The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is a 48-credit degree program, divided into eight core courses, a two-semester capstone project and six elective courses. Additionally, students complete the non-credit McCourt Foundations and Introduction to Data Management courses.
| Type of Degree | Format | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Master’s Degree | On-Campus, Full-time | 2 years |
| Master’s Degree | On-Campus, Part-time | 3 years |
Full-time Course Sequence
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.
Year 1
| 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 |
Year 2
| 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 Course Sequence
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.
Year 1
| 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 |
Year 2
| 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 |
Year 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 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 Hasson.
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.
Client-based Consulting Project
Students who choose the client-based capstone option will work with a small group of fellow students to study a real policy problem for an actual organization.
- PPOL 5011 / PPOL 5012: Client-Based Capstone (6 credits, 3/semester)
Thesis
Students who choose the thesis capstone option will develop a research question and work with their advisor to formulate and implement a research plan.
- PPOL 5013 / PPOL 5014: Thesis Workshop (6 credits, 3/semester)
Electives
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 contact Director of Academic Affairs, Nirmala Fernandes, for more information.
Sample Recent Elective Offerings
Please note that this is just a sample of recent elective offerings. This list is not exhaustive and availability of courses varies.
U.S. Domestic Economic Policy including courses such as:
- PPOL 6200: Public Budgeting & Fin Mgmt
- PPOL 6206: Macroeconomics
- PPOL 6358: Poverty & The Social Safety Net
International Economic Policy including courses such as:
- PPOL 6000: Asian Economic Development
- PPOL 6250: International Financial Institutions
- PPOL 6255: Latin America Economic Policy Challenges
Development Policy including courses such as:
- PPOL 6002: International Social Development Policy
- PPOL 6252: Money/Finance in the Developing/Globalized World
- PPOL 6009: Monitoring & Evaluation for Development Programs
Political Strategy and Governance including courses such as:
- PPOL 6600: The Press & the Presidency
- PPOL 6605: Policy, Politics & the Media
- PPOL 6620: Politics Is a Contact Sport: Practical Policy Making
Racial Equity and Social Justice including courses such as:
- PPOL 4901: Faith, Race & Politics
- PPOL 6355: Race & US Criminal Legal Policy
- PPOL 6612: Philanthropy, Power, Politics
Education Policy including courses such as:
- PPOL 6300: Education Equity, Law & Public Policy
- PPOL 6301: Education Finance Policy
- PPOL 6302: K-12 Ed Policy Implementation
Environmental & Regulatory Policy including courses such as:
- PPOL 6403: Natural Resources & Energy Policy
- PPOL 6402: US Environmental Policy and Politics
- PPOL 6404: Climate Change Policy
Health Policy including courses such as:
- PPOL 6500: Health Care Quality: Recent Policy Issues
- PPOL 6501: Health Policy & Politics
Homeland Security Policy including courses such as:
- PPOL 6703: Capacity Building/Counter-terrorism
- PPOL 6704: Cyber Conflict and National Security Policy
- PPOL 6705: National Security Policy: Decision Making & Strategy
Methods including courses such as:
- PPOL 6802: Data Visualization
- PPOL 6803: Intro to Data Science
- PPOL 6616: Negotiation & Conflict Management
Public Management including courses such as:
- PPOL 5312: Public Leadership
- PPOL 6608: Risk Management
- PPOL 6615: Becoming a Policy Leader
Social Policy including courses such as:
- PPOL 6351: Policy/Politics of Entitlements
- PPOL 6354: The War on Drugs: Causes, Consequences and Alternatives
- PPOL 6623: Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship
Technology Policy including courses such as:
- PPOL 6707: Disruption, Innovation & Democracy
- PPOL 6814: Policy Issues of Big Data & AI
- PPOL 6617: Innovation in Public Policy
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.
Dual Degree Options
Full-time MPP students can choose to pursue a dual degree option as part of their graduate studies. Our MPP degree can be completed as part of the following dual degree paths.