International Relations, dealing with the new global challenges, specific regions of the world, and international organizations and policies, and the School of Policy, Planning, and Development, dealing with core management skills and public policy processes. Students will examine the changes and challenges which are transforming the world, and the policy and management skills used to deal with them. To increase their understanding of the context and application of these concepts, students must complete a semester-long internship either in Washington, D.C. (through participation in the Washington, D.C. semester program) or in Los Angeles with an organization that has an international focus.

Students minoring in international policy and management take three courses in international relations, including the gateway course, IR 305 Managing New Global Challenges; three courses in public policy and management; and an approved internship from either the School of International Relations (IR 491 Field Study) or from the School of Policy, Planning, and Development (PPD 401 Public Policy, Management, and Planning Practices: Internship Seminar). For additional course information, see International Relations.

Minor in International Urban Development

As the world shrinks, students are increasingly working in a global environment. Even those who are employed in the United States find the world a competitor, employees from around the world and customers of all nationalities. This minor addresses the needs of these students by introducing them to relevant urban, economic and social policy issues as they are framed in international settings.

The minor is open to all students except majors in international relations and urban planning and development. The minor is designed for students who wish to either work in the international arena or who expect that their professional careers will be affected by activities in that arena. Students should sign up for the minor in the International Relations student affairs office.

See International Relations for course requirements.

Minor in Law and Public Policy

The minor in law and public policy draws upon four fields of study: public policy and management, law, economics and political science. It provides students with an understanding of the political and economic contexts in which laws are made as well as how legal institutions shape policy formulation. Students learn to analyze the consequences of policy and alternatives; the roles played by government, business and nonprofit organizations in public decision making; and the legal bases for various areas of public policy.

Students minoring in law and public policy take six required courses, including the gateway class, PPD 225 Public Policy and Management, and one elective. The latter enables the student to focus on a specific area of law.

Required courses		Units
ECON 203	Principles of Microeconomics	4
LAW 200x	Law and Society	4
POSC 340	Constitutional Law	4
PPD 225	Public Policy and Management	4
PPD 404x	Statistics for Policy, Planning, and Development	4
PPD 473*	Public Policy and Planning Analysis	4

And one of the following:

BUAD 403	Legal Environment of Business	4
ECON 434	Economic Analysis of Law	4
POSC 345	International Law	4
POSC 347	Environmental Law	4
POSC 432	The Politics of Local Criminal Justice	4
POSC 440	Comparative Law and the Judicial Process	4
POSC 441	Cultural Diversity and the Law	4
POSC 444	Civil and Political Rights and Liberties	4
POSC 452	Critical Issues in Law and Public Policy	4

Minor in Public Management

The 24-unit minor in public management provides the student with a basic introduction to management in the context of a public or nonprofit organization, an understanding of central managerial skills in accounting, financial management and human behavior, and the opportunity to choose between a general or human resource management elective track. This minor is appropriate for College of Letters, Arts and Sciences or professional school students planning to enter management level positions.

Required courses		Units
PPD 318	Financial Accounting in Public and Nonprofit Organizations	4
PPD 320	Organizational Behavior in Public Administration	4
PPD 402	Management of Public and Nonprofit Organizations	4
PPD 407*	Financial Management of Public and Nonprofit Organizations	4

Public Management Electives		Units
Choose two courses from one of the following tracks:
Management
PPD 403	Management Analysis I	4
PPD 476	Politics and Administration	4
PPD 482	Comparative Public Administration	4
Human Resources
PPD 316	Human Resource Management for Public Organizations	4
PPD 409	Training and the Applied Behavioral Science	4

Minor in Public Policy

This minor prepares students to understand the context, theory, formulation, analysis and implementation of public policy and allow them to choose two policy areas to apply their knowledge. The minor complements majors in fields such as sociology, economics, political science, history and gerontology.

Required courses		Units
ECON 203	Principles of Microeconomics	4
PPD 225	Public Policy and Management	4
PPD 404x	Statistics for Policy, Planning, and Development	4
PPD 473*	Public Policy and Planning Analysis	4

Public Policy Electives

Choose two courses from the following:		Units
GERO 451	Policy and Program Development in Aging	4
POSC 347	Environmental Law	4
PPD 313**	Finance of the Public Sector	4
PPD 330	Introduction to Health Care Systems	4
PPD 342	Crime and Public Policy	4
PPD 350	Urban Institutions and Policies	4
PPD 357**	Government and Business
PPD 360	Urban Transportation Planning and Policy	4
PPD 371	Nonprofit Sector and the Public Interest	4
PPD 439	Housing and Community Development	4
PPD 476	Politics and Administration	4

Minor in Planning and Development

The minor in planning and development is an excellent complement to undergraduate study in a variety of fields. Insight into the planning and development process can broaden career choices and deepen understanding of allied major programs. Students majoring in American studies and ethnicity, economics, business administration, architecture, geography, gerontology, international relations, journalism and social work, to name a few, would gain from the cross-disciplinary perspective this minor provides.

Admission Requirements

A GPA of at least 2.0 and a grade of B or better in PPD 100 or PPD 250.

Curriculum Requirements

To earn the minor, students must complete a total of 24 units.

Course Requirements		Units
PPD 100	Los Angeles: The Enduring Pueblo, or
PPD 250	Third World Cities	4
PPD 227	Urban Planning and Development	4
PPD 306	Visual Methods in Policy, Management, Planning and Development	4
PPD 358	Urban and Regional Economics	4
PPD 417	History of Planning and Development	4
Choose one course from the following list of specialized courses:
PPD 360	Transportation Planning and Policy	4
PPD 362	Real Estate Fundamentals for Planning and Development	4
PPD 382	International Development	4
PPD 425	Designing Livable Communities	4
PPD 439	Housing and Community Development	4
PPD 461	Sustainability Planning	4

Minor in Urban Neighborhood Studies

The focus of this minor is on the quality of urban life at the scale of the neighborhood or district. This is the location of the places of residence and work, of education and religion, of everyday life. Neighborhoods are the fundamental building blocks of cities.

The minor is supported by the four “urban schools” of USC: Architecture, Education, Social Work, and Policy, Planning, and Development. The core studies are “hands-on” as a practicum in learning about neighborhoods and learning how the disciplines of the four schools provide the means for understanding and treating urban issues. The core courses are team taught by faculty from the collaborating schools.

See Interdisciplinary Programs for course requirements.

Minor in Urban Policy and Planning

The minor in Urban Policy and Planning focuses on the application of public policy, urban planning and public management to the analysis and solution of urban problems. It draws upon the interdisciplinary faculty and programs of the School of Policy, Planning, and Development and includes foundational courses that introduce students to the nature of urban phenomena and the analysis and solution of urban problems. The minor also introduces students to the professional and academic fields of either urban planning and development or public policy and public management. Additionally, based on their specific interests, students have the opportunity to explore in greater depth three areas and approaches of urban problem-solving. This minor is appropriate for students interested in expanding their understanding of the fields of urban planning and public policy and management as potential professional careers as well as increasing their comprehension of the analysis and solution of urban problems.

Required courses (12 units)		Units
Foundational Courses (8 units)
PPD 225	Public Policy and Management, or
PPD 227	Urban Planning and Development	4
PPD 245	The Urban Context for Policy and Planning	4
Organizations in the Urban Context (4 units)
PPD 402	Management of Public and Nonprofit Organizations	4

Elective courses (12 units)		Units
Students select three courses from this list. They are encouraged through advisement to consider course clusters that reflect special interests. (See examples.)
PPD 342	Crime and Public Policy	4
PPD 350	Urban Institutions and Policies	4
PPD 360	Urban Transportation Planning and Policy	4
PPD 362	Real Estate Fundamentals for Planning and Development	4
PPD 371	The Nonprofit Sector and the Public Interest	4
PPD 372	Public Service in an Urban Setting	4
PPD 425*	Designing Livable Communities	4
PPD 439	Housing and Community Development	4
PPD 461	Sustainability Planning	4

examples of three-course clusters		Units
Real Estate/Housing
PPD 362	Real Estate Fundamentals for Planning and Development	4
PPD 425	Designing Livable Communities	4
PPD 435	Analyzing Real Estate Markets for Planning and Development, or
PPD 439	Housing and Community Development	4
Nonprofit/Voluntary Sector Approaches to Problem Solving
PPD 371	The Nonprofit Sector and the Public Interest	4
PPD 372	Public Service in an Urban Setting	4
PPD 439	Housing and Community Development, or
PPD 461	Sustainability Planning	4
Sustainable Communities
PPD 360	Urban Transportation Planning and Policy	4
PPD 425	Designing Livable Communities	4
PPD 461	Sustainability Planning	4
Critical Urban Policy Issues (any three)
PPD 342	Crime and Public Policy	4
PPD 350	Urban Institutions and Policies	4
PPD 360	Urban Transportation Planning and Policy	4
PPD 439	Housing and Community Development	4

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