Master of Public Policy (MPP) student Cathryn (Cate) Asp decided to pursue a graduate certificate in Survey Research in order to gain an understanding of how to apply the quantitative skills from her MPP to a slightly different field. She explains, “Understanding what goes into proper survey research is just as important as what goes into public policy analysis. Since those two things go hand in hand, the Survey Research certificate really compliments my MPP.”

Studying survey research has given Cate more insight into problem-solving and what problem-solving in different circumstances looks like. Her favorite course was PP 5385: Attitude Formation, which she took in 2020.  The course dealt with how people come to believe what they believe, and how this can be measured through survey research. Cate says, “It was a very timely course considering the divisiveness of the 2020 US election and it was particularly interesting to me because of my interest in politics as a whole.”