Shape the World
- Public Administration
- Public Policy
- Urban Planning
- Real Estate Development
- Health Administration
- International Initiatives
“Our school represents the intersection of the intellectual areas determining the future of our society. SPPD combines different disciplines together to approach today’s complex social challenges in a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, solution-oriented way.”
Jack H. Knott, Ph.D.
C. Erwin and Ione L. Piper Dean and Professor of SPPD
“Urban Planning is about the future. It aims to improve the community and better the lives of the people who live there.”
Prof. David Sloane, Ph.D.
Director, Master of Planning Program
“Public administration is about public service. It’s about running our cities, government agencies and nonprofits. Our goal is to prepare students to be leaders who will solve today’s critical social problems.”
Prof. Shui Yan Tang, Ph.D.
Director, Master of Public Administration Program
“The field of public policy, at its core, produces social change.”
Associate Prof. Juliet Musso, Ph.D.
Director, Master of Public Policy Program
“We inspire our Ph.D. students to contribute to the scholarly foundations of our fields, to do path-breaking research, and to be recognized by the top research universities worldwide. We train our professional doctorates (DPPD) to advance the quality of the leadership demanded in the real world and bring years of experience to bear on today’s critical problems.”
Prof. Yongheng Deng, Ph.D.
Director, Doctoral Programs
“Healthcare administrators are the invisible partners of our healthcare system. They focus on the organization’s health — putting systems in place to keep facilities open and thriving, to ensure the delivery of quality services, and to make it easy for providers and patients to make the right decisions.”
Clinical Associate Prof. LaVonna Lewis, Ph.D.
Director, Master of Health Administration Program
“SPPD's research allows us to better understand communities and institutions. We apply this knowledge to create vital solutions to real-world problems.”
Prof. Genevieve Giuliano, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean for Research and Technology
“Ultimately, we want to ‘bring global home’ in a way that a global perspective is a normal perspective.”
Prof. Eric Heikkila, Ph.D.
Director, SPPD International Initiatives
“Real estate development is about training people to contribute to the built environment. It involves vision. It involves active engagement with the community. And it involves working with various disciplines and sectors to implement solutions.”
Prof. Raphael Bostic, Ph.D.
Director, Master of Real Estate Development Program
“The B.S. degree in Public Management, Policy, and Planning prepares students to be problem solvers, communicators, and leaders in their respective fields — both academically and professionally.”
Prof. Richard Sundeen, Ph.D.
Director, Undergraduate Program
SPPD News
SPPD Students Tackle Policy Issues Abroad
This past summer, more than 40 master's students representing all programs of study with the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development took part in the school's international lab program, doing research in Foshan, China, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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