Policy Clinic

Information for students

About

The Policy Clinic is a focal opportunity for experiential learning that focuses on integrating a wide array of quantitative and technical tools on policy and management problems. Teams of 4-5 students spend two quarters working closely with external clients (including weekly meetings with the client supervisor) to develop final deliverables by June. An instructor oversees the entire process, and delivers concurrent course activities designed to support the students and clients. The academic year culminates in a symposium that celebrates the products, impacts, deep learning and hard work of our students and their client partners.

Registration

The CRN for each quarter will be provided by the Program Coordinator when the registration period opens.

Fall: ENV 203P (2 units)
Winter: ENV 203A (4 units)
Spring: ENV 203B (4 units)

Timeline

July- September 15	The program solicits project proposals.
October	The program reviews proposals for fit and feasibility EPM students review project proposals and rank their preferred projects "Finalist" clients, identified based on student and instructor reviews, present to the class via Zoom Final projects identified and student groups assembled
November	Student teams will meet with clients to develop a Draft Scope of Work and identify a regular meeting schedule for January-March
January	Projects begin (instruction begins) Scopes of Work finalized
March	Clients receive a mid-point survey and will meet with the Instructor to discuss Spring break Spring quarter instruction begins
End of May	Policy Clinic Report (written by student) is due
June	Environmental Policy Symposium. Students present final project findings at this public event Final deliverables are due to the client and program

International students in the Clinic

Per the Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) office, international students on both a J1 and F1 visa must request work authorization to enroll in the Policy Clinic. After project groups are finalized, international students will receive a letter with project details. After receiving the letter, the students should schedule a meeting with their assigned SISS advisor and submit the work authorization request.

Presentations

Final presentations are open to the public and are hosted in early June. Students are expected to attend in person and are graded based on their presence during the entire day. There will be a reception that follows presentations.

Policy Clinic Report

Each student is responsible for writing a Policy Clinic Report. This report is evaluated as a part of the student's Comprehensive Exam portfolio. After the Policy Clinic concludes, a summary report is written by the instructor evaluating each group's work. The report includes client mid-point and final survey results as well as each student's Policy Clinic Report. These elements are reviewed and approved by the Comprehensive Exam Committee.