The School of Public Policy and Law offers an intensive and comprehensive course on Law and Public Policy. The course examines the law, institutions, and norms that regulate the structure of government, the processes of governmental decision-making, and the substantive policies that order the relationship between government and the citizenry. The required course in Constitutional Law is essential to almost all areas of practice and career interests. The course is designed in a way so as to develop an understanding of the relationship between law and the analysis and implementation of public policy. The program also provides knowledge of objectives associated with public policy and of appropriate methodological approaches to analysing the social and economic effects of reforms.

Students choosing this track will therefore be introduced to the policy-making system, learn to formulate, analyze, and evaluate policies. Implementation, sometimes called the hidden chapter in public policy, will be explored primarily using case studies describing the practical realities of what happens after a statute is passed, a regulation is issued, a court decision is handed down, or a public or non profit agency decides on a course of action. The cases will be drawn primarily from areas such as education, health care, housing and economic development. Class discussions and related exercises will emphasize students' ability to frame the salient policy and implementation challenges, identify the strengths and weaknesses of potential solutions, and present and defend their recommendations to decision makers (e.g., legislators, agency officials, and judges).