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The primary objective of the M.P.P. program is to prepare students for careers in government, politics, and public affairs within public, non-profit, or private sectors. The M.P.P. is normally a two-year degree for full-time students. Applicants directly from their bachelor's degree or with a few years of work experience are encouraged to apply to the M.P.P program.
Students must complete 46 credits, including 28 credits of required course work, 12 credits offered toward an approved concentration in a substantive policy area, and 6 additional elective credits. There is no thesis requirement. Students cannot graduate with more than three courses (9 credits) with grades below a B, and they must achieve grades of B+ or better in at least three of their four concentration courses (9 of 12 credits).
- Public Policy Formation 34:833:510 (3 credits; first semester, first year):
Formulation and implementation of public policy, with emphasis on federal policymaking, models for policy choice, and intergovernmental policy problems. Analysis of the formulation and implementation of a public law.
- Policy Methods I 34:833:530 (4 credits; first semester, first year):
Provides students with an the opportunity for problem solving, building of data, identification of data problems, statistical analysis applications, reaching conclusions from data analysis, and communicating results. There would be statistical lab work with appropriate statistical packages (e.g., SPSS).
- Policy Methods II 34:833:630 (3 credits; second semester, first year):
Provides students with a portfolio of methods (including regression, qualitative methods, and survey research) to gain skills, literacy, understanding of research technique, and how to interpret results.
- Economics for Public Policy 34:833:543 (3 credits; second semester, first year):
Basic microeconomic analysis with applications to current policy issues. Models of consumer and firm behavior applied to issues such as assistance programs for low-income individuals, tax incentives for firms and workers, and environmental regulation. Public goods, externalities, and the role of government in economic markets.
- Applied Field Experience 34:833:673 (6 credits; summer semester):
Allows students to gain practical experience in a public policy setting and relate it to an academic perspective as well. Students work in a professional setting for approximately 20 hours per week for 14 weeks during the summer, write a paper synthesizing their experience within an academic framework under the supervision of the faculty member in charge, and formally present their papers and experiences to the faculty, site supervisors, and first-year students during the fall semester of their second years.
- Policy Practicum 34:833:640 and 672 (6 credits; second semester, second year):
Participation in a directed research project that applies analytical techniques of policy analysis and evaluation or survey research to public policy problems.
- A Methods Elective (3 credits, first or second semester, second year):
Students select a methods elective from a menu of courses that include advanced statistic analysis, qualitative methods, survey research, cost-benefit, regional economic analysis, or other methods courses approved by their advisors.
Students are recommended to complete a substantive concentration of four courses (12 credits). The concentrations currently available are listed below. Others can be worked out individually with the student's faculty advisor.
Community Development (Rubin)
Education (Coleman)
Environment (Seneca)
Health (Cantor, Wolff)
Labor (Van Horn, Rodgers)
Social/Gender (Crowley, Coleman, Hetling)
Management (Rubin)
The M.P.P. may be combined with the MBA degree from the Rutgers Business School and the MCRP degree from the Planning Program of the Edward J. Bloustein School.
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