Explore the New Directions Program
When graduate education meets community action, you can feel it. On June 6, 2026, faculty, students, and alumni from the CU Denver Center for New Directions in Politics and Public Policy joined more than 1,400 Coloradans at DemFest—bringing real-world learning into a real-time civic moment.
It’s the kind of experience that reflects CU Denver’s Meet Your Moment promise: education that fits real lives, builds practical skills, and connects people to the work happening across our city and state.
Putting Political Science Into Practice
The Master of Arts in applied Political Science from New Directions is built for change makers—people who want to apply political science, not just study it. Students learn to navigate the realities of policy, politics, coalitions, and community organizing, especially at the local level where decisions often have the fastest impact.
Whether students aim to work in local government, nonprofits, advocacy, or community-based leadership, the program emphasizes hands-on learning, community engagement, and skills that translate directly to the work.
New Directions at DemFest
DemFest is a free, all-day festival hosted by the Colorado Democratic Party to bring together union and community leaders, elected officials, and candidates for congressional and statewide offices.
For attendees, it’s a space to listen, ask questions, connect with candidates or fellow organizers, and learn what’s at stake in upcoming elections—alongside thousands of other engaged Coloradans.
CU Denver In The Mix: Leading Dialogue And Learning
Robin Kniech, New Directions lecturer and outgoing program director, helped shape the day’s civic dialogue by moderating five forums and fireside chats with candidates ahead of Colorado’s June 30 primary.
The conversations included several high-interest races, including:
- Phil Weiser and Michael Bennett for Governor
- Manny Rutinel and Shannon Bird for Congressional District 8
- United States Senate candidate Julie Gonzales
- Candidates in Congressional Districts 3 and 5
“Our courses teach the importance of civil and vigorous debate on the issues impacting people’s lives, so it was a real honor to ask important questions in a forum that included our students and alumni,” Kniech said.
Alumni And Students Turning Learning Into Impact
New Directions alumni and current students didn’t just attend—they participated as working professionals, organizers, and leaders.
Alumni Spotlight: Ian Coggins (’21)
Ian Coggins attended DemFest as a community organizer and Democratic Party leader. He was one of CU Denver’s “4+1” students, earning graduate credit while finishing his undergraduate degree—saving money and accelerating his path to a master’s degree.
“My New Directions degree provided me with practical skills and a policy foundation that continue to shape my work in politics, advocacy, and coalition building today,” Coggins said.
Students Spotlight: Dmitri Popov And Brittany Buckley
Current students Dmitri Popov and Brittany Buckley also attended as they near completion of their degrees. Like many New Directions students, they’re balancing school with full-time work—supported by the program’s weekend intensive course format designed for working professionals.
Brittany participated in DemFest as a campaign manager for a state legislative candidate. As an experienced political consultant, she pursued the master’s program to deepen her policy and applied leadership skills—and to keep growing in the work she’s already doing in communities across Colorado.
Dmitri was there with Democratic Education Council of Colorado (DEC-CO), advocating for a strong, equitable, and well-funded public education system that supports students and educators from preschool through higher education and lifelong learning. He’s pursuing a Masters from New Directions to hone his policy skills and working on a thesis focused on the cutting edge issue of copyright protection of visual art from commercial mimicry by artificial intelligence.
For prospective students exploring a master’s in political science in Denver, experiences like DemFest show what applied learning can look like: faculty creating access to meaningful civic spaces, students building networks, and alumni showing what’s possible after graduation.
New Directions helps students meet the moment with:
- Flexible weekend intensives built for working adults
- Career-relevant skills in policy, organizing, and public leadership
- A learning community that includes faculty, students, and alumni in the same real-world spaces