College of Urban and Public Affairs
Sy Adler, Ph.D., Interim Dean
Laura J. Hickman, Ph.D., Interim Associate Dean
Gil Miller, Ph.D., Assistant Dean
750 Urban Center, 503-725-4043
www.pdx.edu/urban-public-affairs/
The College of Urban and Public Affairs joins the disciplines of urban studies, public administration, criminology & criminal justice, political science, economics, and international & global studies under one roof. Just outside the doors of the Urban Center—in one of the nation’s most innovative urban regions—our students and faculty fuse theory and practice into solutions for the common good. Our students and faculty collaborate with community organizations, imagine original solutions, and implement them in real-time. Upon graduation, our students are equipped to improve the livability of their communities.
In a state where land-use planning, transportation, environmental aspects of urban growth, community policing, low-income housing, solid waste recycling, and community engagement are a model for the nation, our urban location provides the perfect applied laboratory for the college's groundbreaking work.
Mark O. Hatfield School of Government
The Mark O. Hatfield School of Government is one of the well-known public policy schools in the country. It includes Political Science, and Public Administration. Our nationally-ranked programs in public administration, nonprofit management and political science help prepare students to improve the way we govern and lead. Faculty and students of the Hatfield School are involved in an impressive range of community collaborations around public policy and administration, civic leadership.
Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning
The Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning is the nation's oldest continuously operating instructional program in urban studies. Graduates can be found in public, private, and nonprofit planning offices throughout North America and around the globe. The mission of the school is to assist in the development of healthy communities through an interdisciplinary program of teaching, research, and public service.
Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice
The Criminology & Criminal Justice Department brings together students and faculty who are interested in a) studying the causes, prevention, and control of criminal behavior and b) promoting efficiency, effectiveness, and equity at all levels of the criminal justice system. The department offers a bachelor’s degree, minor, postbaccalaureate certificate and master’s degree. Each program is designed to equip students with career-relevant skills for lifelong professional success and the practical tools needed for helping to improve and reform the criminal justice system.
Department of Economics
The mission of the Department of Economics is to provide high-quality graduate and undergraduate education while generating top-notch applied and theoretical research that garners national recognition within a supportive academic community. The department offers a wide range of courses and a variety of academic degrees, including bachelor’s degrees, a master’s degree, and a four-course Graduate Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. The department also sponsors year-round seminars for students that address crucial policy-oriented and theoretical topics.
Department of International and Global Studies
The Department of International and Global Studies endeavors to foster a deep understanding of global issues, such as social justice and human rights, international development, environmental justice, health, international conflicts, gender and sexuality, and labor rights. We offer four B.A. concentrations: two thematic, interdisciplinary options, in Global Studies and International Development Studies, and two with regional specialization, in Asian Studies and Latin American Studies. The department also offers a minor and seven undergraduate certificates designed to add a global dimension to any degree. Our programs offer an excellent foundation for careers in which an understanding of global economic, political, social, historical, and cultural processes is important. Our students have also secured admission to top interdisciplinary and traditional graduate programs in the US and overseas.
Department of Political Science
The Political Science Department is dedicated to understanding the nature of power and governance, and to giving students the tools they need to make a meaningful difference in their communities. Students have the opportunity to focus on the four main fields of political science – American, Comparative, International Relations, and Political Theory - and may also specialize in several other subfields such as law, public service, international development, campaign management, and women’s leadership. Career possibilities for graduates abound because students can customize their degree program around hands-on concentration options, multi-disciplinary opportunities, internships, and rigorous curricula. Graduate students enter a world of professional academic scholarship and analysis, preparing them for doctorate-level study or leadership careers at non-governmental organizations, think tanks, or political consulting.
Department of Public Administration
The Public Administration Department is home to ten multidisciplinary programs designed to equip current and future leaders in addressing contemporary social issues in the public sector, nonprofit sphere, health care administration, and beyond. Our faculty and community of instructors offer decades of wisdom gleaned from both studying and applying theory. This wisdom is continuously being practiced and refined, as faculty members and instructors remain actively engaged in scholarship, service, and practice. Our Department provides education and professional development, engages in applied research and consulting with public sector partners, and leverages the scope of these activities through publication.
Graduate Certificates
- Certificate in Applied Social Demography
- Graduate Certificate in Collaborative Governance
- Graduate Certificate in Econometrics and Data Analysis
- Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management and Community Resilience
- Graduate Certificate in Energy Policy and Management
- Graduate Certificate in Environmental and Resource Economics
- Graduate Certificate in Gerontology
- Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit and Public Management
- Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development
- Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Food Systems
- Graduate Certificate in Transportation
- Graduate Certificate in Urban Design
Undergraduate Certificates
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Criminology & Criminal Justice
- Global Studies Certificate
- International Development Certificate
- African Studies Certificate
- Asian Studies Certificate
- European Studies Certificate
- Latin American Studies Certificate
- Middle East Studies Certificate
- Contemporary Turkish Studies Certificate (not accepting new admission to the certificate)
- Campaigning to Win a U.S. Political Campaign
- Women's Leadership
- Institutional Economics
Non-Credit Certificates
- Professional Certificate in Nonprofit Fundraising
- Professional Certificate in Nonprofit Program Evaluation
- Certificate in Tribal Relations
Minors
- Minor in Civic Leadership
- Minor in Community Development
- Minor in Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Minor in Law and Legal Studies
- Minor in Political Science
- Minor in International & Global Studies
- Minor in Economics
- Minor in International Economics
- Minor in Political Economy
- Minor in Sustainable Urban Development
Bachelor Degrees
- B.A., B.S.—Criminology and Criminal Justice
- B.A., B.S.—Community Development
- B.A., B.S.—Political Science
- B.A., B.S.—Political Science: International Development
- B.A., B.S.—Political Science: Public Service
- B.A., B.S.—Urban and Public Affairs
- B.A., B.S.—Economics
- B.S.—Quantitative Economics
- B.A.—International & Global Studies: Africa (not accepting new admission to this concentration)
- B.A.—International & Global Studies- Asia
- B.A.—International & Global Studies- Europe (not accepting new admission to this concentration)
- B.A.—International & Global Studies- Latin America
- B.A.—International & Global Studies- Middle East (not accepting new admission to this concentration)
- B.A.—International & Global Studies- International Development Studies
- B.A.—International & Global Studies-Global Studies
- Combined Undergraduate/Graduate Program: B.S.—Quantitative Economics and M.S. in Economics
Graduate Degrees
- M.S.—Criminology and Criminal Justice
- M.A., M.S.—Economics
- M.S.—Emergency Management and Community Resilience
- E.M.P.A.—Executive Master of Public Administration
- M.P.A.—Nonprofit Management
- M.P.A.—Natural Resource Policy and Administration
- M.P.A.—Local Government
- M.P.A.—Global Leadership and Management
- M.P.A.—Human Resource Management
- M.P.A.—Health Management and Policy
- M.P.A.—Health Administration
- M.P.P.—Master of Public Policy
- M.R.E.D.—Master of Real Estate Development
- M.S.—Political Science
- M.U.R.P.—Master of Urban and Regional Planning
- M.U.S.—Master of Urban Studies
- Ph.D.—Public Affairs and Policy
- Ph.D.—Urban Studies, Urban Studies: Regional Science