The Master of Public Policy is an interdisciplinary professional program designed to prepare individuals to be public policy professionals in the public, non-profit, and private sectors. The degree is built upon the disciplinary foundations of public policy, public administration, political science, economics, and public affairs. The degree is jointly administered by the Departments of Public Administration and Political Science.
The curriculum focus is acts of public policy, meaning the allocation of public values by authoritative institutions. The curriculum is designed to respond to the need for advanced training in public policy analysis and leadership/advocacy to succeed in today’s complex policy environments. The degree may be pursued on a full-time (2 years) or part-time basis. Graduates of MPP programs typically find employment in policy analysis and leadership/advocacy positions, especially in high-level public agencies, the private sector, and the non-profit sector.
Admission Requirements
The MPP program admits students once a year starting in the Fall Term. Only one application is required in order to apply to the Master of Public Policy program. Faculty begin reviewing applications on January 31 and continue through early July, although applicants are encouraged to apply early in the application cycle.
The following materials should be submitted through the application link found on the Graduate School's website.
- Non-refundable $65 application fee (no cash)
- One transcript from each post-secondary institution attended (both sides need to be uploaded)
- Statement of Financial Support and Declaration of Finances (if International)
- International Applicants who currently reside in the United States with an F-1 or J-1 visa must fill out the SEVIS form
- Official TOEFL scores if the applicant does not speak English as a native language and has not received a graduate or undergraduate degree in an English-speaking territory
- A 500 word statement of intent. The statement should address the following: 1) Professional goals; 2) Planned area of study (policy specialization); 3) Desired employment sector; 4) How the degree furthers achievement of your professional goals
- Three recommendation letters from individuals familiar with the applicant's academic and/or professional capabilities. Preferably, two of the three letters should be from former instructors or from individuals with knowledge of your professional performance and potential.
- A current resume.
Degree Requirements
Credit requirements
The Master of Public Policy program requires 54 credit hours of required, elective, and professional development coursework.
The credits are distributed as follows:
| | First-Year Cohort Courses | 11 |
| | Methods Core Courses | 10 |
| | Elective Core Courses | 9-12 |
| | Policy Analysis or Leadership Track Courses | 9 |
| | Policy Specialization Courses | 9 |
| | Summative Policy Project | 3 |
| | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Course | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 54 |
Courses and Credits
Cohort Courses
Methods Core Courses
| PA 551 | Analytic Methods in Public Administration I | 3 |
| PA 552 | Analytic Methods in Public Administration II | 3 |
| PS 591 | Testing Theories in Political Science | 4 |
Elective Core Courses
Choose 9 credits from the following courses:
| PA 538 | Advocacy and Political Participation by Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| | or | |
| PAP 512 | Introduction to Policy Advocacy | 3 |
| | | |
| PA 554 | Policy Analysis Research | 3 |
| PA 579 | Policy Tools in Policy Design | 3 |
| PS 515 | Comparative Public Policy | 4 |
| PS 576 | Politics of Inequality in the United States | 4 |
| USP 615 | Economic Analysis of Public Policy | 4 |
USP 615 may be replaced by a comparable course (subject to approval by the program director)
Track Courses
Students choose
one of the following two tracks as part of their course specialization work:
- Policy Analysis Track: Students take 9 credits of courses relating to policy analysis including research design and methods, cost-benefit analysis, forecasting, program evaluation, impact assessment, decision-making, systems modelling, and other subjects.
- Policy Leadership/Advocacy Track: Students take 9 credits of courses relating to policy leadership and advocacy, including policy process, communication, legal reasoning, network-building, policy arguments, problem solving, political feasibility, advocacy, and management.
Policy Analysis Track
| CCJ 520 | Analysis of Crime and Justice Data | 3 |
| CE 566/ESM 566 | Environmental Data Analysis | 4 |
| Comm 572 | Communication and Public Opinion Seminar | 4 |
| Ec 527 | Cost-Benefit Analysis | 4 |
| Ec 528 | Project Evaluation | 4 |
| Ec 570 | Econometrics | 4 |
| Geog 588/USP 591 | Geographic Information Systems I: Introduction | 4 |
| Geog 592/USP 592 | Geographic Information Systems II: Advanced GIS | 4 |
| HSMP 588 | Program Evaluation and Management In Health Services | 3 |
| PA 539 | National Policy Process | 3 |
| PA 551 | Analytic Methods in Public Administration I | 3 |
| PA 552 | Analytic Methods in Public Administration II | 3 |
| PA 555 | Program Evaluation and Management | 3 |
| PA 556 | Public Contract Management | 3 |
| PA 582 | Public Budgeting | 3 |
| PS 595 | Topics in Specialized Research Methods for Political Science | 4 |
| Soc 592 | Qualitative Methods | 4 |
| Soc 597 | Applied Survey Research | 4 |
| Soc 638 | Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methods | 4 |
| Soc 639 | Focus Groups Interviewing | 4 |
| SySc 513 | Holistic Strategies for Problem Solving | 4 |
| SySc 525 | Agent Based Simulation | 4 |
| SySc 545 | Application of Data Science | 4 |
| SySc 551 | Discrete Multivariate Modeling | 4 |
| SySc 552 | Game Theory | 4 |
| USP 520 | Applied Demographic Methods I | 4 |
| USP 521 | Applied Demographic Methods II | 4 |
| USP 536 | Policy Evaluation Methods | 3 |
| USP 591/Geog 588 | Geographic Information Systems I: Introduction | 4 |
| USP 592/Geog 592 | Geographic Information Systems II: Applications | 4 |
| USP 683 | Qualitative Analysis | 4 |
Policy Leadership/Advocacy Track
| Comm 520 | Political Communication | 4 |
| Comm 572 | Communication and Public Opinion Seminar | 4 |
| PA 514 | Global Leadership and Management | 3 |
| PA 517 | Leadership Development for Public Organizations | 3 |
| PA 518 | Leading Public Organizations | 3 |
| PA 519 | Civic Capacity | 3 |
| PA 537 | Law & Public Policy | 3 |
| PA 538 | Advocacy and Political Participation by Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| PA 539 | National Policy Process | 3 |
| PA 541 | Social Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| PA 543 | Creating Collaborative Communities | 3 |
| PA 545 | Organizational Development | 3 |
| PA 560 | Local Government Administration | 3 |
| PA 592 | Volunteerism and Volunteer Management | 3 |
| PHE 517 | Community Organizing | 3 |
| PS 516 | Political Parties and Elections | 4 |
| PS 517 | Interest Groups | 4 |
| PS 518 | Contemporary Political Protest in America | 4 |
| PS 519 | Political Reform | 4 |
| PS 527 | The Politics of Public Opinion | 4 |
| PS 531 | State and Local Politics | 4 |
| Soc 524 | Groups, Interaction and Identity | 4 |
| Soc 576 | Theories of Social Change | 3 |
| SW 532 | Advocacy and Empowerment | 3 |
| USP 550 | Participatory Planning | 3 |
| USP 584 | Negotiation in the Public Sector | 4 |
Additional courses for either track may be approved by the program adviser.
Specializations
Students identify a policy issue-area or sector and take 9 credits of courses relating to that sector in order to develop policy-domain specific knowledge as well as professional networking and experiential application opportunities.
Summative Policy Project
Students work with a single faculty member to complete a summative project, which can take one of several forms depending on the needs and interests of the student. In all cases, the project is intended as an integrative experience in which the student links their MPP work to their professional goals. The summative project could be, for instance: (1) a research-oriented report that tackles a question of policy analysis or public policy theory; or (2) a client report prepared upon completion of a short internship.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Choose a minimum of 3 credits from the following possible courses:
| PA 514 | Global Leadership and Management | 3 |
| PA 523 | Nongovernmental Organizations: Nonprofits on the World Stage | 3 |
| PA 547 | Culture, Values and Leadership | 3 |
| PA 549 | Cross-cultural Communication in the Public Sector | 3 |
| PA 593 | Civil Rights for Public Managers | 3 |
| PA 594 | Enhancing Diversity in the Workplace | 3 |
| PS 518 | Contemporary Political Protest in America | 4 |
| PS 523 | Civil Liberties | 4 |
| PS 524 | Law, Politics, and Society | 4 |
| PS 525 | Women and the Law | 4 |
| PS 571 | Gender & Politics: A Comparative Perspective | 4 |
| PS 576 | Politics of Inequality in the United States | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Prerequisites
All students entering the Master of Public Policy program must have completed an introductory course in statistics. Students whose undergraduate degree is not in a related discipline may be asked also to complete an introductory course in public policy, public administration, or political science.
Program Rules
A more comprehensive set of rules governing satisfactory performance in the MPP can be found in the Handbook for the Master of Public Policy Program issued to incoming students and available online.
Limitation on graduate/undergraduate courses
Students in the MPP program are strongly advised to use no more than 12 credits of courses offered simultaneously at the 400- and 500-level in support of their degree programs. These courses must be an integral part of the student’s program, and courses with the same content must not be available on a purely graduate basis.
Limitation on by-arrangement courses
Admitted Ph.D. students may utilize no more than 12 credits of Research and/or Reading and Conference credits (501/601 and 505/605). In cases where more than 12 credits are needed because of the lack of regularly scheduled classes, the student must submit a written request waiver to their adviser for approval.
Continuous enrollment and leave of absence
All students admitted to the MPP program must be continuously enrolled until graduation, except for periods in which they are absent for an approved leave. Taking a minimum 3 credits per term during the regular academic year will constitute continuous enrollment. Failure to register without an approved leave may result in termination of a student’s admission. Students may have no more than six terms of approved leave.
Professional Development Opportunities
The MPP program offers a number of professional development opportunities outside of the curricular requirements of the program.
Policy Competitions
Participation in national and international policy competitions is a common aspect of professional education in public policy. Each year, MPP students, under the direction of an MPP faculty member, will be able to participate in policy competitions.
Oregon Public Policy Research Network
Through the Center for Public Service, the Hatfield School of Government is a founding member of the Oregon Public Policy Research Network. The Center and the Network engage in contract-based public policy research. Advanced MPP students will have the opportunity to work with the CPS to expand its public policy research.