Pre-matriculation Preparation Program
Be Prepared! Support Materials For Your First Semester At CUPPA
Welcome to the Department of Public Policy, Management, and Analytics at the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs here at UIC. We’re excited to have you join us! The transition to graduate school takes on different meanings for our students, whether you’re coming straight from college or from a mid-career profession. Regardless of your past experience, we want to provide some helpful information, materials, and knowledge resources to make sure you feel prepared and ready to take on your graduate course of studies!
Pre-Matriculation Preparation Program Heading link
The pre-matriculation preparation program is broken into three different sections: Quantitative Skills, Writing Skills, and Professional Skills. Feel free to explore the resources within each section to better understand what awaits you over the next couple years at CUPPA!
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QUANTITATIVE
- In the data analysis and quantitative courses you’ll take at CUPPA, we will be using R as the platform for our data analysis and manipulation. If you have never heard of R before – don’t worry! The vast majority of our students have not. We use this instead of SPSS or other statistical software since it is on the forefront of data science as an open sourced and continually evolving platform.
- First things first – what is R? You can learn more about what R is and isn’t HERE.
- You’ll need two things to work with R – the actual R software (available HERE for Windows and HERE for Mac computers) and R Studio – the environment in which we can use and interact with R. When installation of R software is complete, Windows users see an R icon on their desktop, Mac users see it in their Application folder. You can download R Studio HERE – be sure to pick the version that matches your operating system. You need to download R first and then R Studio second. This should be done before your first day of class!
- If you’re still not totally feeling comfortable with this – don’t worry! It takes time to familiarize yourself with new technologies and concepts. If you want an intro into R and what we can do with it, take a look at this Youtube Video HERE.
- If you want to get some practice with R, use this handy Code Academy Course available here. It’s free to use and you get to interact with the software! It is 20 hours in all, but you can feel free to do any/all of the practice work. https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-r
- If you prefer LinkedIn, feel free to explore the courses available there. This 2 hour, 40 minute class helps demonstrate some very basic uses and concepts related to R. The class is through LinkedIn Learning – a free service for all UIC students! Sign in with your UIC email address:
- Don’t forget to familiarize yourself with some basic math and technology concepts – some of our students haven’t taken a math course since high school and the best time to brush up on some old pieces of knowledge is now!
- Do you know what the difference between mean, median, and mode is? If not, learn more about it in this short Khan Academy Lesson HERE.
- Do you know how to navigate and use basic functions in Excel? If not, learn more about this in a short Youtube video HERE.
- Did you take an algebra course? Do you remember the basics about linear equations? If not, check out Units 1-8 in this Khan Academy package HERE.
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PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC PLANNING
- A huge part of graduate school is preparing yourself for your career following your course of study. Of course we want you to leave with the hard skills needed to fulfill the responsibilities of your position, but we also want you to leave with the networking and relationship building know-how that is crucial to your success.
While you’re studying at CUPPA, we encourage you to get engaged with the many student groups we have in CUPPA. A full list of groups is available HERE! From social events to speaker series to alumni panels, these organizations do a terrific job of mobilizing our students. - While internal networking is important, we also encourage our students to get involved with external professional organizations, too! As part of your first semester coursework, you’ll be tasked with choosing a professional organization to join. Learn more about some of the organizations that our students have joined – as you’ll find, many of these organizations offer student memberships and have groups centered around young professionals. We encourage you to get involved, attend meetings, and build relationships with other members – who knows if there’s a job in it for you down the road!
- Don’t join yet though! You’ll have a chance to credit your membership without fee during your first semester.
- Revisit that resume! If you haven’t updated your resume yet, you’ll definitely want to include your new graduate studies to your education section. This is a super important document that you’ll use to apply to internships and jobs, send to recruiters, and use to introduce yourself to new industry contacts.
- If you need some pointers or advice on how to write a resume, make sure you visit UIC’s Career Services Page HERE.
- While not a traditional resume per se, it is also very helpful to have a LinkedIn account. You’ll want to leverage your network on this application to stay in touch with friends and colleagues.
- Sign-Up for LinkedIn HERE!
- “Six Tips for Better Exposure on LinkedIn for Graduate Students”
- Unsure where to start? Connect with CUPPA! Our LinkedIn Profile is HERE
- How to best structure your coursework to meet all requirements!
- Here are some examples of course plans that students have taken and enjoyed!
- As mentioned, we have many students from many different backgrounds – this diversity is one of the reasons our program is so strong! Some of you may be on the path to graduate in 3 to 4 semesters. For those individuals, take a look at the Full-time course plan. For those who are studying for their degree alongside a job and plan to take things a bit slower, check out the part-time course plans over 5 to 6 semesters where things are spaced out a bit more.
- Regardless of your program, your final semester at CUPPA will consist of one important course – your professional Portfolio (unless you graduate after the Summer Period, in which case you can take the Portfolio in the Spring). This is a mandatory course that builds upon all the work you’ve done throughout your studies at UIC. As part of your Portfolio class, you’ll need to present some of the work, essays, and projects you finished in previous semesters to showcase the development of your skill set.
- Another mandatory requirement is the Capstone Course – this final project course can take place in either your last or second to last semester depending on your schedule.
- NOTE: Be sure to keep your papers, essays, and other work that you’ve created for your courses saved in an organized and safe space. That way, come Portfolio time, you’ll be set up for success! If you don’t want to use your computer, you can always back up your files to Box using your UIC email account
- MSCA – degree progress form
- MPP – degree progress form
- MPA – degree progress form
- MPA – Full-time & Part-time draft course schedule
Tips
- Make sure you take PA402 your first semester if possible – if not, be sure to take it before PA541. While not mandatory, we do recommend taking PA403 before PA526 and PA528. Definitely try and fit in PA401 your first semester as many topics and skills used in the rest of the program are introduced and refined in this course.
- REMINDER: NOT ALL COURSES ARE OFFERED EVERY SEMESTER.
- TAKE A LOOK AT COURSE PLANS ABOVE TO FIND OUT WHAT IS USUALLY OFFERED WHEN!
- Do NOT expect all courses on the course guide to be offered each semester. This just represents what has been offered, but may not be necessarily representative of current or expected offerings.
- Think about your concentrations and look back at past courses that were offered in other semesters to get a feel of what might be available in the future.
- Have questions? Reach out to the academic advisor for PPMA Megan Daly here: mdaly3@uic.edu
- A huge part of graduate school is preparing yourself for your career following your course of study. Of course we want you to leave with the hard skills needed to fulfill the responsibilities of your position, but we also want you to leave with the networking and relationship building know-how that is crucial to your success.
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PROFESSIONAL AND POLICY WRITING SKILLS:
All courses in your given program of study in the Department of Public Policy, Management, and Analytics (PPMA) will include a heavy writing component – even the data intensive courses! So, it’s important that you feel comfortable writing in a professional academic setting.
Once you start your semester, feel free to drop by the Writing Center at UIC for advice and support. Their website is HERE.
Policy Memo: What Is It?
Policy Memos are the bread and butter for public policy and administration students. Condensed and purposeful writing is emphasized in order to clearly communicate important takeaways. A short intro to this type of writing is available HERE. Other examples and reminders on how best to structure your policy memo can be found HERE.
- As you can see, writing a policy memo differs from traditional academic writing in a few key ways. First, you want to start off strong in your executive summary and list the problem and proposed solution right off the bat – don’t wait until your conclusion to do this! Then, work through the evidence based on importance – most to least. Always be sure to look back and revise, cutting out extra fluff that doesn’t contribute to your main points.
- Take a crack at it! Many policy memos are capped at 2 pages. Here is a problem that you might encounter in some of your courses. Do your best to write a 200-250 word executive summary on what you would do to answer this question. Then, once you’re finished, take a look at some responses from students and how they would be assessed by your professors!
- DO THIS THROUGH EASY GOOGLE FORM!
- PROMPT & INFO
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY GUIDELINES
- NOW YOU TRY!
- SAMPLE GRADING RUBRIC
- What is being looked for and prioritized? How can students ensure success?
- Another important skill to revisit is citations – how to do them, why we do them, and how to be sure you’re citing work in the right way!
- https://owl.purdue.edu/ – Of course, the Purdue OWL Lab is a well-known resource for writers. From APA to MLA to Chicago Style, there are many different styles of citation. Most of the classes won’t have specific types mandated, but leave it up to the student to choose the best form for them.
- Zotero (and it’s mini-partner Zbib) are incredible research assistants! If you’re looking for a browser plug-in to help you along your researching path, feel free to download the Zotero Client. Otherwise, if you’re looking to create a quick bibliography or Works Cited, feel free to leverage such resources as Zbib.
- Do not underestimate the importance of proper citation! Plagiarism is a big no-no, so do everything in your power to properly credit the research you use in your papers.