Admission Requirements
Acceptance to this program requires 15 credit hours with GPA above 2.5. A personal interview will also be required for admission into the RAPP program.
Program Competencies
The student will:
- Understand the relation of their major program to the other fields in regional analysis.
- Make sound verbal and written arguments that delineate a public policy.
- Possess the quantitative and qualitative skills to understand regional analysis.
- Understand the factors that affect and shape occupational vocations in a regional context.
- Be able to accurately communicate with public and private individuals the meaning and applications of regional analysis.
- Be able to present research and policy reports that are comprehensible to audiences of various public policymakers.
- Be able to interpret the output of regional resource analyses and their potential use in formulating public policy.
The students in this program will meet the goals of Enhancement of Instruction by actively participating in a unique, intense interdisciplinary program. They will participate in service and research functions of the University, and will participate in the collaborative ventures of IRAPP with regional organizations.
Assessment
Compare employment rates, salaries and graduate school admissions with similar MSU graduates.
Regional Analysis and Public Policy Minor Requirements
Core Requirements
| RAPP 202 | Basic Computer Techniques in Regional Analysis | 3 |
| RAPP 203 | Society, Nature and Development | 3 |
| RAPP 300 | Seminar in Regional Issues I | 3 |
| RAPP 350 | Practicing Regional Analysis I | 3 |
| RAPP 490 | Seminar in Regional Issues II | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Electives
Students will complete nine hours of approved 300- or 400-level courses; courses at other levels (e.g., 200) will be considered for approval on a case-by-case basis. Elective courses will be selected in consultation with the minor advisor in order to form a coherent program of study aimed at enhancing student analytic and problem-solving capacities and skills. A few examples of thematic electives include: geospatial methods, international studies, gender studies, multidisciplinary approaches, policy studies, etc. Students must obtain approval of thematic electives from both their minor advisor and the Department Chair.