Master of Public Policy

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 511	Introduction to Public Policy	3
PAP 533/PS 533	Ethics and Public Policy	4
PS 520	Seminar on American Political Institutions	4

Methods Core Courses

PA 551	Analytic Methods in Public Administration I	3
PA 552	Analytic Methods in Public Administration II	3
PS 591	Testing Theories in Political Science	4

Elective Core Courses

Choose 9 credits from the following courses:

PA 538	Advocacy and Political Participation by Nonprofit Organizations	3
	or
PAP 512	Introduction to Policy Advocacy	3
PA 554	Policy Analysis Research	3
PA 579	Policy Tools in Policy Design	3
PS 515	Comparative Public Policy	4
PS 576	Politics of Inequality in the United States	4
USP 615	Economic Analysis of Public Policy	4

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 520	Analysis of Crime and Justice Data	3
CE 566/ESM 566	Environmental Data Analysis	4
Comm 572	Communication and Public Opinion Seminar	4
Ec 527	Cost-Benefit Analysis	4
Ec 528	Project Evaluation	4
Ec 570	Econometrics	4
Geog 588/USP 591	Geographic Information Systems I: Introduction	4
Geog 592/USP 592	Geographic Information Systems II: Advanced GIS	4
HSMP 588	Program Evaluation and Management In Health Services	3
PA 539	National Policy Process	3
PA 551	Analytic Methods in Public Administration I	3
PA 552	Analytic Methods in Public Administration II	3
PA 555	Program Evaluation and Management	3
PA 556	Public Contract Management	3
PA 582	Public Budgeting	3
PS 595	Topics in Specialized Research Methods for Political Science	4
Soc 592	Qualitative Methods	4
Soc 597	Applied Survey Research	4
Soc 638	Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methods	4
Soc 639	Focus Groups Interviewing	4
SySc 513	Holistic Strategies for Problem Solving	4
SySc 525	Agent Based Simulation	4
SySc 545	Application of Data Science	4
SySc 551	Discrete Multivariate Modeling	4
SySc 552	Game Theory	4
USP 520	Demographic Methods: Population Dynamics	4
USP 521	Applied Demographic Methods II	4
USP 591/Geog 588	Geographic Information Systems I: Introduction	4
USP 592/Geog 592	Geographic Information Systems II: Applications	4
USP 683	Qualitative Analysis	4

Policy Leadership/Advocacy Track

Comm 520	Political Communication	4
Comm 572	Communication and Public Opinion Seminar	4
PA 514	Global Leadership and Management	3
PA 517	Leadership Development for Public Organizations	3
PA 518	Leading Public Organizations	3
PA 519	Civic Capacity	3
PA 537	Law & Public Policy	3
PA 538	Advocacy and Political Participation by Nonprofit Organizations	3
PA 539	National Policy Process	3
PA 541	Social Entrepreneurship	3
PA 543	Creating Collaborative Communities	3
PA 545	Organizational Development	3
PA 560	Local Government Administration	3
PA 592	Volunteerism and Volunteer Management	3
PHE 517	Community Organizing	3
PS 516	Political Parties and Elections	4
PS 517	Interest Groups	4
PS 518	Contemporary Political Protest in America	4
PS 519	Political Reform	4
PS 527	The Politics of Public Opinion	4
PS 531	State and Local Politics	4
Soc 524	Groups, Interaction and Identity	4
Soc 576	Theories of Social Change	3
SW 532	Advocacy and Empowerment	3
USP 550	Participatory Planning	3
USP 584	Negotiation in the Public Sector	2-4

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 509	Public Policy Project	3
	or
PS 509	Public Policy Project	3

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Choose a minimum of 3 credits from the following possible courses:

PA 514	Global Leadership and Management	3
PA 523	Nongovernmental Organizations: Nonprofits on the World Stage	3
PA 547	Culture, Values and Leadership	3
PA 549	Cross-cultural Communication in the Public Sector	3
PA 593	Civil Rights for Public Managers	3
PA 594	Enhancing Diversity in the Workplace	3
PS 518	Contemporary Political Protest in America	4
PS 523	Civil Liberties	4
PS 524	Law, Politics, and Society	4
PS 525	Women and the Law	4
PS 571	Gender & Politics: A Comparative Perspective	4
PS 576	Politics 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.