DECIDING TO APPLY
The Master of Public Policy (or Master of Public Administration) is one of the most adaptable degrees available today.
If you genuinely wish to inform yourself about organizational behavior and management in the non-profit sector, the Master of Public Policy degree will get you there only if you commit to improving yourself on all fronts throughout the program.
Ultimately, the best policy students are visionaries who go the extra mile to discern the subtlest legislative nuances because they understand that details can make all the difference between progressive and regressive policy.
Think of the MPP as applied social science that includes statistics, economics, civics, political science, international relations, geography, urban studies, environmental science, sociology, anthropology and history. In the first year you’ll experience deep immersion in the rudiments of policy, such as microeconomics, statistics and political philosophy. In the second year, you will likely specialize in one or more areas. Depending on your interests and where you enroll, you’ll be faced with a potpourri of concentration possibilities such as:
Domestic Affairs
Business and Government
Human Rights
Gender and Policy
Social Policy
Anti-Discrimination Policy
Development Studies
International Development Studies
Housing Policy
Ethics and Policy
The Press, Politics and Public Affairs
Law and Public Affairs
Public Surveys and Research
Epidemiology
Science and Society
Globalization and Governance
Science, Technology and Environmental Policy
Techno-science and International Policy
Security Studies
Defense and National Security
International Security Studies
Science and Global Security
Arts and Cultural Policy Studies
Public Management and Policy
Public Infrastructure Management
Public Health Policy
Health Policy and Economics
Public Finance
Global Health
Religion and Policy
Regulatory Policy
Trade and Negotiations
Transparency and Politics
Urban Policy and Homelessness
Labor Relations
Natural Resources Policy
Environmental Policy
Energy Policy
Education Policy
Agricultural Policy
E-Government and Leadership
Econometrics
Conflict Resolution
Post-Conflict Resolution
Leadership of International & Non-Governmental Organizations
School District Management
Another beautiful aspect of the policy degree is that if you are genuinely interested in developing your technical competences, policy school offers cutting-edge quantitative options such as econometrics, environmental policy, applied statistics & policy, decision science, or techno-science & society, et cetera. If you then complement a quantitative concentration with a non-qualitative one such as organizational behavior, conflict resolution or labor relations, you will be in a position to motivate, nurture and develop other people, which makes a significant difference in the value that you provide a firm. Your work will be both fulfilling and financially rewarding.