Program Overview

Public Policy, MPP

Overview

The master of public policy leads to a degree for aspiring or experienced professionals who seek career advancement through cutting-edge education and training in policy analysis and development in increasingly technical and global environments. The program prepares students to be reflective practitioners who develop, implement, manage, analyze, evaluate, and effect innovative change in the public and private sectors through a course of study that emphasizes the fundamentals of policy development; the role of technology, analytic assessment, and modeling for policy evaluation; and the implications of international and global perspectives on policy formation. Courses are offered primarily in the late afternoon and evening, as well as online, to fit the schedules of busy professionals.

Admissions

Requirements

See Graduate Admission Policies for general information on graduate admission to George Mason University. Specific information on application requirements and deadlines may be found with Schar Admissions. Completed applications for fall and spring semesters are reviewed on a rolling basis, with late applications considered on a space-available basis. Students may be admitted for nondegree study and apply a limited number of credits toward the master's degree should they choose to apply to the degree program later, in accordance with university policy.

Policies

Termination from Program

Students admitted to a Schar program will be terminated from Schar upon receiving one grade of F and are no longer eligible to take courses in Schar. Per university regulation, students are terminated from the university after accumulating grades of F in two courses or 9 credits of unsatisfactory grades in graduate courses. For policies governing all graduate degrees, see Graduate Policies.

Program Requirements

Students must complete 36 to 39 credits of coursework through a combination of core courses, electives, and a professional experience requirement. Appropriate professional experience can be demonstrated through previous employment or a supervised internship. Students will also be exposed to the global nature of public policy activity through the core requirement of international comparative policy assessment.

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 36-39

Required Public Policy Courses

Students take one required course and one elective in each of the four elements below.

• Practice Element
  • Required Course: PUBP 500 - Theory and Practice in Public Policy (3 credits)
  • Choose one of the following:
    • PUAD 649 - Advocacy and Lobbying (3 credits)
    • PUBP 570 - Policy Writing Fundamentals (3 credits)
    • PUBP 730 - US Institutions and the Policy Process (3 credits)
• Analysis Element
  • Required Course: POGO 511 - Introductory Data Analysis for Policy and Government (3 credits)
  • Choose one of the following:
    • GOVT 500 - The Scientific Method and Research Design (3 credits)
    • POGO 611 - Advanced Data Analysis for Policy and Government (3 credits)
    • POGO 646 - Policy and Program Evaluation (3 credits)
    • POGO 793 - Big Data Analytics for Policy and Government (3 credits)
    • PUBP 754 - Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Analysis for Public Policy (3 credits)
    • PUBP 791 - Advanced Field Research for Policy: Theory and Method (3 credits)
• Governance Element
  • Required Course: PUAD 662 - National Budgeting (3 credits)
  • Choose one of the following:
    • GCP 605 - Technology, Culture and Commerce (3 credits)
    • PUBP 503 - Culture, Organization, and Technology (3 credits)
    • PUBP 761 - Social Entrepreneurship and Public Policy (3 credits)
• Economics Element
  • Required Course: PUBP 720 - Microeconomics for Public Policy (3 credits)
  • Choose one of the following:
    • GCP 503 - Macroeconomic Policy in the Global Economy (3 credits)
    • PUBP 732 - Labor Markets and Policies (3 credits)
    • PUBP 741 - Public Sector Economics for Public Policy (3 credits)
    • PUBP 792 - Advanced Economic Analysis for Policy Research (3 credits)

Electives

Electives are chosen from one of the following policy emphasis areas. One of the courses in the emphasis sequence should have an international focus.

• Economic Policy
• Education Policy
• Gender and Policy
• Global Medical and Health Policy
• International Governance and Institutions
• National Security and Public Policy
• Public Finance and Budgeting
• Regional Economic Development
• Science and Technology Policy
• Social Policy
• Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption
• Transportation Policy
• Urban Policy and Development
• US Government Institutions and Policy Management

Professional Experience Requirement

Certification that the student has experience in the public policy process outside the classroom and is ready to take leadership responsibilities must be exhibited by one of two ways: relevant professional experience, approved by the program director, or an approved internship.

Bachelor's Degree (any)/Public Policy, Accelerated MPP

Overview

Highly-qualified undergraduates in any major may apply to the accelerated Master of Public Policy (MPP) program. If accepted, students will be able to earn a bachelor’s degree in their current undergraduate major and a Schar School master’s degree within a reduced timeframe. More information on bachelor's/accelerated master's programs may be found in AP.6.7 Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degrees.

Admission

Please see the Graduate Admissions Policies for general information on graduate admissions to George Mason University. Information specific to the accelerated master’s program may be found on the Schar School BAM website.

To be considered for this accelerated master's program, applicants must have completed a minimum of 60 credits, including 12 credits of Government and/or Economics courses, and have a minimum GPA of 3.50 in all coursework applied to the degree.

Accelerated Option Requirements

While undergraduate students, accelerated master's students may complete up to fifteen graduate credits of which twelve may be counted toward both the bachelor's and master's degrees. Remaining credits may be held as reserve graduate credit and count only toward the master's degree. The student must have a minimum GPA of 3.00 in each course. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.00 in these courses and in coursework applied to their major.

Joint Degree in Law & Public Policy

The JD/MPP Joint Degree Program in Law and Public Policy provides students with an opportunity to master the fundamentals of legal and policy analysis. It provides students with full legal training and a solid understanding of public policy, preparing them for careers in legal academia, government and policymaking. Upon completion of the graduation requirements of both schools, students of the joint degree program will receive both a JD from the Scalia Law School and an MPP from the Schar School of Policy and Government (Schar). Both degrees can be achieved on a full-time basis in approximately four years, instead of the five years that would be required if each degree were pursued sequentially.

Credit Requirements for the JD

The JD requires a total of 89 credit hours. Students must complete 40 credits of required curriculum and 49 additional elective credits of upper-level coursework. Students completing the joint degree program may request at the beginning of their final year of study to have the number of required elective credits reduced from 49 to 40.

Credit Requirements for the MPP

The MPP requires a total of 36 credit hours. Joint degree students must complete all 24 credits of the required curriculum. Twelve additional policy credits are required in upper division coursework in order to complete the MPP. Any student entering the program without relevant work experience will also be expected to complete a three credit policy related internship.

Additional Requirements

Students will have five years from matriculation in the Law School to complete the JD requirements and six years from matriculation in the Schar School of Policy and Government to complete the MPP requirements.

At the beginning of the final year of study, the student must seek approval from the law school for a reduced electives course load, as the joint degree program reduces the total number of credit hours needed for graduation.

Students in the joint degree program will not receive a cumulative GPA, but instead will have two separate transcripts maintained by the separate departments. If a student decides at any point to abandon the joint degree program and pursue one degree or the other, the credit reduction will not remain and students will be expected to complete the entire credit load to receive the degree (89 hours for the JD and 36 hours for the MPP (39 hours if an internship is required)).