The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is one of several public policy degrees. An MPP is a master's-level professional degree that provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a focus on the systematic analysis of issues related to public policy and the decision processes associated with them. This includes training in the role of economic and political factors in public decision-making and policy formulation; microeconomic analysis of policy options and issues; resource allocation and decision modeling; cost/benefit analysis; statistical methods; and various applications to specific public policy topics. [1] MPP recipients serve or have served in the public sector, at the international, national, subnational, and local levels and the private sector.
Over time, the curriculum of Master of Public Policy and the Master of Public Administration (MPA) degrees have tended to overlap in many areas, due to the realization that policy analysis and program evaluation could benefit from an understanding of public administration, and vice versa.
Today, the core course offerings of many MPA and MPP programs are similar, with MPA programs also providing training in policy analysis, and MPP programs also providing coursework in program implementation. However, MPP programs still place more emphasis on policy analysis, research, and evaluation, while MPA programs place more emphasis on the implementation of public policies and the design of effective programs and projects to achieve public policy goals. In recognition of the overlapping coursework and subject matter, some universities have begun offering a combined MPAP or MPPA degree, Master of Public Administration and Policy or Master of Public Policy and Administration. [2] [3] Several institutions use "public policy" as an umbrella term, which may house several programs such as an MPA and degrees related to highly specific areas focusing on fields such as survey research or nonprofit studies.
Significant differences between the two degrees:
Over the years MPP programs have become more interdisciplinary drawing from economics, sociology, anthropology, politics, and regional planning. In general, a core curriculum of an MPP program includes courses on microeconomics, public finance, research methods, statistics and advanced data analysis, qualitative research, population methods, politics of policy process, policy analysis, ethics, public management, urban policy and GIS, program evaluation, and more.
All these courses are designed to equip MPP graduates with skills and knowledge in advanced economic analysis, political analysis, ethical analysis, data analysis, management and leadership. Depending on the interest, MPP students can concentrate in many policy areas including urban policy, global policy, social policy, health policy, energy and environmental policy, non-profit management, transportation, economic development, education, information technology, and population research.
Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has routinely ranked as the best, or among the best, of the world's public policy graduate schools. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's degrees in public policy, public administration, and international development, four doctoral degrees, and various executive education programs. It conducts research in subjects relating to politics, government, international affairs, and economics. As of 2021, HKS had an endowment of $1.7 billion. It is a member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), a global consortium of schools that trains leaders in international affairs.
A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of public services.
The Doctor of Public Administration (D.P.A.) is a terminal applied-research doctoral degree in the field of public administration (a part of public service). The D.P.A. requires significant coursework beyond the masters level and a dissertation that contributes to theory or practice. Upon successful completion, the title of "Doctor" is awarded and the post-nominal letters of D.P.A. or DPA can be used.
A Master of Science in Administration or Master of Science in Accounting degree is a type of Master of Science degree awarded by universities. The field of study came into existence in the mid-to-late 1970s. The focus of the MSA program is management skills and the program is designed to develop and train management graduates who may serve in administrative positions in the private or public sector.
The Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs is a public policy and planning school at the University of Minnesota, a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is named after Hubert H. Humphrey, former Vice President of the United States and presidential candidate. The school is located on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota, which is also home to the University of Minnesota Law School and Carlson School of Management in Minneapolis. The Humphrey School is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA).
The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, also known as the Ford School, is the public policy school of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1914 to train municipal administration experts, the school was named after University of Michigan alumnus and former U.S. President Gerald Ford in 1999.
The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) is one of 17 schools comprising the University of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1957 to study national and international public administration, GSPIA prides itself on its "Local to Global" distinction. As of 2018, it is one of only two policy schools with programs in the top 20 for both International Relations and City Management and Urban Policy. The former mayor of Pittsburgh, Bill Peduto, is a GSPIA alumnus.
The McCourt School of Public Policy is one of eleven constituent schools of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The McCourt School offers master's degrees in public policy, international development policy, policy management, data science for public policy, and policy leadership as well as administers several professional certificate programs and houses fifteen affiliated research centers. The McCourt School has twenty-one full-time faculty members, ten visiting faculty members, more than one-hundred adjunct faculty members and approximately 450 enrolled students across the various degree and executive education programs.
The James W. Martin School of Public Policy and Administration is the graduate school of Public Affairs at the University of Kentucky.
The Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance is the public policy school of the University of Washington, a public research university in Seattle, Washington. The school is named after Daniel J. Evans, former governor of Washington and United States Senator.
The Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, commonly known as the La Follette School, is a public graduate public policy school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It offers master's degrees in public affairs and international public affairs, joint graduate degrees with other departments, and undergraduate certificates in public policy and health policy. The La Follette School is housed in the Observatory Hill Office Building and Sterling Hall.
The Pepperdine University School of Public Policy (SPP) is a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree program, located in Malibu, California with summer classes offered in Washington, D.C. It is one of four graduate schools at Pepperdine University. The MPP is customized with specializations in Applied Economic Policy, American Policy and Politics, International Relations and National Security, State and Local Policy, and Public Policy Dispute Resolution.
The Trachtenberg School, officially the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration (TSPPPA), is the graduate public policy school in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C.
The Bush School of Government & Public Service is an academic college of Texas A&M University founded in 1997 under former President George H. W. Bush's philosophy that "public service is a noble calling." Since then, the Bush School has continued to reflect that notion in curriculum, research, and student experience and has become a leading international affairs, political science, and public affairs institution.
The KDI School of Public Policy and Management is a government-run graduate school located in Sejong City, South Korea and is affiliated to the Korea Development Institute (KDI) and a member of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities, and Social Sciences. The school was first established in 1997 in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, before moving to Sejong City in 2015 under the South Korean government's actions to establish the city as the de facto administrative capital of the country. The school specializes in fostering international experts in the field of development economics and public policy.
The Willy Brandt School of Public Policy is a public institute for research and education in the field of public policy at the University of Erfurt. It was established in 2002, offering the first German study program leading to a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree. The program has been accredited and reaccredited by ACQUIN. The working language is English. Until November 2009, the school was named Erfurt School of Public Policy (ESPP).
The School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University (SPPA) is the public policy school of Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1953, it is Canada's oldest graduate school in the field of policy studies and public management. Since its establishment, it has produced several prominent leaders within the Canadian public and non-profit sectors, and has led research activities in this area.
The Johns Hopkins Public Management Program is a public policy school affiliated with Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C. MA in Public Management emphasizes the fundamentals of public management: financial management, policy analysis, tax and budget policy, and public administration. The curriculum is designed for working professionals in the government and nonprofit sector. Courses may be taken at a full- or part-time pace. The program is led by Paul Weinstein, and offers a 12 course Master of Arts in Public Management. l The program began in 2011 and combines a rigorous curriculum with faculty from academia, government, nonprofit, and the private sector. A master's degree in public policy is geared toward analysts who want to delve fully into the details of economics, public finance and research. A master's in public administration is for those who are focused on the management of staff in government agencies, nonprofits and other organizations. Students usually choose one or the other. A Masters in Public Management tries to combines the two. The M.A. in Public Management have to take four core courses from a list that includes; Public Policy Evaluation and the Policy Process, Financial Management and Analysis in the Public Sector, Economics for Public Decision Making, Essentials of Public and Private Management, Quantitative Methods, and Principles of Nonprofit Management. Students choose seven electives and complete a capstone project of their own design. The goal of the capstone is to provide a detailed solution to an identified problem.
Master in Development Administration or Master of Science in Development Administration (MSDEA) is a post graduate academic degree in Community Development. It is intended to train professionals for careers in public and private development administrations. It aims to provide the scholars with the procedural and specialized skills and capability in translating national development plans and policies into precise programs and projects, planning, implementing, coordinating and managing the same for public equity. The course of education focused on the political as well as the economic scope of development.