Goucher announces new head of M.A. in Applied Policy Analysis
Stefanie Kasparek has been announced as the new program director for Goucher's M.A. in Applied Policy Analysis.
Goucher is proud to announce Dr. Stefanie Kasparek as the new director of our M.A. in Applied Policy Analysis program.
Kasparek is an assistant professor of data science who received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Temple University, Philadelphia. With a background in both statistics and policy, Kasparek is excited to share her expertise in this unique program blending the two disciplines.
“The APA program is about using quantitative data to see how policy decisions have impacted their communities,” Kasparek said. “It’s about how a better understanding of data can help influence policy decisions.”
The M.A. in Applied Policy Analysis is designed to give students the data tools to advocate for and initiate policy change on a wide scale. The program helps students develop the tools and confidence needed to analyze complex problems and apply their knowledge and insights in professional, academic, and public settings.
Kasparek said it’s Goucher’s long history of social justice that encouraged her to join the college.
“There are many programs out there that either concentrate on public policy or how we analyze data, but Goucher’s program is about making the connection to how data can be used to create something that is good and socially important,” Kasparek said. “Very often in our field, we just do small aspects of a job and are limited in what we do. The APA program allows you to take a step back, see the broader picture, and take it all in.”
Kasparek’s research specializes in the behavior and impact of international organizations and state actors. With a focus on real-world impact, her research informs both academic debates and policy discussions, contributing to evidence-based solutions in global governance.
She previously received the Box-Steffensmeier Scholarship for Women in Quantitative Research, the EITM scholarship to attend the ICPSR Summer Program, and was also selected to participate in the Empirical Implications of Theoretical Models (EITM) summer institute.