Focus Areas

Master's Program Focus Areas

The Master of Arts in Economic and Social Development of Regions allows students to focus their elective courses in a particular topic or policy area of personal or professional interest. Students are not obligated to follow any of these focus areas but may take any elective courses he or she prefers and build their own curriculum.  However concentrating on a specific focus area may better suit the student’s interests or better further their career or educational goals.

Below are the six focus areas in which students may direct their studies: 

This area is largely focused on US policy.  Courses in this area explore public policy in terms of labor, gender, social welfare, as well as sustainable housing, and municipal management.

Suggested Courses:

57.511  Dynamics of Power & Authority
57.515  Politics & Economics of Public Policy
57.520  Inequality & Organization
57.527  Sustainable Housing Development & Land Use
57.525  Gender, Work and Public Policy
57.545  Political Economy of Employment
57.507  Municipal Management

Courses in other programs:

PUBH.6250  Health Policy
CRIM.5730  Law and Public Policy
CRIM.5030  Administration of Criminal Justice
CRIM.5460  Mental Health & Criminal Justice

Global Development and International Policy

This focus area addresses globalization, links between local, regional and national policy issues and the impact of international politics, trade and development on domestic policy.  Students study development strategies, migration, gender roles, poverty, patterns of trade, the major institutions that influence trade finance and development, and the changing international division of labor and capital.

Suggested Courses:

57.513  Foundation of Comp. Reg. Dev.
57.520  Inequality & Organization
57.537  Developing Economies
57.539  Justice & Trade in the Global Economy
57.540  China & India/Global Economy
57.552  Enterprise in Latin America
57.605  Social Movements

Courses in other programs:

ECON.4100 Economic Growth and Development
ECON.4030 Topics in International Economics and Trade
57.558  Peace & Conflict Field Exp
PSYC.5270 Immigrant Psychology and Communities
HIST.3040 European Social and Economic History
MGMT.5110  Global Enterprise and Competition (2 credits)
PUBH.6530  Globalization, Work, and Health

Understanding sustainable development strategies requires a deep comprehension of the dynamics of community economic development, community politics and community practice.  Students who focus in this area address urban development strategies, sustainability, community inclusion in decision making, land use policy and planning, and management of non-profit organizations.

Suggested Courses:

57.598  Org. Dynamics & Regional Dev.
57.508  Budget/Policy, Plan, & Info Tool
57.512  Community Conflict Resolution
57.527  Sustainable Housing Dev & Land Use
57.532  Advanced Community Dynamics
57.535  Community-based Planning
57.546  Grant Writing
57.514  Community Mapping with GIS

Courses in other programs:

MGMT.4800  Special Topics: Nonprofit Management 
MKTG.4960  Special Topics: Marketing for Nonprofits
PUBH.6270  Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health
PSYC.5270  Immigrant Psychology and Communities
PSYC.5000  Introduction to Community Social Psychology
PSYC.5020  Seminar in Community Social Psychology
PSYC.5030  Applied Social Psychology
PSYC.5050  Work and Family
PSYC.5230  Women in the Community
PSYC.5420  Working with Groups
PSYC.5450  Community and Organizational Change
PSYC.6250  Advanced Community Dynamics: Lowell
ENGL.5060  Writing in the Community
CRIM.5600  Gender, Race & Crime
CRIM.6220  Intimate Partner Violence
CRIM.5740  Economic Crime
EDUC.6300  Educating Diverse Populations
EDUC.6220  Financial Aspects of Educational Administration
EDUC.6520  Managing Change and Conflict
ACCT.5010  Financial Accounting (2 credits)
FINA.5010  Business Financial Analysis (2 credits)
MKTG.5010  Marketing Fundamentals (2 credits)
POMS.5010  Operations Fundamentals (2 credits)

Students who focus in this area study the sources of competitive leadership among countries and within industries.  They become skilled at industry studies that involve the theory and sources of innovation, the path of technology design, competitive strategies, the role of financial strategies and skill development strategies in the innovative trajectory of industries and firms, and the impact of offshoring and global relocation on employment and on particular regions. 

Suggested Courses:

57.503  Work and Technology
57.514  Community Mapping
57.545  Political Economy of Employment
57.520  Inequality & Organization
57.519  Science, Tech & Economy
57.540  China & India/Global Economy

Courses in other programs:

ENTR.6500  Innovation & Emerging Technology
MGMT.4800  Current Topics in Management: Business Ethics
MGMT.5010  Organizational Behavior (2 credits)
PUBH.5000  Analytic Context of Work Environment
PUBH.6430  Healthy Work Organization
PSYC.5260  Workplace Diversity

Environmental issues are some of the most important challenges facing communities at the local, national, and global level.  This focus area introduces students to some of the most significant issues arising from the connections of economic activity and economic development to the quality and sustainability of the environment.  Students learn skills in the economic and political analyses relevant to the design and implementation of policy alternatives that have emerged domestically and globally over the last 40 years or so. From global climate change to brownfields, concern about environmental damage has created a rich legacy of economic and political analysis, policy, and politics to which students are exposed through the courses in the focus area.

Suggested Courses:

57.518  Politics of Climate Change
57.567  Introduction to Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
57.527  Sustainable Housing and Land Use
57.515  Politics and Economics of Public Policy

Courses in other programs:

PUBH.5000  Analytic Context of the Work Environment
PUBH.5500  Environmental Law & Policy
PUBH.6510  Work Environment Policy and Practice
PUBH.5500  Environmental Law & Policy
PUBH.6160  Law and Ethics in Healthcare
CRIM.5470  Economic Crime
ENVI.5040  Geographic Information Systems
ENVI.5720  Energy and the Environment

Student can put together a set of courses that will develop qualitative or quantitative skills to support jobs or further education that is oriented to research.

Suggested Courses:

57.506  Research Methods
57.592  Qualitative Research Methods
57.522  Research Ethics with Underserved Groups
57.546  Grant Writing
57.515  Politics and Economics of Public Policy
57.514  Community Mapping with GIS

Courses in other programs:

PUBH.6800  Intro to SAS
PUBH.6740  Applied Biostatistical Methods
PUBH.6890  Advanced Regression Modeling
PSYC.5120  Applied Research Methods
POLI.6110  Program Evaluation
MATH.5700  Probability and Statistics
MATH.5910  Statistical Modeling and Linear Regression Analysis
MATH.5930  Experimental Design