Program Overview

Social Policy Analysis (SOPA) Program

The Social Policy Analysis (SOPA) program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of social sciences and public policy. The program offers a range of courses that equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to analyze and evaluate social policies.

Course Offerings

The SOPA program offers the following courses:

• SOPA 200: Approaches to Social Policy
  • Description: This course provides an introduction to the social sciences and the study of public policy.
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
• SOPA 238: Special Topics
  • Description: Topics and credit hours may vary each semester.
  • Credit Hours: 1-4
  • Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
• SOPA 300: SOPA Field Research Experience
  • Description: Students work on approved field research projects, write a research report for publication and present findings from their field research project to Rice faculty and staff.
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
  • Prerequisite(s): SOPA 200 and (SOSC 302 or STAT 310 or STAT 315)
• SOPA 309: Applied Econometrics for Policy Evaluation
  • Description: This course covers applications of statistics to policy analysis and evaluation.
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
  • Prerequisite(s): SOSC 302 or STAT 310 or ECON 307 or STAT 315 or DSCI 301
• SOPA 340: Introduction to Pandemic Response
  • Description: This course provides students with a broad, introductory-level overview of the knowledge and skills necessary for preparing a public health response to epidemics or pandemics of infectious diseases.
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
• SOPA 400: SOPA Capstone Research Seminar I
  • Description: Students work in teams under the guidance of a Rice faculty member, researcher, or community partner to evaluate or design a social policy intervention.
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
  • Prerequisite(s): (ECON 209 or SOSC 302) and (POLI 338 or SOSC 301) and SOPA 200 and SOPA 309
• SOPA 401: SOPA Capstone Research Seminar II
  • Description: The capstone research seminar is a two-semester course taken in the final year of study.
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
  • Prerequisite(s): SOPA 400 and (POLI 338 or SOSC 301)
• SOPA 477: Special Topics
  • Description: Topics and credit hours may vary each semester.
  • Credit Hours: 1-4
  • Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Program Requirements

The SOPA program requires students to complete a range of courses, including introductory courses, field research experiences, and capstone research seminars. Students must also meet the prerequisite requirements for each course.

Research Areas

The SOPA program focuses on a range of research areas, including:

• Social policy analysis and evaluation
• Public health response to epidemics and pandemics
• Applied econometrics for policy evaluation
• Field research experiences in social policy analysis

Conclusion

The Social Policy Analysis (SOPA) program at Rice University provides students with a comprehensive understanding of social sciences and public policy. The program offers a range of courses that equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to analyze and evaluate social policies. With a focus on research areas such as social policy analysis and evaluation, public health response, and applied econometrics, the SOPA program prepares students for careers in social policy analysis, public health, and related fields.