School of Public Policy 499D - Big Problems: Capstone Lab

Spring
2026
01
4.00
Brenda Bushouse

TU TH 1:00PM 2:15PM

UMass Amherst
82341
Thompson Hall room 620
bushouse@umass.edu
What are your community's most pressing problems? Policing? Housing? What are the world's? Ending global hunger? Climate? How might we address this problem today? This course is the second in a two-course sequence and is an option for students in the Commonwealth Honors College. It continues their thesis research begun in the fall semester SPP 499C in which they chose a question, wrote a literature review, and learned about research designs best suited to answering their research questions. In this semester, students will execute their research plan. Further, they will reflect and synthesize their experiences, knowledge, and skills developed throughout their undergraduate careers. The end product is a thesis written by the student relating to a policy or management problem today. This course allows for honors students to gain from in-depth research for developing impactful thesis, and satisfies the IE requirement for Public Policy majors.

SPP 499C

Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only.