Executive MPA Program
Introduction to the Executive MPA
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or more than 60 years, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs has drawn students from around the world for its traditional, full-time master’s and PhD programs. The global reach of the School is one of its defining characteristics, with alumni located in more than 150 countries and prestigious academic partnerships throughout Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Also central to SIPA’s identity and educational mission is its home, New York City. SIPA recognizes that many busy professionals must be lifelong learners, acquiring skills and broadening their horizons throughout their careers. The Executive MPA program connects SIPA with the dynamic community of midcareer professionals based right here in Columbia’s home town, New York City. Executive MPA students are leaders and managers from a wide array of public, nonprofit, and private sector organizations. Although EMPA students pursue a variety of different professional interests, they share a commitment to serving the public interest, creating effective public institutions and stable, efficient markets. We believe that the program’s rigorous analytical curriculum and its hands-on approach to policy and management problem solving can be of great use to graduates working in any organization. The EMPA, developed by the Picker Center for Executive Education in 1999, offers students the core analytical and management skills shared by all of SIPA’s master’s degree programs, on a schedule that is demanding but feasible for the working professional. Students can build on these core skills with a focus on International Economic Policy and Management, Advanced Management and Finance, or Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management. In addition to the demanding curriculum of their program, EMPA students have immediate access (before graduation) to an exciting set of programs designed for SIPA alumni, typically offered on evenings at midtown locations. Of course, they are also welcome to participate in any of the seemingly endless parade of events (lectures, conferences, seminars, film series) that are a regular part of the day-to-day life at one of the world’s leading public policy schools. We hope that you can become part of this exciting community. With best regards, Robert C. Lieberman Interim Dean
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he Picker Center for Executive Education offers both degree and nondegree programs for working professionals who wish to advance their skills while continuing to work.
The Picker Center for Executive Education enables working professionals to benefit from SIPA’s worldclass faculty and curriculum in public policy, management, economics, and international affairs. The Center’s first offering, the Executive MPA program, trains students to become senior managers in the public, private, and nonprofit arenas by equipping them with the analytic, managerial, and policy skills needed to get ahead. The Center provides customized, in-service executive training programs, technical assistance, and research for public and nonprofit agencies seeking to improve current programs, develop new initiatives, or evaluate their performance. The Picker Center also serves as a forum for discussion and debate on critical issues in public service and international affairs. Join us! William Eimicke Founding Director, Picker Center for Executive Education
The EMPA Experience
“I enrolled in SIPA’s EMPA program to strengthen my analytical skills, broaden my network, and deepen my understanding of international relations. During the last two years, I have been surrounded by a network of professionals who care about public service. The course work provides the right mix of analytical and theoretical rigor. Since entering the program, I transitioned from a role at a public affairs firm as vice president to establishing and leading a nonprofit arts and cultural center as an executive director. The support of my EMPA colleagues and the complementary course work helped to make it a seamless transition.” —Tracey Foster, Class of 2010 “I serve as the deputy director for City Futures, which is the parent company of the Center for an Urban Future and City Limits. The EMPA program provides a concrete management framework for policymaking and organizational leadership. The students are excited and talented and offer a wealth of diversity in experiences, careers, and backgrounds. The EMPA program provides the core skills to do this—leaving graduates with the quintessential skill sets to be the next set of global policy leaders.” —Mark Anthony Thomas, Class of 2009
“Twelve years of working at the Department of the Army, a number of which were spent in Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East, served to galvanize my view of the power of globalization. My recent work at the New York City Police Department requires refined analytic and quantitative abilities. Searching for a graduate program that would draw on this experience and provide the opportunity to broaden my skills in a global context led me to Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). To date, my experience at SIPA’s EMPA program has been the greatest investment in my future, which I’m certain will pay dividends well beyond my expectations.” —John W. Dandola, Class of 2010
“As the director of finance at Columbia University’s School of Nursing, I am responsible for managing the School’s financial activities and ensuring that they comply with the School’s mission and with federal and University policies. The EMPA program has helped me attain a firm understanding of the nonprofit sector. The courses offered in the program improved my management skills and broadened my ability to solve problems creatively. Thanks to the EMPA program, my peers describe me as a professional who can perform optimally despite limited resources.” —Ruth E. Torres, Class of 2006
“I am a senior executive, heading the U.S. business for a major South Asian financial institution. At the EMPA program we have a diverse student body, ranging in backgrounds in health to legal, financial, HR management, technology, NGOs, multilateral organizations, and foreign consulates. The newly learned skills and techniques from my SIPA experience include effective consensus building, strategic management with both top-down and bottom-up approaches, conflict resolution, building sustainable strategic partnerships, professional memo writing with a public sector focus, and leadership.” —Faiq Sadiq, Class of 2010
“I came to Columbia University in 2007 as a midcareer financial manager with a desire to transition into public policy and socially meaningful work. I graduated from the SIPA EMPA program to the position of presidential management fellow and policy analyst at the U.S. Library of Congress. The renowned faculty, challenging curriculum, experienced staff, and diverse student body of the EMPA program played an integral role in shaping my academic goals and assisted markedly in the attainment of my professional objectives.” —Richard Lattanzio, Class of 2009
The EMPA Program
Advanced Management & Finance
International Concentration
Core Courses Public Management
Public Management
Quantitative Techniques for Policymaking and Administration I & II
Quantitative Techniques for Policymaking and Administration I & II
Microeconomics and Policy Analysis I & II
Microeconomics and Policy Analysis I & II
Financial Management in Government
Financial Management in Government
Portfolio Presentation Workshop
Portfolio Presentation Workshop
Accounting Accounting
Context Courses Seminar on Innovation in Public Management
Issues in Contemporary Security and Policy
Political Environment of Policymaking
International Political Economy
Economic Setting of Public Policy
Contemporary International Policymaking Process
Concentration Courses
Public Finance
International Finance and Monetary Policy
Public Sector Marketing, Strategic Planning and Communication
International Trade and Development
Nonprofit Management and Finance
International Economic Policy Analysis
Public Sector Ethics
Open Economy Macroeconomic Analysis
The Executive Master of Public Policy and Administration (EMPA) program of the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) is designed for the experienced and ambitious executive who is looking for a topquality, practical graduate program, but who cannot take time out to pursue full-time study. The program trains professionals to be competent and sophisticated public managers by incorporating broad questions of public affairs and the specific analytic, managerial, and communication skills of management and policy analysis into the curriculum.
The Executive MPA program at Columbia is deeply committed to preparing its graduates to play leadership roles in public service in local, state, and federal governmental agencies as well as nonprofit organizations, private corporations, banks, and consulting firms dealing with critical public policy issues. Employers in the private and nonprofit sectors are attracted by the EMPA’s rigorous program in quantitative and managerial analysis, which also provides a deep understanding of governmental processes.
Program Schedule Classes are offered on Saturdays starting at 9:00 a.m. during the academic year. Speakers from the various sectors are invited to join us for lunch on occasional Saturdays. During the summer, a full semester is offered from
mid-May until late July, when classes meet on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Students are granted 9 graduate points of credit of advanced standing for professional and management experience. Those points, along with the 45 points earned during the program of study at SIPA, comprise the 54 points of credit of the Executive MPA program. Students can complete the program in either two or three years of study.
Credits
The program requires students to complete a total of 54 points, 9 points of which are granted for professional and management work experience, and 45 points earned during the program of study. Students may transfer a total of two courses (6 credits) from outside EMPA course offerings towards graduation requirements upon approval of their academic advisor.
The Core The core curriculum provides the professional and vocational skills needed to analyze and understand the formulation and management of public policy, including memo writing, oral briefings, group process and team building, and several forms of financial analysis. These tools have been added to more traditional curriculum elements such as organizational analysis, budgeting, financial management, probability theory, applied regression analysis, and applied microeconomics. The principal
goal of the core is to provide students with the analytic, communication, and work skills required to be innovative, problem-solving managers.
The Concentration in International Economic Policy and Management The concentration in International Economic Policy and Management (IEPM) prepares students for careers in international agencies, nonprofit organizations, international business and finance, and government. Students develop proficiency in international trade, finance, and economic policy analysis, giving them the conceptual and technical skills needed to understand the complex forces that drive international economic activity in this era of globalization. Course work in political economy and international relations provides students with the training to understand how the international political system and governmental institutions affect national security and foreign economic policies, and to contend with increasingly complex governance issues, such as corruption and human rights.
The Concentration in Advanced Management and Finance The concentration in Advanced Management and Finance enables students to deepen the policy and management analytic skills they are exposed to in the core curriculum. Students receive rigorous training in public and nonprofit finance. They also
The EMPA Program
Environmental Policy & Sustainability Core Courses Sustainability Management Quantitative Techniques for Policymaking and Administration I & II Microeconomics and Policy Analysis I & II Financial Management in Government Portfolio Presentation Workshop
Context Courses Sustainability Economics Environmental Politics, Policy and Management
Concentration Courses
Financing the Green Economy and/or Green Accounting Sustainability Metrics and Analysis The Science of Environmental Sustainability Sustainable Cities and Built Environments Energy or Environment Elective
learn management innovation tools such as total quality management, reengineering, benchmarking, strategic planning, electronic communication and commerce, performance management, and team management. Thus, the concentration provides Executive MPA graduates with the latest cutting-edge management and finance skills in demand in today’s rapidly changing public sector.
The Concentration in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management The concentration in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management prepares students for careers in managing earth systems.
Inaugural Year for This Cutting Edge Concentration
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he earth is witnessing human-induced environmental change on a scale and at a pace that is unique in history. Increased levels of greenhouse gases are warming the planet; the extinction of species is occurring at an ever-faster rate; renewable resources such as water are being degraded; and finite resources such as fossil fuels are having widespread negative impacts on fragile, interconnected, natural systems. The Environmental Policy and Sustainability concentration serves to cultivate a new profession that understands these impacts and to develop real-world solutions that manage earth systems in ways that will ensure the long-term viability of life on our planet.
Coupled with the Executive MPA core, it emphasizes integrated thinking and learning so that graduates will see beyond linear and fragmented approaches to holistic planning for environmental sustainability. Students develop proficiency in sustainability management, finance, and accounting from a “green� perspective; and environmental politics and policy analysis, giving them the conceptual and technical skills needed to develop realworld solutions that sustainably manage human interaction with natural systems. Course work in environmental politics, policy, and management provides students with the training to understand how environmental
policies are devised, implemented, and evaluated. Second-year students can delve further into subjects such as sustainable cities and built environments, which combine ecology, architecture, design, engineering, and management, addressing sustainability issues faced by urban centers. Sustainability metrics and analytics coursework will provide theory and practice measures to track and assess the use of resources and its impact on ecological systems. Environment and energy electives provide insight on climate policy, water management, energy efficiency, carbon foot printing, and life-cycle analysis.
EMPA Curriculum Requirements Students must complete the core curriculum as well as seven (7) additional classes from the list of context and elective concentration courses. Please note that courses are often offered only during certain semesters, and may count only towards one concentration, so it is important for you to plan your courses in close consultation with your advisor.
Core Curriculum Courses Public Management
Basic concepts and techniques of public management, with emphasis on managerial strategies, management innovation, structure, organizational behavior, and control. Memo writing, group process, and communication skills are taught through hands-on assignments.
Quantitative Techniques for Policymaking and Administration, I & II
fessional work they have managed or directly created during their first year in the program. Materials are presented to the faculty and students for criticism, analysis, and potential improvement. (Spring semester only)
Courses in Advanced Management & Finance Public Finance
Covers management techniques central to the work of international economic and development policymakers, including financial management and project management. Also touches upon management of electronic information resources and technologies, including compilation and dissemination. (Fall semester only)
Public Sector Marketing, Strategic Planning, and Communication
The use of quantitative research techniques, statistics, and computer software in designing public policies and in evaluating, monitoring, and administering governmental programs. Practical applications include research, design measurement, data collection, data processing, and presentation of research findings.
This course deals with how public and nonprofit agencies interact with their external environment: how they generate revenue, and develop “brand identity”. The class further discusses the application of private sector marketing techniques to non-profit and governmental organization as well as methodologies and uses of strategic planning in the public sector. (Spring semester only)
Microeconomics and Policy Analysis, I & II
Nonprofit Management and Finance
Introduction and development of microeconomic concepts that are of particular importance in policy analysis and program evaluation. Background training in economics is recommended, although not required.
Financial Management in Government
Basic principles and actual practices of managing financial resources and accounting in government organizations at the federal, state, and local levels. Topics include Public budgeting and accounting systems, principles of financial reporting, taxation, intergovernmental aid, financial statement analysis, public securities, and debt management. Hands-on computer laboratory exercises provide training in financial analysis.
Accounting
Basic concepts of accounting are presented for use in internal decision-making and external financial reporting. Topics include transaction analysis, accrual accounting and its application to manufacturing operations, timing of revenue and expense recognition, long-term assets, and depreciation. Emphasis is placed on financial markets and determination of prices and yields of financial instruments. (Fall semester only)
Portfolio Presentation Workshop
This is a course during which the mid-career executives who are enrolled as students in the Executive MPA program exhibit and share pro-
How to organize, lead and fund nonprofit organizations. The course provides an overview of key issues in not-for-profit accounting and a summary of the main legal issues that are crucial to effectively manage a nonprofit organization. The ability to communicate evaluations and conclusions of situations, especially to audiences not trained in policy and management analysis, is stressed throughout the semester.
Public Sector Ethics
Discusses the policy process from the standpoint of ethics, as distinct from efficiency, effectiveness, expertise, cost or other organizational considerations. This course considers matters from the perspective of “quality” rather than “quantity,” although these certainly intersect. The course also attempts to develop some guidelines for ethical decision-making in politics and to determine how the use of such guidelines can be facilitated or instituted. (Spring semester only)
Political Environment of Policymaking
Evaluates the role of politics, interests groups, elected leaders and governmental institutions in the formulation and implementation of public policy. It includes a discussion of agenda setting, political management and the management of relations between administrative agencies and political leaders. (Summer semester only)
Economic Setting of Public Policy
Focuses on interrelations between the economy and public policy, both in terms of policies that aim directly at influencing economic performance and those that must be consistent with the limits imposed by the budget and the productive capacity of the economy. (Summer semester only)
Innovation in Public Management
Analysis of public management literature on innovation covering such topics as engineering, team-based management, privatization, public-private partnership, contracting, benchmarking, quality management, and strategic planning. Emphasis is on advantages and disadvantages of these techniques in a pointcounterpoint format.
Human Resource Management
Students will learn how to increase managerial effectiveness by understanding organizational design, group and team dynamics and individual behavior in organizations. Students will use their understanding of human behavior in different organizational contexts to leverage their capacity and potential as individuals and members of teams.
Cross-Sector Partnerships, Philanthropy, and Community Building
Through a combination of readings, case studies, dialogue, and projects, this course will familiarize students with projects that have a community-wide focus and involve multiple entities. Many non-profit organizations and public agencies have shifted from an organizational focus, where organizations received technical assistance on management issues, to a broader, more collaborative process.
Courses in International Economic Policy & Management Open Economy Macroeconomic Analysis
Examines key concepts in open economy macroeconomics, including national income accounts, balance of payments, aggregate consumption and investment behavior, demand and supply of money, inflation, effects of government spending and taxation, and unemployment, as well as primary theoretical approaches, such as Keynesian, monetarist, and rational expectations models. (Summer semester only)
International Political Economy
Explores the politics of international economic relations. Major topics include the political economy of international trade, international finance and monetary affairs, production, development, and North- South relations. Several contemporary debates are studied in depth, including the advisability of strategic trade policy, the impact of globalization on state autonomy in economic policymaking, and merits of different development strategies. (Summer semester only)
Global Context of Policymaking
An exploration of the contemporary international economic policymaking environment at the local, national, and international level. Examines the expanding field of international regulatory policy in areas such as finance, trade, investment, intellectual property, and the environment as well as key governance issues, including corruption, humanitarian and human rights issues, promoting participation, and developing civil society. (Summer semester only)
International Trade and Development
An exploration of the basis of trade, the gains
from trade, and the impact of trade on growth, employment, and income through in-depth analysis and case studies, simulations and policy debates. Topics discussed include the theory of comparative advantage, “new” trade theory, the terms of trade, protectionism in theory and practice, customs unions, the impact of the internationalization of production on trade, and contemporary debates, such as the role of environmental and labor standards in trade agreements and the effect of trade on poverty. (Fall semester only)
International Finance and Monetary Policy
Examines international finance and the institutions and principles governing the functioning of the international monetary system. Among the topics discussed are the structure, operation, and stability of foreign exchange markets, the causes and consequences of international accounts disequilibria, the mechanisms of balance-of-payments adjustment, the merits of different exchange rate regimes, financial crises, the effects of international capital mobility on trade, growth, and employment, and the problem of international policy coordination.
International Economic Policy Analysis
Application of the tools of international economic analysis and political economy to current policy issues. Sample topics include the Mexican and Asian financial crises, contemporary trade problems, international regulatory issues, the economic transition in Eastern Europe, and recent proposals to reform the international financial architecture. Students work in teams to write an in-depth paper analyzing a contemporary international economic topic.
Issues in Contemporary Security and Policymaking
This course examines central issues in contemporary international security policy (American
hegemony, multilateralism, civil and ethnic conflict, nuclear proliferation, globalization and failed states, state- building, democratization and violence, the war in Iraq, etc.) and key concepts in the academic study of international relations (e.g., realist and liberal approaches; traditional and nontraditional security concepts, ranging from the threat or use of force to environmental challenges)
Courses open to both concentrations Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility
This course will introduce students to the global context of CSR through comparative business perspectives. After considering the theoretical frameworks for undertaking CSR activities the course will addresses a number of public policy issues facing globalizing companies through a series of case studies. Under examination is the manner in which business and ethical considerations have impacted upon different social, labor, and environmental challenges. We will be asking students to consider: to what extent such factors have been, and will be, part of the corporate strategy decision-making process; why companies are having to adapt (or not) to different pressures; and whether they might sometimes be going above and beyond the standards required by regulation.
Communicating in Organizations
A survey course that explores aspects of day-today managerial communication, presentations and high- profile moments, as well as interpersonal communication. The course uses many teaching techniques: short lectures, individual and group exercises, videotaped presentations, role-plays, case discussions, video clips, and writing assignments.
EMPA Curriculum SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT CORE COURSES Sustainability Management
(on Weds Evening or Saturday) in place of EMPA Public Management The course translates academic study in organization theory, bureaucracy, and management into practical lessons for leaders. We develop a framework for understanding and applying tools that can be used to influence organization behavior and obtain resources from the organization’s environment. Earth system-related case studies present a set of problems for public managers to address. The focus is on state and local environmental management, with treatment of local land use and NIMBY (not in my backyard) issues. Cases will deal with public, private, and nonprofit environmental management, and will include U.S. and international settings. Each week students are either briefed by a group of their colleagues on a case or submit a two-page memo on the week’s case. Memo-writing, group process, and communication skills are taught through hands-on assignments.
Sustainability Economics
This course builds on core economics courses and addresses issues of environmental, resource, and sustainable economics. It focuses on the interaction between markets and the environment; policy issues related to optimal extraction and pricing; and property rights in industrial and developing countries and how they affect international trade in goods such as timber, wood pulp, and oil. The use of the world’s water bodies and the atmosphere as economic inputs to production are also examined. The economics of renewable resources is described and sustainable economic development models are discussed and analyzed. Some time will also be devoted to international trade and regulation and industrial organization issues. An important goal of the class is to have students work in groups to apply economic concepts to current public policy issues having to do with urban environmental and earth systems. Students learn not only economic concepts, but also how to explain them to decision-makers.
Financing the Green Economy
This finance course gives students a foundation in finance and financial models and an understanding of how environmental commodities markets regulate polluting industries and provide incentives for encouraging desired behaviors. Students will also investigate the credibility of “non-financial metrics” that often accompany sustainability efforts. This course is designed to explore the large-scale transition to a low-carbon economy through several distinct vantage points, including emerg-
ing environmental markets, new businesses and industries positioned to capitalize on perceived market opportunities in addressing environmental and other national priorities, and how changing energy and climate change policies affects prevailing social norms. By the end of the course, students should have a basic understanding of how emerging environmental markets currently function and may be expected to function in the future. In addition, students will understand how such markets are designed and regulated to achieve policy objectives. Students should also gain an understanding of who the “players” are in new businesses and industries affecting change in this space and for their own view of their likelihood of success. In addition, students should come away with an understanding of the main drivers of policy initiatives—including the underlying politics—that have shaped the environmental finance field to date and what drivers are influencing the current debate at the federal, state, and local levels. Appreciating the issues at the intersection of markets, commercial interests, and policy should prepare students to pursue further scholarship in related areas and equip them with an understanding of the dynamics and players that will serve them well in pursuing work professionally in the environmental finance industry, or in related commercial, governmental, and not-for-profit organizations.
Green Accounting
The course introduces practitioners of environmental science and sustainability management to a number of approaches to accounting for environmental costs in business and policy. The course provides a basic introduction to financial accounting and analyzes the income statement, cash flow statement, and the balance sheet using examples of cleantech and resource extraction companies. Conventional cost and management accounting concepts for business entities are introduced, with a focus on accounting for waste, depletion and byproducts. Green accounting methodologies with a systems focus such as life cycle analysis and sustainability metrics are presented. Conventional
national income accounting is introduced and critically evaluated, with a detailed examination of green accounting alternatives. Worked examples and case studies are integral to each topic. Students are assumed to have had no previous exposure to accounting.
Environmental Politics, Policy and Management
Environmental policy has changed significantly in the past three decades in the face of increasingly complex challenges of sustaining life on earth. Many proposed solutions to environmental problems rely on collective action and government policies and regulations that attempt to address the inherent market failures and externalities of natural resource degradation. The processes to establish these policies and institutions are far from simple. This course is designed to guide students interested in policy and management an understanding of how environmental policies are devised, implemented, and evaluated. This knowledge is critical for environmental professionals because great solutions to environmental problems mean little without the attendant political and institutional will and capacity to implement, evaluate, and modify them . Throughout the course we will highlight how values, policy processes, and the choice of policy tools and administrative factors shape policy outcomes. The course assesses the nature of environmental problems today and how society and policymakers view them. It examines the scale of problems, the interrelationships among ecological and human systems and how social values and technical challenges shape these problems. The course reviews the different types of environmental policy tools (regulation to markets, information disclosure, community-based management) to address the problems. It covers the key management issues and challenges to implementing different environmental policies. What are some mechanisms for effective stakeholder communication, enforcement, policy adaptation, and performance evaluation?
Sustainable Cities and Built Environments
( A combination of ecology, architecture, design, engineering and management) Probably teamtaught. This course prepares students to understand, analyze, and develop policies and procedures to address sustainability issues faced by urban centers in the developed and developing world, their decision-makers, and inhabitants. Enrolled students are assumed to have had no previous in-depth exposure to sustainable urban development and urban planning. By the end of the course, students will have learned the following skills necessary to develop strategies and related actions to enhance sustainability of cities: identify and support good practices in green and efficient urban development and planning; develop policies and foster technologies used to promote energy efficiency and reduced emissions from buildings and transportation; develop policies and foster technologies necessary to ensure access to clean water; develop policies and foster technologies necessary for the effective collection, disposal, and possible re-use of waste; create approaches to climate change adaptation measures undertaken by cities; develop, track, and analyze sustainability metrics and indicators for urban centers. The first half of the course focuses on macro issues of sustainable urban design and then focuses specifically on the built environment. The course will familiarize students with core architectural design strategies and mechanical/technical systems that can and will make existing facilities or new ones more resource and task efficient, all while creating an architectural environment that is, for its occupants, thermally comfortable, psychologically affective, sustainably instructive and, with any luck, architecturally poetic.
To be successful, a sustainable building must be an inspired and inspirational combination of architecture and sustainable science. The course will therefore focus on how the principals and technical details of climatic analysis and thermal comfort can, in combination with a building’s program, create a logical framework that can creatively and rationally guide the development of a sustainable building. While many of the sustainable strategies explored apply to both existing and new construction, the focus in this part of the course will be on new buildings. The course requires no previous experience with architecture, sustainable design or climatic analysis.
The Science of Environmental Sustainability
Global environmental threats have suddenly become part of our everyday life, both in the form of news on natural disasters in different parts of the world and through a series of new scientific discoveries. Scientific knowledge about our planet as a system in which there is an interplay between the atmosphere, oceans, and land surfaces has increased dramatically in recent decades. In step with that development is the understanding that our political and economic systems must take these global challenges seriously. Sustainable development was launched 20 years ago as society’s response both to conventional social problems, such as poverty, conflicts and ill-health, and to the new global environmental problems, such as climate change, the loss of biological diversity, water shortage, and changes in land-use. That means that sustainability science is a broad scientific field that studies integrated social and natural systems, processes, and structures, and
in which the objective of knowledge is the sustainable development of society. This interdisciplinary course seeks to provide a general overview in sustainability science and to help students develop new knowledge in order to better understand society’s role as communities beginning transitioning towards sustainable development. Topics covered may include: Ecology, Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Human Populations and Development, Water: Hydrologic Cycle and Human Use, Soil: Foundation for Land Ecosystems, Traditional and New Energy Sources, Environmental Hazards and Human Health, Global Climate Change, Atmospheric Pollution, Water Pollution and Its Prevention, and Sustainable Development.
Sustainability Metrics and Analytics
This course reviews typical measures used to track and assess an organization’s use of resources and its impact on ecological systems. The course requires students to develop and utilize measures and analyze their use and potential misuse in organizational settings. In order to manage something you must be able to measure it. If we are to develop and manage the high throughput economy, we must develop measures to determine whether or not sustainability is being promoted. This course provides the theory and practice of sustainability measurement and analysis.
Elective in an Environment or Energy Course
The program will provide access to topical and integrative courses that can be used to complete an elective. These will be offered on week nights and possibly through distance learning. These will range from courses on climate policy, water management, ,and energy efficiency to courses on carbon foot printing and life-cycle analysis.
A Glimpse of the EMPA Faculty William B. Eimicke is the founding director of the Picker Center for Executive Education of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Dr. Eimicke served as the director of fiscal studies for the New York State Senate, assistant budget director of the City of New York, and deputy commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Most recently, he was deputy commissioner of Strategic Planning at the Fire Department of NYC. Dr. Eimicke has also provided management training and assistance to a wide range of government and not-for-profit organizations, including the Fire Department of New York City, New York Racing Association, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Transitional Work Corporation of Philadelphia, the 92nd Street Y, the Northern Ireland Peacebuilders, and the United Nations Development Corporation. He is the author of Public Administration in a Democratic Context (Sage Publications, 1974). He also has written Tools for Innovators with Steven Cohen (Jossey-Bass, 1998); The New Effective Public Manager with Steven Cohen (JosseyBass, 1995); The Effective Public Manager, 3rd edition, with Steven Cohen (Jossey-Bass, 2002); and numerous articles on public management innovation, ethics, competition, and welfareto-work programs. He is a graduate of Syracuse University and holds an MPA and PhD from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. He previously taught at Syracuse University, Indiana University, Russell Sage College, the State University of New York at Albany, and Baruch College of the City University of New York.
Arvid Lukauskas is director of the Program in International Economic Policy and Management, and executive director of the Program in Economic Policy Management. He is an expert on international and comparative political economy, political economy of finance, and North-South relations. Some of his key publications include The Political Economy of the East Asian Crisis and Its Aftermath, edited with F. Rivera-Batiz (Edward Elgar, 2001); Regulating Finance: The Political Economy of Spanish Financial Policy from Franco to Democracy (University of Michigan, 1997); “The Political Economy of Financial Restriction: The Case of Spain,” in Comparative Politics; “Managing Mobile Capital,” in Review of International Political Economy; “Explaining Styles of Financial Market Opening in Chile, Mexico, South Korea, and Turkey,” with S. Minushkin in International Studies Quarterly; and “Financial Restriction and the Developmental State in East Asia,” in Comparative Political Studies. Dr. Lukauskas received a BA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1980. In 1986, he received an MPA from the University of Oklahoma and in 1992, a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.
Steven A. Cohen is the executive director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute. From 1998 to 2001, Dr. Cohen was vice dean of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. From 1985 to 1998, he was the director of Columbia’s Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration. From 1987 to 1998, he was associate dean for faculty and curriculum at SIPA. Dr. Cohen served as a policy analyst in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1977 through 1978 and from 1980 through 1981, and as consultant to the agency from 1981 through 1991 and from 2005 to the present. From 2001 to 2004, he served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Advisory Council on Environmental Policy and Technology. He serves on the board of directors of Homes for the Homeless. Dr. Cohen is the author of The Effective Public Manager (1988) and Understanding Environmental Policy (2006) and the co-author of Environmental Regulation through Strategic Planning (1991), Total Quality Management in Government (1993), The New Effective Public Manager (1995), Tools for Innovators: Creative Strategies for Managing Public Sector Organizations (1998), The Effective Public Manager, 3rd and 4th editions (2002, 2008), Strategic Planning in Environmental Regulation (2005), The Responsible Contract Manager (2008), and numerous articles on public management innovation, public ethics, and environmental management. He also writes a blog on The New York Observer Green page. He is a graduate of Franklin College of Indiana (1974) and the State University of New York at Buffalo (MA, 1977; PhD, 1979).
Executive MPA Admissions Deadline Applications for the fall semester must be received in the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid no later than July 1. Early admission deadline is March 1. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible. The following items, except standardized test results, should be collected by the applicant and submitted as a package to the Office of Admissions by the application deadline: • Application Form • Three Letters of Recommendation (professional) • Personal Statement (in three parts) • Official Transcripts from all colleges, professional schools, and universities (including Columbia) All documents not issued in English must be accompanied by certified English translations. • Application Fee • GREs are not mandatory for our program
Application Fee An application fee must accompany the application. Applicants using the online system pay a reduced fee of $85. Applicants who do not use the online system must submit a fee of $100.
Application Forms A downloadable pdf application is available at http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/joinempa. Complete and sign the application forms
and send to: Office of Admissions and Financial Aid School of International and Public Affairs Mail Code 3325 420 West 118th Street, Room 408 New York, NY 10027-9720
Personal Statement 1. Please elaborate upon your professional goals and how your prior employment/ volunteer experience has helped to prepare you to meet these goals. Your response should be no more than 400 words. 2. Describe what you consider to be your most significant past or present contribution to a community. Your response should be no more than 400 words. 3. Please provide any additional information about yourself that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. Your response should be no more than 200 words.
Interviews and Visits Prospective students are strongly encouraged to attend an open house and schedule an informational interview with the program’s faculty and administrators. Open houses are an excellent way to find out more about the Executive MPA program and meet faculty, staff, and fellow applicants. Informational interviews give prospective students a chance to determine more fully if Columbia’s program is right for them. Applicants are also invited to sit in on classes and speak with current students and faculty. To see a list of the upcoming Open House events, please go
to www.sipa.columbia.edu/joinempa.
Financial Aid Applicants to the Executive MPA program who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who will be enrolled for a minimum of 6 points per term are typically eligible for federal Stafford student loans of up to $20,500 per year. All interested applicants must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The School’s Title IV code is E00128. Following admission, all students who submitted a FAFSA form will be advised by the School of their eligibility for federal aid via an award letter with the forms and materials needed to apply for Stafford loans. Additional educational financing support sufficient to meet the full cost of attendance is available through an assortment of private lenders. Following admission, all students will be mailed a packet of information entitled Columbia Comprehensive Educational Financing Plan. This guide outlines the financing options recommended by Columbia University. Students in the Executive MPA program enrolled in at least two classes (6 points) of course work are eligible to have prior federal student loans deferred during their term of study. Please contact your lender for a Certification of Enrollment form and bring it to the Office of the Registrar, 209 Kent Hall, for certification.