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 and a student selects a for-credit internship course).
• 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 the equivalent of at least one year of professional experience in a government or nonprofit setting are required to complete an internship (paid or unpaid). 
• This program must be completed within 7 years.

Course List

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
PUAD 6910	Internship 2
Capstone		3
Select one of the following:
PUAD 5362	MPP Capstone Seminar (during the final semester)
PUAD 6950	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 are not required to register for PUAD/CRJU 6910 Internship. Students should contact their Advisor or the Internship and Capstone Connections Team to obtain more detailed information on internships, including completing the requirements of the university’s Experiential Learning Center (which administers all internships). 

Professional experience may be demonstrated in one of the following ways:

1. Completion of a 240-hour internship. Students will provide an essay on their accomplishments/achievements during the internship to their Program Director.
2. Completion of one year of work in a professional setting, preferably in a public administration, public policy, or criminal justice related position. Students will submit an Internship Waiver request to their Program Director prior to the start of the first semester.
3. Acceptance of a position acquired during the course of their SPA graduate studies. Students will submit an Internship Waiver request to their Program Director along with their job offer/letter of acceptance, for approval.  
4.  Enroll in PUAD 6910 Internship. A minimum of 300 hours of supervised work and study is required to earn the 3.00 credit hours for this course. The internship course 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.