MPM Curriculum

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 2022 and Summer 2023 MPM academic calendar and refund schedule.

• PPOL 550: MPM Public Management
• PPOL 551: The Public Policy Process or PPOL 505: Comparative Policy Process
• PPOL 553: Ethics & Public Policy
• PPOL 557: Decision Making for Public Policy

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.

• PPOL 552: Research Methods
• PPOL 556: Economic Analysis for Public Policy

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:

• Collaboration
• Critical Thinking
• Economic Analysis
• Engaging with Bias
• Ethical Leadership and Management
• Evaluation
• Policy Analysis
• Political Analysis
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Strategic Communication

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.

• PPOL 559: Capstone: Advanced Policy Management Project

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.

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

• U.S. Domestic Economic Policy including courses such as:
  • PPOL 614: The Federal Budget in a Time of Madness
  • PPOL 623: National Economic Issues
  • PPOL 649: Macroeconomics
  • PPOL 758: Foreign Direct Investments in the US
  • PPOL 759: Getting People to Behave
• International Economic Policy including courses such as:
  • PPOL 608: Asian Economic Development
  • PPOL 676: International Financial Institutions
  • PPOL 677: International Trade Policy & Negotiations
  • PPOL 728: Global Hotspots
• Development Policy including courses such as:
  • PPOL 647: International Social Development Policy
  • PPOL 678: Money/Finance in the Developing/Globalized World
  • PPOL 685: History and Theory of Development
  • PPOL 693: Monitoring & Evaluation for Development Programs
  • PPOL 707: Global Migration Policy
  • PPOL 715: Just Sustainability Transitions in Complex Economies
  • PPOL 773: RBF Design For Development
  • PPOL 780: Economic Complexity & Development
• Political Strategy and Governance including courses such as:
  • PPOL 600: The Press & the Presidency
  • PPOL 657: Policy, Politics & the Media
  • PPOL 746: Communications for Public Policy
  • PPOL 751: Modern Advocacy in a Disruptive Congress
  • PPOL 791: Politics Is a Contact Sport: Practical Policy Making
• Racial Equity and Social Justice including courses such as:
  • PPOL 499: Faith, Race & Politics
  • PPOL 624: Race & US Criminal Legal Policy
  • PPOL 625: Urban Inequality
  • PPOL 666: Racial Justice in K-12 Ed Policy
• Education Policy including courses such as:
  • PPOL 666: Racial Justice in K-12 Education Policy
  • PPOL 700: Education Finance
  • PPOL 713: K-12 Ed Policy Implementation
• Environmental & Regulatory Policy including courses such as:
  • PPOL 674: Natural Resources & Energy Policy
  • PPOL 687: Environmental Regulatory Policy
  • PPOL 753: Climate Change Policy
• Health Policy including courses such as:
  • PPOL 640: Health Care Quality: Recent Policy Issues
  • PPOL 642: Health Policy & Politics
• Homeland Security Policy including courses such as:
  • PPOL 688: Homeland Security
  • PPOL 692: Capacity Building/Counter-terrorism (previously Post Conflict Reconstruction)
  • PPOL 694: Cyber Conflict and National Security Policy
• Management & Leadership such as:
  • PPOL 612: Federalism/Intergovernmental Relations
  • PPOL 633: Women and Leadership
  • PPOL 594: Public Leadership
  • PPOL 699: The Power & Influence of Philanthropy: Local, National, Global
  • PPOL 748: Negotiation
• Methods including courses such as:
  • PPOL 646: Data Visualization
  • PPOL 670: Intro to Data Science
  • PPOL 683: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Applications in Program R
  • PPOL 693: Applied Monitoring & Evaluation for Development Programs
  • PPOL 737: Game Theory & Public Policy
  • PPOL 748: Negotiation
  • PPOL 787: Speechwriting for Public Policy
• Public Management including courses such as:
  • PPOL 639: Strategic Planning & Public Policy
  • PPOL 594: Public Leadership
  • PPOL 680: Risk Management
  • PPOL 730: Administrative Burdens
  • PPOL 736: Becoming a Policy Leader
  • PPOL 792: Emergency & Disaster Management
• Social Policy including courses such as:
  • PPOL 604: Policy/Politics of Entitlements
  • PPOL 611: The War on Drugs: Causes, Consequences and Alternatives (formerly US Drug Policy & Its Consequences)
  • PPOL 699: Philanthropy, Power & Impact
  • PPOL 739: Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship
  • PPOL 752: Disability, Justice, Equity & Policy
• Technology Policy including courses such as:
  • PPOL 721: Disruption, Innovation & Technology
  • PPOL 762: Policy Issues of Big data & AI
  • PPOL 786: Innovation in Public Policy

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.

Typical course sequence for full-time MPM students:

Year One: Summer Semester

• PPOL 550/570 — MPM Public Management/Comparative Public Management
• PPOL 551 / PPOL 505 — US Public Policy Process/Comparative Policy Process
• PPOL 557 — Decision Making in Public Policy
• PPOL 553 —Ethics & Public Policy

Year One: Fall Semester

• PPOL 556 / PPOL Elective —  Economic Analysis for Public Policy/PPOL Elective
• PPOL 552 — Research Methods
• PPOL elective
• PPOL elective

Year One: Spring Semester

• PPOL 556 / PPOL Elective — Economic Analysis for Public Policy/PPOL Elective
• PPOL 559 — Advanced Policy Management Project
• PPOL elective
• PPOL elective

Typical course sequence for part-time MPM students:

Year One: Summer Semester

• PPOL 551 – US Public Policy Process or PPOL 505: Comparative Policy Process
• PPOL 550 – MPM Public Management or PPOL 570 Comparative Public Management

Year One: Fall Semester

• PPOL 556 / PPOL Elective —  Economic Analysis for Public Policy/PPOL Elective
• PPOL 552 – Research Methods

Year One: Spring Semester

• PPOL 556 / PPOL Elective —  Economic Analysis for Public Policy/PPOL Elective
• PPOL elective

Year Two: Summer Semester

• PPOL 553 – Ethics & Public Policy
• PPOL 557 – Decision Making for Public Policy

Year Two: Fall Semester

• PPOL or other approved electives (up to 6 credits)

Year Two: Spring Semester

• PPOL 559 – Advanced Policy Management Project
• PPOL elective

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. 

• PPOL 550: MPM Public Management
• PPOL 551: The Public Policy Process or PPOL 505: Comparative Policy Process
• PPOL 553: Ethics & Public Policy
• PPOL 557: Decision Making for Public Policy

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)

• PPOL 552: Research Methods I
• PPOL 556: Economic Analysis for Public Policy
• PPOL 590: MPM NUF Capstone I (1.5 credits)
• PPOL 591: MPM NUF Practicum Seminar I (1.5 credits)

Spring semester (6 credits)

• PPOL 558: Research Methods II
• PPOL 592: MPM NUF Capstone II (1.5 credits)
• PPOL 593: MPM NUF Practicum Seminar II (1.5 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:

• Choice between PPOL 595: Inequality & Public Policy OR PPOL 624: Race & US Criminal Legal Policy
• PPOL 594: Public Leadership
• PPOL 748: Negotiation

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. 

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.