The Markets and Regulation Certificate educates students in the structures and characteristics of regulated markets by analyzing the outcomes of markets for consumers and producers, evaluating how government policies alter post-regulation market outcomes, and considering costs and benefits of economic regulation.

Students who complete this certificate will be able to:

• Analyze market structure and firm behavior, identify resulting problems with markets, and evaluate the consequences of a variety of economic policies

• Evaluate regulatory policy as an economic phenomenon, modeling the goals of consumers, regulators, and firms, with an emphasis on institutional frameworks and career incentives of regulators and politicians who engage in regulatory processes

• Engage in economic policy work with background in the strengths and weaknesses of different policy alternatives, evaluated both analytically and through case studies

The certificate’s broad choices of electives encompass multiple fields and schools at the University, illustrating the many applications of regulation across public policy, law, and business. The electives cover regulation in a variety of contexts, including financial regulation, antitrust policy, intellectual property, environmental regulation, regulation and capitalism, and industrial organization.

Application Process

The certificate is open to Harris Public Policy graduate students only. Please indicate your intent to pursue this certificate during the application period open in October and June of each academic year. 

Planning for the Certificate

For information on which quarter(s) each course will be offered see the Harris Courses page and filter by certificate. For courses offered by other divisions the typical quarter(s) offered has been indicated.

Certificate Requirements

The certificate requires completion of one required course, along with two additional courses. No certificate course may be taken pass/fail. The courses do not need to be taken in a particular order.

Required courses

Students must complete the following course:

• PPHA 46350 Economics of Regulation

Elective courses

Students must complete two of the following courses to fulfill the requirement:

• PPHA 34241 Household Finance: Theory and Applications
• PPHA 36930 Environmental Economics: Theory and Applications
• PPHA 36941 Strategic Behavior and Regulation of Firms
• PPHA 37110 Competition Policy: Theory and Practice
• PPHA 42535 Banking Regulation and Management
• PPHA 60000 Policy Labs (with permission of the Certificate Director)
• BUS 42201 The Legal Infrastructure of Business
• ECON 28620 Crony Capitalism; must apply in February, offered in spring
• LAW 42801 Antitrust Law