Curriculum
The Master of Public Policy (MPP) curriculum at Georgetown McCourt is a 48-credit program divided into eight core courses, a two-semester capstone project and six elective courses. Students also complete the non-credit McCourt Foundations and Introduction to Data Management courses.
Skill-based learning
The MPP program prepares you to think critically about public policy and to master diverse skills necessary to succeed in the field.
Skills you’ll gain
Policy analysis / Research / Data analysis
Course sequence
Full-time option
A typical course sequence for MPP full-time program students is as follows. Please note that all MPP students must also fulfill an internship requirement.
| Semester | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | McCourt Foundations | 0 |
| – | PPOL 5004 — Intermediate Microeconomics I | 3 |
| – | PPOL 5000 — Statistical Methods for Policy Analysis | 3 |
| – | PPOL 5006 / PPOL 5007 — The Politics of Policy-Making/Comparative Politics of Policy-Making | 3 |
| – | Elective | 3 |
| – | PPOL 1800 — Intro to Data Management | 0 |
| Spring | PPOL 5001 — Regression Methods for Policy Analysis | 3 |
| – | PPOL 5005 — Intermediate Microeconomics II | 3 |
| – | PPOL 5008 / PPOL 5009 — Public Management/Management & Implementation in Developing Countries | 3 |
| – | Elective | 3 |
| – | PPOL 1800 — Intro to Data Management | 0 |
| Semester | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | PPOL 5002 — Advanced Regression and Program Evaluation Methods | 3 |
| – | PPOL 5011 / PPOL 5013 — Policy Analysis Capstone I/Thesis Workshop I | 3 |
| – | Elective | 3 |
| – | Elective | 3 |
| Spring | PPOL 5012 / PPOL 5014 — Policy Analysis Capstone II/Thesis Workshop II | 3 |
| – | PPOL 5010 — Ethics, Values and Public Policy | 3 |
| – | Elective | 3 |
| – | Elective | 3 |
Part-time evening option
A typical course sequence for MPP part-time evening program students is as follows. Please note that all MPP students must also fulfill an internship requirement.
| Semester | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | McCourt Foundations | 0 |
| – | PPOL 5004 – Intermediate Microeconomics I | 3 |
| – | PPOL 5000 — Statistical Methods for Policy Analysis | 3 |
| – | PPOL 1800 — Intro to Data Management | 0 |
| Spring | PPOL 5001 — Regression Methods for Policy Analysis | 3 |
| – | PPOL 5005 — Intermediate Microeconomics II | 3 |
| – | PPOL 1800 — Intro to Data Management | 0 |
| Summer* | PPOL 5006 – The Politics of Policy-Making | 3 |
| – | PPOL 5008 – Public Management | 3 |
| Semester | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Elective | 3 |
| – | Elective | 3 |
| Spring | Elective | 3 |
| – | Elective | 3 |
| Summer | PPOL 5002 — Advanced Regression and Program Evaluation Methods | 3 |
| – | PPOL 5010 — Ethics, Values and Public Policy | 3 |
| Semester | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | PPOL 5011 / PPOL 5013 — Policy Analysis Capstone I/Thesis Workshop I | 3 |
| – | Elective | 3 |
| Spring | PPOL 5012 / PPOL 5014 — Policy Analysis Capstone II/Thesis Workshop II | 3 |
| – | Elective | 3 |
Required courses
Core courses
The core courses for the public policy program emphasize analytical skills and core knowledge for designing and managing sound public policy.
Economics (6 credits)
- PPOL 5004: Intermediate Microeconomics I (3 credits)
- PPOL 5005: Intermediate Microeconomics II (3 credits)
Quantitative Methods (9 credits)
- PPOL 5000: Statistical Methods for Policy Analysis (3 credits)
- PPOL 5001: Regression Methods for Policy Analysis (3 credits)
- PPOL 5002: Advanced Regression and Program Evaluation Methods (3 credits)
- PPOL 1800: Intro to Data Management (0 credits, Pass/Fail)
Political Institutions and Process (9 credits)
For each of the first two required courses, students may choose either a U.S. domestic focus or a comparative international focus.
- PPOL 5006: The Politics of Policy-Making; or PPOL 5007: Comparative Politics of Policy-Making (3 credits)
- PPOL 5008: Public Management; or PPOL 5009: Management & Implementation in Developing Countries (3 credits)
- PPOL 5010: Ethics, Values and Public Policy (3 credits)
McCourt Foundations
McCourt Foundations is a mandatory course for all full-time and part-time evening MPP students that occurs prior to the start of their first fall semester. The course is designed to facilitate the transition to graduate school for incoming students by developing core leadership and communication skills and fostering equity-centered policy work. Led by McCourt faculty, staff and Leadership Fellows, the course builds the foundational skills and confidence necessary to design, implement and measure the effectiveness of policy, while introducing them to their new community. Students must attend all five days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with optional evening activities, and any student missing sessions will need to make up the course the following year.
Internship requirement
A formal internship experience is required for the MPP program. The internship requirement is integral to the student’s academic training. The learning objectives of the internship are:
- Increase proficiency in specific public policy disciplines; such as management, statistics, economics, data science, politics and/or policy-making;
- Apply quantitative, economic, data science and/or policy analysis concepts and theories to real-world decision-making; and
- Develop and improve policy-making skills in communication, quantitative or qualitative reasoning, data or policy analysis and/or teamwork.
Students can intern at any time during their time at McCourt and are required to have a minimum of 120 hours of work. Students can waive the internship requirement based on prior work or internship experience. For more questions, please contact Assistant Director of Academic Affairs, Alora Murphy.
Capstone project
The MPP program aims to educate students to think critically about public policy and to demonstrate a mastery of the various skills embodied in the curriculum.
Students choose between two capstone experiences: completing a client-based consulting project, or completing a thesis. Both options span two semesters, and involve answering a policy question in an analytically rigorous manner, drawing on the knowledge and skills of the MPP curriculum.
Elective courses
MPP students expand on the analytical skills they attain in their core coursework with 18 credits of elective courses. Students have an array of elective course options taught by our expert faculty with the opportunity to align their electives with their interests and career goals. Students can also take electives across other Georgetown graduate programs as well as through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area. Please email Director of Academic Affairs, Nirmala Fernandes at nf168@georgetown.edu, for more information.
Please note that this is just a sample of recent elective offerings. This list is not exhaustive and availability of courses varies.
McCourt’s foundational skill set
McCourt’s Curriculum Innovation Committee has developed a set of core competencies based on extensive research and outreach for all of our degree programs. By integrating these core competencies across our academic offerings, all McCourt students graduate with these foundational skills:
- Collaboration
- Critical thinking
- Economic analysis
- Engaging with bias
- Ethical leadership and management
- Evaluation
- Policy analysis
- Political analysis
- Quantitative reasoning
- Strategic communication
Study abroad options
Full-time MPP students have the opportunity to participate in study abroad programs as an element of experiential education. At McCourt, we believe that the best way to understand and contribute to our globalized world is to experience other places, cultures and ideas firsthand.
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Join us in the Master of Public Policy program to become a force of positive change in the policy world.
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