About the Joint Program in Public Policy

The Joint Program in Public Policy (JPPP) is the first collaboration between Georgetown’s College of Arts & Sciences and McCourt School of Public Policy. The JPPP offers undergraduates the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Arts (AB) in Public Policy. Undergraduates in the Class of 2027 and later are eligible to enroll in the JPPP. 

Public policy is an interdisciplinary study of the principles, laws, and values that govern society. The AB in Public Policy is the first step in an expansive career, whether in federal agencies or international aid organizations, think tanks or advanced degree programs, public office or private corporations. 

The JPPP expertly combines:

• liberal arts and a policy-focused social science curriculum to prepare students to take on the world’s most pressing challenges, and
• diverse and immersive coursework, emphasizing statistics, economics, political analysis, and implementation. 

Students will leave Georgetown ready to tackle the many complex and interconnected challenges communities around the world face today. 

Freshman and Sophomore Years: The College of Arts & Sciences

Students will begin their education on our Hilltop Campus and complete Georgetown’s signature liberal arts curriculum, gaining exposure to a broad range of disciplines and approaches to knowledge. 

Offered by the internationally-recognized faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences, core coursework offers opportunities for students to cultivate skills and build knowledge: Writing (1 course); Theology and Religious Studies (2 courses); Philosophy (2 courses); Humanities, Arts, and Culture (1 course); Math/Computer Science (1 course); Science for All (1 course); Social Sciences (2 courses); Foreign Language through the intermediate level; and Engaging Diversity (2 courses).
Students interested in enrolling in the public policy major, in addition to completing the University core requirements, will need to complete the JPPP gateway course, How Public Policy Works , taught by McCourt School professors before the spring semester of their second year.

Junior and Senior Years: The McCourt School of Public Policy

Following their first two years on the Hilltop Campus, students will complete their education at the McCourt School, on Georgetown’s Capitol Campus in downtown Washington, DC, in close proximity to unrivaled experiential learning opportunities. Coursework on the Capitol Campus includes:

• a foundational set of analytical skills through the four-course public policy core sequence: Introduction to Statistics for Public Policy, Economics for Public Policy, Political Analysis for Public Policy and Policy Implementation,
• five electives, including at least two methods electives, to build a robust toolkit in data analytics, visualization, measurement and evaluation,
• at least three electives within specific policy issue areas: environmental policy, international development policy, political strategy and governance, and social policy, and,
• an experiential course through an internship seminar or policy lab, facilitated by the McCourt School.

Learn more about our curriculum here .