McCourt School of Public Policy
McCourt School of Public Policy

MPM Curriculum

The Master of Policy Management is a 36-credit degree program divided into four summer institutes, core courses, a capstone project and elective courses.

Summer Institute

Four summer institutes (12 credits), the foundation of the MPM program, are offered in week-long sessions during the summer semester. Please review the Summer 2024 and Summer 2025 MPM academic calendar and refund schedule.

 

Core Courses

Semester Core Courses (6 credits)*
In addition to the summer institutes, students enroll in two other core courses and five elective courses from McCourt School or University offerings. Note: students follow the regular semester add/drop and refund schedule posted on the Registrar’s and Student Accounts’ websites.

McCourt’s Foundational Skill Set

In 2018, McCourt organized a Curriculum Innovation Committee to review and modernize the core curricula of our Masters degree programs. Over the past three years, the committee worked toward a number of goals, including developing a set of core competencies for all McCourt degree programs.

After reviewing the core curriculum, benchmarking other policy schools, and speaking with employers, and alumni, the committee developed a set of core competencies which were discussed, voted on, and approved by the McCourt School faculty.

All McCourt students graduate with the following foundational skills:

More on McCourt’s Foundational Skill Set

Capstone Project

Each student completes a Capstone Project. This is a substantial paper that demonstrates the student’s ability to integrate consideration of analytic, management, and advocacy issues in the pursuit of solutions to a specific policy problem. This project is completed in the final semester of the student’s program.

This course culminates in a substantial paper that demonstrates the student’s ability to integrate consideration of analytic, management, and advocacy issues in the pursuit of solutions to a specific policy issue. It is taken in the final semester of the student’s program.

Electives

Semester Electives (15 credits)
MPM students expand on the analytical skills they attain in their core coursework and summer institutes with 15 credits of elective courses. Students have an array of elective courses from which to choose at the McCourt School and Georgetown University’s other top-ranked graduate schools. Our expert faculty teach a wide range of elective courses in today’s most relevant policy areas and methods.

Many McCourt School students choose to align their elective coursework with their interests and career goals. While not required, students may choose to focus their elective coursework in a particular area of study like Management & Leadership, Political Strategy & Governence, or Homeland Security Policy.

Please see below for a sample list of electives offered over the past academic year. This list is not exhaustive and additional courses can be found on the Registrar’s Schedule of Classes . McCourt students also have the opportunity to take electives in other Georgetown graduate programs as well as through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area . Please contact Director of Academic Affairs Nirmala Fernandes at nf168@georgetown.edu for more information.

SAMPLE RECENT ELECTIVE OFFERINGS

Course Sequence

Full-time students complete their degrees after one summer and two semesters. Part-time participants fulfill the requirements for their degrees over the course of two summers and four semesters.

A typical course sequence for both MPM full-time and MPM part-time program students appears below.

The typical course sequence for full-time MPM students:

Year One: Summer Semester

Year One: Fall Semester

Year One: Spring Semester

The typical course sequence for part-time MPM students:

Year One: Summer Semester

Year One: Fall Semester

Year One: Spring Semester

Year Two: Summer Semester

Year Two: Fall Semester

Year Two: Spring Semester

MPM NUF Curriculum

The McCourt School of Public Policy is the academic partner of the National Urban Fellows (NUF) program. The Master of Policy Management NUF program is a 36-credit degree program comprised of four summer institutes, core courses, electives and a capstone project.

Summer Institute Courses

Four summer institutes (total 12 credits), the foundation of the MPM program, are offered in week-long sessions during the first summer semester. The MPM NUF students attend these courses in person on Georgetown’s campus along with other MPM students. 

Fall/Spring Semester Core Courses

MPM NUF students are enrolled in 9 credits of online courses in the fall semester and 6 credits in the spring semester while working at their mentorships:

Fall semester (9 credits)

Spring semester (6 credits)

Summer Electives (9 credits)

MPM NUF students complete 9 credits of electives in person on Georgetown’s campus after they have completed their mentorships. The electives may include:

Up to 20 students admitted to the full-time MPM program through the McCourt School’s partnership with the National Urban Fellows (NUF) will receive a full-tuition scholarship. Interested candidates need to apply first through NUF. The NUF application deadline is January 15th each year. Only those selected as semi-finalists will be invited to submit an application to the McCourt School. To be admitted, applicants must meet the professional and academic requirements of the MPM program, and only NUF finalists will receive the tuition scholarship. 

Dual Degree Option

MPM/GMP

Only current students enrolled in KDI’s GMP program can apply. The MPM-GMP is targeted towards Korean public administration and public policy professionals in the “early-middle” stage of their careers, usually with between five and ten years of work experience.

To earn this dual degree, students must complete the full first year GMP curriculum requirements at the KDI School and 27 credits at the McCourt School over the course of an intense 24 months. All of the teaching for the dual degree program is in English.