Public Policy, MPP
Program Director: Tanya Heikkila, PhD
Introduction
The Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree prepares students to design, advocate for, and evaluate public policy from positions inside or outside of government. Students will gain understanding of public policy design and analysis techniques, as well as the role of politics and power in influencing the making and implementation of public policy. Democratic norms constitute the bedrock and lodestone of this program, emphasizing principles of political equity and human dignity for all.
To learn more about our renowned faculty, please view their bios on the School of Public Affairs website.
Program Delivery
- Courses are offered on campus, online, and hybrid formats.
Program Requirements
- Students must successfully complete at least 36 credit hours of approved coursework (or 39 credit hours if the internship is required).
- Students must maintain at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA in this program.
- Students must earn at least a B- in all core coursework and at least a C in all elective coursework to be accepted for graduate credit towards the degree.
- No more than 6 credit hours of Independent Study may be applied toward the degree.
- Students who have not had at least one year of professional work experience in the public or nonprofit sectors must complete an internship through an additional 3-semester-hour course, bringing their total semester-hour requirements to 39.
- This program must be completed within 6 years.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Courses | ||
| All MPP students must complete the following seven core courses or approved equivalents: | ||
| PUAD 5003 | Research and Analytic Methods | 3 |
| PUAD 5004 | Economics and Public Finance | 3 |
| PUAD 5005 | The Policy Process and Democracy | 3 |
| PUAD 5310 | Principles of Policy Design | 3 |
| PUAD 5320 | Public Policy Analysis | 3 |
| PUAD 5380 | Public Participation, Political Equity, and Government | 3 |
| PUAD 5750 | Policy Workshop Seminar 1 | 3 |
| Required Elective Courses | 12 | |
| Select four elective courses from a pre-approved list and/or with approval from the program director. | ||
| Internship | 3 | |
| Internship 2 | ||
| Capstone | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| MPP Capstone Seminar (during the final semester) | ||
| Master's Thesis 3 | ||
| Total Hours | 39 | |
- 1
This is a 1-credit course that must be taken three times with different topics each time.
- 2
Internship: Students who have limited experience (generally defined as less than one year of experience) in public, nonprofit or relevant private-sector service must enroll in PUAD 6910 Internship. The decision to require PUAD 6910 Internship for a particular student is made by the faculty admissions committee or the student's faculty advisor upon the student's acceptance to the MPP program. A minimum of 300 hours of supervised work and study is required to earn the 3.00 credit hours for this course. The internship requirement raises the total credit hours needed to earn the MPP degree from 36 to 39.
- 3
Students completing a thesis must enroll in the 3-credit PUAD 6950 course twice, for a total of 6 credits, with approval by and in consultation with the program director prior to enrolling in the course. The thesis option increases the total number of credits to complete the program from 36 to 39.
Optional Concentrations
Students in the MPP program may select one of the concentrations below or complete the MPP without a specified concentration. All students completing a concentration take their electives in the area of their concentration, complete the advanced seminar project in the area of their concentration and are advised by faculty from the concentration.
Education Policy Concentration
The concentration in Education Policy provides students with an understanding of how K-12 education is governed, financed, and regulated in the United States. Students will become familiar with the interaction between federal, state, and local policies and with the context in which education policy is formulated and implemented. The Education Policy concentration requires a total of 12 credit hours.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Courses | ||
| PUAD 5200 | Education Policy | 3 |
| PUAD 5210 | Education Finance | 3 |
| Required Elective Courses | 6 | |
| Select two additional elective courses from the list below or select unlisted courses that have been approved in advance by the program director. | ||
| Seminar in Nonprofit Management | ||
| Nonprofits and Public Policy | ||
| Nonprofit Financial Management | ||
| Strategic Management for Nonprofit and Public Managers | ||
| Social Entrepreneurship | ||
| Education Systems Leadership | ||
| Principles of Policy Design | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
| Program Evaluation | ||
| Political Advocacy | ||
| Local Government Management | ||
| Local Government Politics and Policy | ||
| Social Problems and Policies | ||
| Leadership Practices for Transformative School Reform | ||
| Family Policy and Law | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Environmental Policy Concentration
The concentration in Environmental Policy provides additional knowledge and skills relevant to careers in environmental policy. The Environmental Policy concentration requires a total of 12 credit hours.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Courses | ||
| PUAD 5631 | Seminar in Environmental Politics and Policy | 3 |
| Required Elective Courses | 6 | |
| Select two additional elective courses from the list below or select unlisted courses that have been approved in advance by the program director. | ||
| Environmental Communication | ||
| Economics of Natural Resources | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Climate Change: Causes, Impacts and Solutions | ||
| Environmental Modeling with Geographic Information Systems | ||
| How to think green: Environmental Ethics | ||
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Policy Analysis Methods Concentration
The concentration in Policy Analysis Methods provides training for students interested in building additional quantitative and qualitative skills used in traditional public policy analysis. The Policy Analysis Methods concentration requires a total of 12 credit hours.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Course | ||
| PUAD 5330 | Intermediate Statistical Analysis (An equivalent intermediate statistical analysis course may be substituted with director approval.) | 3 |
| Required Elective Courses | 9 | |
| Select three additional elective courses from the list below or select unlisted courses that have been approved in advance by the program director. | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods | ||
| Evidence-Based Decision-Making | ||
| Program Evaluation | ||
| Economic Forecasting | ||
| GIS Applications for the Urban Environment | ||
| GIS in Political Science | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Policy Entrepreneurship and Advocacy Concentration
The concentration in Policy Entrepreneurship and Advocacy is designed for students who are primarily interested in careers that involve developing and advocating for policy solutions in their particular areas of interest. The Policy Entrepreneurship and Advocacy concentration requires a total of 12 credit hours.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Courses | ||
| PUAD 5180 | Social Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| PUAD 5370 | Public Discourse and the Policy Process | 3 |
| PUAD 5460 | Political Advocacy | 3 |
| Required Elective Course | 3 | |
| Select one additional elective course from the list below or select unlisted courses that have been approved in advance by the program director. | ||
| Nonprofits and Public Policy | ||
| Law and Public Policy | ||
| Environmental Communication | ||
| Political Communication | ||
| Social Movements, Democracy and Global Politics | ||
| Community Organizing and Community Development | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |