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School of Global Policy and Strategy School of Global Policy and Strategy

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Quantitative Certificate

A strong command of quantitative methods is essential to accurately work through a range of types of data sets, with the ultimate goal of developing meaningful and effective policy. This GPS program allows students to gain a certificate in quantitative methods. 

Program Overview

The Quantitative Certificate program offers a deep dive into applied data analysis, with course offerings on topics including marketplace behavior, field experiment development, survey methods and big data, which is fast becoming an important area of study for policy development. 

The program certificate is open to current students enrolled in a master's degree or Ph.D. program at GPS. The certificate will not show as part of a formal transcript, rather it is a signed “Certificate of Completion” document that you can provide to potential employers or program advisers. You can list it on your resume, CV and applications, documenting that you have developed state of the art skills in this area. 

Questions? Contact Professor Craig McIntosh, the director of the Quantitative Certificate program.

Curriculum

To gain a certificate of completion, all courses must be completed with a “B” letter grade or  better, and can overlap with degree requirements for the MIA, MPP or MCEPA degrees. Students must take two required  courses and one elective course:

Required Courses (students must take two classes; one class from each category below) 

I.

  • GPEC 446 - QM III - Applied Data Analysis and Statistical Decision Making
    -OR-
  • GPIM 452 - Big Data Analytics

II.

  • GPEC 464 - Designing Field Experiments
    -OR-
  • GPIM 421 - Marketplace Behavior and Survey Methods

Elective Courses (students must complete one of the following four courses) 

  • GPIM 424 - Corporate Finance 
  • GPEC 435 - Topics in International Trade (requires GPEC 446 as prerequisite)  
  • GPIM 457 - Cost-Benefit Analysis 
  • GPCO 462 - Public Policy Capstone (capstone project must get approval as matching requirements for certificate) 
  • GPCO 468 - Evaluating Technological Innovation (requires GPEC 446 as prerequisite)