Joint Program in Public Policy
Explore the intersection of systemic power, resource distribution, institutional policy and global inequality in Georgetown’s public policy major.
The A.B. in Public Policy is an interdisciplinary degree that combines a liberal arts and policy-focused curriculum with living and learning opportunities on Georgetown University’s Hilltop and Capitol Campuses.
Program overview
Major declaration dates
Sophomore year
- Begins: After add-drop in September
- Ends: Friday before Spring Break
Faculty director
James P. Habyarimana
Curriculum at a glance
- 1 gateway course
- 4 core courses (introducing the interdisciplinary tools required to develop policy solutions)
- 6 concentration courses (drawn from one of four policy clusters)
Real world policy impact
1 experiential course
JPPP students are required to enroll in either a (i) 4-credit internship seminar or (ii) 3-credit policy lab.
Creating policy changemakers
At the McCourt School of Public Policy, we’re dedicated to shaping the future by tackling complex challenges through impactful public policy. The Joint Program in Public Policy (JPPP) is the first step in an expansive career as a future changemaker, whether in government or the private sector, or at a nonprofit, NGO or think tank. The JPPP combines Georgetown’s renowned liberal arts education and a policy-focused social science curriculum to prepare students to take on the world’s most pressing challenges.
By completing the public policy major in the Joint Program in Public Policy, you will graduate with the skills and knowledge to:
- Develop the analytical, strategic and ethical skills necessary for resolving complex policy challenges.
- Understand and engage with interdisciplinary frameworks of policy design and implementation to empower communities, organizations and public institutions as agents of structural change.
Careers with impact
In the Joint Program in Public Policy, you will explore the principles, laws and values that govern the world that we live in. The A.B. in Public Policy is the first step in an expansive career as a future changemaker, whether in federal agencies or international aid organizations, think tanks or advanced degree programs, public office or private corporations.
Policy-focused minor
Complement your A.B. in Public Policy and expand your expertise by pursuing a minor designed to amplify your policy tool kit. McCourt’s policy-focused minor allows you to dive deeper into the specialized area of applied data science, equipping you with the tools needed to bridge foundational computational techniques with field-specific applications.
Explore our minors
The Applied Data Science Minor is an interdisciplinary cross-campus program offered by the McCourt School of Public Policy. Designed for undergraduates looking to merge substantive domain knowledge with cutting-edge analytical tools, the program provides core statistical knowledge, algorithmic thinking, and hands-on experience with real-world data science projects. Students learn to manage complex datasets, design compelling visualizations, and critically analyze the ethical dimensions of data science—such as privacy and algorithmic bias—across diverse fields.
By bridging foundational computational techniques with field-specific applications, this minor prepares students to lead with data-driven insights in both academic and professional domains.
Curriculum Overview
The minor consists of a six-course curriculum that requires no prerequisite courses to get started:
PPOL 4601- Applied Data Science Minor Capstone (offered Fall 2027/Spring 2028)
Introduction to Data Science (1 course): A foundational core course focusing on data concepts and basic computational skills, taught on the Hilltop campus.
- PPOL 3602 – World of Data (COSC 1016)
Applied Statistics (1 course): A core requirement focusing on regression methods, satisfied through a variety of existing approved courses across both campuses
- PPOL 3000 – Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis
- GOVT 2201 – Analysis of Political Data
- ECON 2110 – Economic Statistics
- MATH 2140 – Introduction to Math Statistics
- OPAN 2101 – Business Statistics
- INAF 3200 – Quantitative Methods for International Affairs
Machine Learning (1 course): An advanced core requirement introducing data science tools and statistical learning.
- MATH 2620 – Statistical Learning and Data Science
- Note: need to complete MATH 2140/GOV 2201/ECON 2110
- PPOL 5204 – Data Science II – Applied Statistical Learning
Electives (2 Courses): Chosen from an extensive, cross-disciplinary list of classes offered on both the Hilltop and Capitol campuses, covering topics ranging from Data Visualization and Text as Data to AI Ethics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Capstone (1 course): A culminating core research course taken on the Capitol Campus, where students apply their accumulated data science skills to a substantive project of personal interest, such as policy evaluation, economic modeling, or biological forecasting.
Academic curriculum
As juniors, Public Policy majors transition to the Capitol Campus to engage with interdisciplinary frameworks of policy design and implementation, build specialized skills and experience the center of the public policy world in downtown DC.
“I definitely wanted to do something that was more applied, and I felt like policy was that. It gets at what people are frustrated about and what we see and would like to dissect further in the news. Doing public policy in DC was kind of the dream for me.”
Featured student stories
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Capitol Dreams and Hilltop Views: Why I Transferred To Georgetown
Yasmin Diallo (C’28) is a sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia, majoring in public policy within the College of Arts & Sciences and the McCourt School of Public Policy.
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Tour the Capitol Campus with a Junior Who’s Finding His Footing in Policy
Christopher Edwards (JPPP’27) shares how immigrating from Jamaica to the U.S. fueled his interest in policy and what it’s like living and studying in downtown DC.
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This Public Policy Junior Drums for the Washington Commanders on NFL Sundays
Emmanuel Assefa (C’27) performs music with multiple ensembles on and off campus. This season, he’s a part of one more ensemble: the Washington Commanders Marching Band.
Study across two campuses
Public policy students have the unique opportunity to live and study on two campuses, spending their first two years immersed on the Hilltop, before completing the second half of their time at Georgetown on the Capitol Campus immersed in the policy world. In this sense, public policy students will have the best of both worlds: the residential small college experience and the urban university experience.
Admissions and tuition
Applications are reviewed and admissions decisions made by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, with decisions about scholarship and financial aid being made by Georgetown’s Office of Student Financial Services.
Amplify your impact
Explore opportunities that make the Joint Program in Public Policy unique with our applied data science minor, accelerated masters and campus experience to build a degree that prepares you for success.
Minor in Applied Data Science
Designed for undergraduates looking to merge substantive domain knowledge with cutting-edge analytical tools, the program provides core statistical knowledge, algorithmic thinking and hands-on experience with real-world data science projects.
Accelerated masters
Bridge the gap between undergraduate study and professional mastery. Our five-year BA/MPP offers an affordable, seamless path to becoming an expert in policy design and implementation.