Portland-State-University 2023-2024 Bulletin

Master of Public Policy

The Master of Public Policy is an interdisciplinary professional program designed to prepare individuals to be public policy professionals in the public, non-profit, and private sectors. The degree is built upon the disciplinary foundations of public policy, public administration, political science, economics, and public affairs. The degree is jointly administered by the Departments of Public Administration and Political Science.

The curriculum focus is acts of public policy, meaning the allocation of public values by authoritative institutions. The curriculum is designed to respond to the need for advanced training in public policy analysis and leadership/advocacy to succeed in today’s complex policy environments. The degree may be pursued on a full-time (2 years) or part-time basis. Graduates of MPP programs typically find employment in policy analysis and leadership/advocacy positions, especially in high-level public agencies, the private sector, and the non-profit sector.

Admission Requirements

The MPP program admits students once a year starting in the Fall Term. Only one application is required in order to apply to the Master of Public Policy program. Faculty begin reviewing applications on January 31 and continue through early July, although applicants are encouraged to apply early in the application cycle.

The following materials should be submitted through the application link found on the Graduate School's website. 

  • Non-refundable $65 application fee (no cash)
  • One transcript from each post-secondary institution attended (both sides need to be uploaded)
  • Statement of Financial Support and Declaration of Finances (if International)
  • International Applicants who currently reside in the United States with an F-1 or J-1 visa must fill out the SEVIS form
  • Official TOEFL scores if the applicant does not speak English as a native language and has not received a graduate or undergraduate degree in an English-speaking territory
  • A 500 word statement of intent. The statement should address the following: 1) Professional goals; 2) Planned area of study (policy specialization); 3) Desired employment sector; 4) How the degree furthers achievement of your professional goals
  • Three recommendation letters from individuals familiar with the applicant's academic and/or professional capabilities. Preferably, two of the three letters should be from former instructors or from individuals with knowledge of your professional performance and potential.
  • A current resume.


Degree Requirements

Credit requirements

The Master of Public Policy program requires 54 credit hours of required, elective, and professional development coursework.

The credits are distributed as follows:

First-Year Cohort Courses

11

Methods Core Courses

10

Elective Core Courses

9-12

Policy Analysis or Leadership Track Courses

9

Policy Specialization Courses

9

Summative Policy Project

3

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Course

3

Total Credit Hours:54

Courses and Credits

Cohort Courses

PAP 511Introduction to Public Policy

3

PAP 533/PS 533Ethics and Public Policy

4

PS 520Seminar on American Political Institutions

4

Methods Core Courses

PA 551Analytic Methods in Public Administration I

3

PA 552Analytic Methods in Public Administration II

3

PS 591Testing Theories in Political Science

4

Elective Core Courses

Choose 9 credits from the following courses:
PA 538Advocacy and Political Participation by Nonprofit Organizations

3

or

PAP 512Introduction to Policy Advocacy

3

 

PA 554Policy Analysis Research

3

PA 579Policy Tools in Policy Design

3

PS 515Comparative Public Policy

4

PS 576Politics of Inequality in the United States

4

USP 615Economic Analysis of Public Policy

4

USP 615 may be replaced by a comparable course (subject to approval by the program director)

Track Courses

Students choose one of the following two tracks as part of their course specialization work:

  1. Policy Analysis Track: Students take 9 credits of courses relating to policy analysis including research design and methods, cost-benefit analysis, forecasting, program evaluation, impact assessment, decision-making, systems modelling, and other subjects.
  2. Policy Leadership/Advocacy Track: Students take 9 credits of courses relating to policy leadership and advocacy, including policy process, communication, legal reasoning, network-building, policy arguments, problem solving, political feasibility, advocacy, and management.
Policy Analysis Track
CCJ 520Analysis of Crime and Justice Data

3

CE 566/ESM 566Environmental Data Analysis

4

Comm 572Communication and Public Opinion Seminar

4

Ec 527Cost-Benefit Analysis

4

Ec 528Project Evaluation

4

Ec 570Econometrics

4

Geog 588/USP 591Geographic Information Systems I: Introduction

4

Geog 592/USP 592Geographic Information Systems II: Advanced GIS

4

HSMP 588Program Evaluation and Management In Health Services

3

PA 539National Policy Process

3

PA 551Analytic Methods in Public Administration I

3

PA 552Analytic Methods in Public Administration II

3

PA 555Program Evaluation and Management

3

PA 556Public Contract Management

3

PA 582Public Budgeting

3

PS 595Topics in Specialized Research Methods for Political Science

4

Soc 592Qualitative Methods

4

Soc 597Applied Survey Research

4

Soc 638Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methods

4

Soc 639Focus Groups Interviewing

4

SySc 513Holistic Strategies for Problem Solving

4

SySc 525Agent Based Simulation

4

SySc 545Application of Data Science

4

SySc 551Discrete Multivariate Modeling

4

SySc 552Game Theory

4

USP 520Demographic Methods: Population Dynamics

4

USP 521Applied Demographic Methods II

4

USP 591/Geog 588Geographic Information Systems I: Introduction

4

USP 592/Geog 592Geographic Information Systems II: Applications

4

USP 683Qualitative Analysis

4

 
Policy Leadership/Advocacy Track
Comm 520Political Communication

4

Comm 572Communication and Public Opinion Seminar

4

PA 514Global Leadership and Management

3

PA 517Leadership Development for Public Organizations

3

PA 518Leading Public Organizations

3

PA 519Civic Capacity

3

PA 537Law & Public Policy

3

PA 538Advocacy and Political Participation by Nonprofit Organizations

3

PA 539National Policy Process

3

PA 541Social Entrepreneurship

3

PA 543Creating Collaborative Communities

3

PA 545Organizational Development

3

PA 560Local Government Administration

3

PA 592Volunteerism and Volunteer Management

3

PHE 517Community Organizing

3

PS 516Political Parties and Elections

4

PS 517Interest Groups

4

PS 518Contemporary Political Protest in America

4

PS 519Political Reform

4

PS 527The Politics of Public Opinion

4

PS 531State and Local Politics

4

Soc 524Groups, Interaction and Identity

4

Soc 576Theories of Social Change

3

SW 532Advocacy and Empowerment

3

USP 550Participatory Planning

3

USP 584Negotiation in the Public Sector

2-4

Additional courses for either track may be approved by the program adviser.

Specializations

Students identify a policy issue-area or sector and take 9 credits of courses relating to that sector in order to develop policy-domain specific knowledge as well as professional networking and experiential application opportunities.

Summative Policy Project

Students work with a single faculty member to complete a summative project, which can take one of several forms depending on the needs and interests of the student. In all cases, the project is intended as an integrative experience in which the student links their MPP work to their professional goals. The summative project could be, for instance: (1) a research-oriented report that tackles a question of policy analysis or public policy theory; or (2) a client report prepared upon completion of a short internship.
PAP 509Public Policy Project

3

or

PS 509Public Policy Project

3

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Choose a minimum of 3 credits from the following possible courses:
PA 514Global Leadership and Management

3

PA 523Nongovernmental Organizations: Nonprofits on the World Stage

3

PA 547Culture, Values and Leadership

3

PA 549Cross-cultural Communication in the Public Sector

3

PA 593Civil Rights for Public Managers

3

PA 594Enhancing Diversity in the Workplace

3

PS 518Contemporary Political Protest in America

4

PS 523Civil Liberties

4

PS 524Law, Politics, and Society

4

PS 525Women and the Law

4

PS 571Gender & Politics: A Comparative Perspective

4

PS 576Politics of Inequality in the United States

4

Total Credit Hours:3

Prerequisites

All students entering the Master of Public Policy program must have completed an introductory course in statistics. Students whose undergraduate degree is not in a related discipline may be asked also to complete an introductory course in public policy, public administration, or political science.

Program Rules

A more comprehensive set of rules governing satisfactory performance in the MPP can be found in the Handbook for the Master of Public Policy Program issued to incoming students and available online.

Limitation on graduate/undergraduate courses

Students in the MPP program are strongly advised to use no more than 12 credits of courses offered simultaneously at the 400- and 500-level in support of their degree programs. These courses must be an integral part of the student’s program, and courses with the same content must not be available on a purely graduate basis.

Limitation on by-arrangement courses

Admitted Ph.D. students may utilize no more than 12 credits of Research and/or Reading and Conference credits (501/601 and 505/605). In cases where more than 12 credits are needed because of the lack of regularly scheduled classes, the student must submit a written request waiver to their adviser for approval.

Continuous enrollment and leave of absence

All students admitted to the MPP program must be continuously enrolled until graduation, except for periods in which they are absent for an approved leave. Taking a minimum 3 credits per term during the regular academic year will constitute continuous enrollment. Failure to register without an approved leave may result in termination of a student’s admission. Students may have no more than six terms of approved leave.

Professional Development Opportunities

The MPP program offers a number of professional development opportunities outside of the curricular requirements of the program.

Policy Competitions

Participation in national and international policy competitions is a common aspect of professional education in public policy. Each year, MPP students, under the direction of an MPP faculty member, will be able to participate in policy competitions.

Oregon Public Policy Research Network

Through the Center for Public Service, the Hatfield School of Government is a founding member of the Oregon Public Policy Research Network. The Center and the Network engage in contract-based public policy research. Advanced MPP students will have the opportunity to work with the CPS to expand its public policy research.