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School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences

EPPS CORE

Community Oriented Research Experience

UT Dallas > School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences > About > Research and Centers > EPPS CORE
Logo of EPPS CORE which stands for Community Oriented Research Experience. Two hands shaking in a circle.

EPPS CORE is a centralized gateway for community-engaged research, connecting local organizations with EPPS students and faculty to develop data-driven insights and strengthen regional decision-making. Through collaborative projects, CORE enhances our shared capacity to address pressing social, economic, and policy issues.

EPPS Projects, Partnerships, and Outreach

Community Outreach
  • Public and Nonprofit Management Annual Conference
  • SSN DFW Chapter at UT Dallas
  • Initiative for Civic Leadership (ICL) – ICL builds research partnerships with local governments and gives students a meaningful seat at the table in shaping public policy. ICL students are change-makers in action—through internships with local governments, nonprofits, and congressional offices, they transform classroom learning into real-world impact.
  • GIS Summer Workshop for High School Educators
Community Oriented Research: Projects
  • Dallas Police Department – Ongoing informal collaboration to evaluate the Dallas ordinance requiring sexually oriented businesses to close between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.
  • Texas Department of Public Safety – Finalizing an MOU to support multiple upcoming projects.
  • Police Strategies LLC (Seattle) – Ongoing projects, including a current study examining convergence and divergence between body-worn camera footage and officers’ use-of-force narratives.
  • San Antonio Mobile Mental Health Services Association – Evaluation research for the youth mental health initiative.
  • Collin County Sheriff’s Office – Partnerships through the county jail for program evaluations and the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program.
  • Windham School District – Evaluation of educational, vocational, and therapeutic programming provided within Texas state prisons.
  • Trusted World, Allen Police Department, and Garland Police Department – Research partnership examining the impact of Trusted World resources on officer job satisfaction and related outcomes.
  • Tarrant County Probation – Active partnership on ongoing projects.
  • Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PADOC) – Longitudinal study of correctional officer attitudes, wellbeing, and organizational outcomes.
  • Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) – Focused on training reform and redesign of the academy curriculum.
  • New York City Department of Correction (NYC DOC) – Advising on the design and implementation of a new recruit training academy curriculum.
  • CGL Companies / Philadelphia Department of Prisons – External evaluation of use-of-force patterns within the Philadelphia Department of Prisons.
  • CGL Companies / Harris County, TX Jail System – External evaluation assessing facility safety, staffing ratios, and outcomes for individuals incarcerated within the Harris County jail system.
  • Dallas Economic Development Corporation – PNM and PPPE faculty are developing customized comprehensive metrics for urban development and economic-impact analysis for the City of Dallas.
Experiential Learning
  • Archer Program
  • TLIP (Texas Legislative Internship Program)
  • Institute for Civic Leadership
  • Inside-Out Program
  • CONNECT at UTD – Experiential learning and community-engaged opportunities (epps.utdallas.edu/connect/)
  • Riipen – Used across criminology, sociology, and related disciplines for project-based experiential learning.
Community Oriented Research: Centers
  • Institute for Urban Policy Research – Provides research and evaluation, education and outreach, and guidance and consulting to inform, motivate, and inspire community-focused organizations working to improve quality of life in the communities they serve.
  • Texas Schools Project – Aims to improve educational and labor-market outcomes for students in Texas by collaborating with education leaders and policymakers to evaluate key policy issues and educational reforms.
Capstones
  • PSCI 6328 – Capstone in Cyber Security & Policy
  • PPOL 4300 – Capstone in Public Policy
  • Summer Cybersecurity Workshop for master’s students (U26)
  • SOC 4306 – Advanced Sociological Research
  • Multiple associated courses, such as PSCI 4372 – Advocacy for Politics: Success in Washington
  • Multiple graduate-level policy workshop courses, such as PPE 7V76 – Policy Research Workshop in Development Studies
  • Service-Learning in PNM Courses – The PNM/EPPS program serves local communities through service-learning components across graduate, undergraduate, and nonprofit courses.
  • PNM Capstone Program – Offers semester-long capstone classes where graduating students complete group projects benefiting local governments and nonprofits, ranging from analyzing budgetary impacts of development fees to consulting on redesigning human resource management systems.
  • SOC 6V92 – Research Workshop in Applied Sociology – Pairs students with industry or nonprofit partners for hands-on, project-based learning.
Industry Contacts
  • Cyber Security M.S. Program – Includes multiple practitioner-taught courses within the sequence, along with the Secure Dallas Conference with DigitalEra Group.
  • Taiwan Chamber of Commerce
  • Comerica Bank
  • American Airlines

Contact Us

School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences
epps@utdallas.edu