Master of Public Policy Program Director: Tanya Heikkila, PhD
Master of Criminal Justice Program Director: Erin Orrick, PhD

Introduction

The fields of public policy and criminal justice often intersect and complement one another. This dual-degree program provides students with the opportunity to focus on crime and criminal justice issues while learning policy analysis, design, and implementation strategies that shape decision-making across public, nonprofit, and governmental systems. The total number of credit hours required to earn both degrees through this program is only 12 more than the total number of credit hours required for the Master of Public Policy or the Master of Criminal Justice standalone degrees.

Admission

Students interested in pursuing a dual-degree program must apply to and be admitted to each of the individual programs. Students admitted to one program may choose to apply to the other program at a later date. Learn more about how to apply for each of the programs on the School of Public Affairs website.

Program Delivery

• Courses are offered on campus, online, and in remote and hybrid formats.

Program Requirements:

1. Students are required to complete at least 48 credit hours of approved coursework (or 51 hours if internship is required.
2. Students must earn a minimum B- grade in each required course applied to satisfy degree requirements and must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
3. No more than six semester hours of Independent Study may be applied toward the degrees.
4. For more detailed information about course sequencing and requirements, contact your advisor.
5. This program must be completed within 7 years.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses		33
PUAD 5004	Economics and Public Finance 1
PUAD 5005	The Policy Process and Democracy 1
PUAD 5310	Principles of Policy Design
PUAD 5320	Public Policy Analysis
PUAD 5380	Public Participation, Political Equity, and Government
PUAD 5750	Policy Workshop Seminar 2
CRJU 5001	Crime and Public Policy
CRJU 5002	Criminological Theory
CRJU 5005	Law & Society
CRJU 5303	Applied Research I: Design and Methods
CRJU 5304	Applied Research II: Quantitative Data and Analysis
Electives		12
Students are required to choose four elective classes from a pre-approved list and/or with approval
Capstone		3
Students must complete Capstone Seminar or Master Thesis
PUAD 5362	MPP Capstone Seminar
or CRJU 5361	Capstone Seminar
PUAD 6950	Master's Thesis
or CRJU 6950	Master's Thesis
Internship		3
PUAD 6910	Internship 4
or CRJU 6910	Internship in Criminal Justice
Total Hours		51

¹

It is highly recommended PUAD 5004 and PUAD 5005  be taken in the first semester as they asre a prerequisite for the remaining MPP core classes.

²

This is a 1-credit course that must be taken three times with different topics each time.

³

PUAD 5303 or CRJU 5303 can be used towards both degrees.

⁴

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 Dual MPP/MCJC Program.