June 9 - July 28, 2012 • Ann Arbor, Michigan
PPIA is an intensive seven-week summer program that focuses on preparing students for graduate programs in public policy and international affairs. Courses focus on improving students' communication and quantitative reasoning skills, which are vital to their success in graduate programs. Ford School faculty teach most courses. Current MPP students and recent graduates serve as teaching assistants, leading discussion seminars and providing tutorial resources. PPIA fellows take three courses: statistics, microeconomics, and policy modules. PPIA Fellows attend classes in the morning and spend their afternoons working on problem sets, participating in discussion sessions, and seeking individual assistance in their courses.
- Statistics
This course covers descriptive statistics, probability theory, probability distributions, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing. It also includes an introduction to experimental design. The emphasis in the course is on preparing competent users and consumers of basic statistics.
- Microeconomics
This course teaches the fundamental concepts in microeconomic theory that are essential as a foundation for the study of public policy, law and international affairs. Students learn economic theory in order to model decision-making processes. They also learn how to evaluate whether an outcome is good for society and what incentives are needed to achieve a desired outcome. Each course lecture includes a policy debate where students use economic models to analyze a policy problem and propose solutions.
- Policy Modules
The purpose of the course is to improve communication skills -particularly writing composition - and to introduce students to policy analysis. The students will participate in two, three week policy modules. One focused on international policy and the other focused on domestic policy. The material and case studies used in the policy modules will parallel the statistics and economics courses in the techniques used in the analysis of specific policy issues. Students will write a series of policy memos analyzing each case. Oral presentations will also be part of the course.
- Writing Instruction
Students will work with the Writing Instructor for the duration of the program. The Writing Instructor conducts seminars on graduate school writing, with an emphasis on writing for a school of public policy and international affairs. He also meets with students in individual writing conferences to give feedback, suggestions and critiques.
- Students will participate in lunch meetings with guest speakers and attend professional development workshops focused on preparing for graduate school, the graduate school admissions process, writing a statement of purpose and creating a professional resume.
- During past programs, students have visited the cities of Detroit, Flint and Lansing to meet with government officials, community organizers and policy makers. They have also taken advantage of Ann Arbor's robust cultural and social atmosphere by participating in summer festivals like Top of the Park and the Ann Arbor Art Fair.
| Application deadline |
November 1, 2011 |
| Admission notification |
February 1, 2012 |
| Program begins |
June 9, 2012 |
| Program ends |
July 28, 2012 |
- PPIA Fellows who successfully complete any PPIA Junior Summer Institute and who are admitted to the Master in Public Policy (MPP) program at the Ford School will be eligible to compete for a Rackham Masters Award, consisting of four semesters of tuition and fees, a stipend (currently $10,000.00 per year) and health care.
- For more information about the Ford School 's PPIA Junior Summer Institute:
Megan Piersma
Program Coordinator, Student & Academic Services
PPIA Junior Summer Institute at University of Michigan
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
735 S. State Street, #2244
Ann Arbor, MI
48109-3091
Phone: 734-764-0453
Learn more about the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
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