The Master of Public Policy is the industry standard among public policy degrees, emphasizing the analysis of data and other relevant information and enabling students to assess public problems, develop appropriate policy responses, and evaluate program effectiveness.
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The MPP degree emphasizes the analysis of data and other relevant information to enable graduates to assess public problems, develop appropriate policy responses, and evaluate program effectiveness. MPP graduates enter careers as policy analysts, researchers, consultants, program evaluators, and policymakers in a broad range of public and nonprofit settings, ranging from the local to the international, and in the private sector.
Additionally, students can concentrate in healthcare management and policy or sustainability and climate change policy. The healthcare management and policy angle of study equips students to better assess and act within today's complicated healthcare sector. Students who select sustainability and climate change policy will be immersed in the intricacies of climate change inquiry and action, the most crucial issue of our time.
At Northeastern, the MPP joins our long-established and nationally accredited Master of Public Administration, as well as our Master of Urban Planning and Policy, Master of Science in Urban Informatics, and Master of Arts in International Affairs. As such, students are part of a larger community of great intellectual and policy area diversity. The curriculum is designed to offer methodological rigor, a theoretical framework, and opportunities for applied experiences in optional areas of specialization. The majority of classes are offered in the early evening to accommodate working students.
MPP students build an area of subject expertise based on an array of electives offered by the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, by other programs in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, and elsewhere in the university. As experiential learning is a key element of the program, students who enter with fewer than two years of relevant professional experience will be required to complete an internship. Students also have the option to take the internship for credit. Candidates with relevant professional experience can request a waiver of the internship requirement.
Learn more about the Master of Public Policy program from the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, housed in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.
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Unique Features
- Required internship for students with fewer than two years of relevant professional experience
- Optional internship for candidates with relevant professional experience
- Majority of classes are offered in the early evening to accommodate working students
- Optional areas of applied specialization currently include law and public policy, sustainability and climate change, urban informatics, and health policy
- Optional Concentration in Healthcare Management and Policy
This graduate concentration is available to students in the Masters of Public Policy program in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. It is designed to enable students to develop a deeper understanding of the contemporary healthcare sector, including intricacies of U.S. health policy and competencies in healthcare management. The concentration comprises three courses, one from each of three focus areas: Health Management, Health Policy, and Health Elective. - Optional Concentration in Sustainability and Climate Change Policy
This graduate concentration is available to students in the Master of Public Policy program in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. It is designed to enable MPP students to develop deeper insights into the policy dimensions of these intertwined but conceptually distinct realms of climate change inquiry and action, and in both domestic and international domains. The concentration comprises three courses.
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Requirements
- Application
- Application fee - U.S. $75.00
- Personal statement
- Unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended
- English proficiency for international applicants
- Three letters of recommendation
- Standardized test scores such as the GRE are not required for master's degree applicants to the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. However, such test scores may be helpful for applicants with little or no experience beyond undergraduate school.
Admissions Dates
Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis.
| Final deadline for international applicants: | June 15 |
| Final deadline for domestic applicants: | August 15 |
| Deadline for special student applicants (noninternational only): | August 25 |
| Deadline for international applicants: | October 1 |
| Deadline for domestic applicants: | December 1 |
| Deadline for special student applicants (noninternational only): | December 15 |
| Domestic applicants only: | April 15 |
Core Requirements
Methods, Statistics, and Applications Core
Choose one of the following courses:
Complete the following courses:
Policy Frameworks and Practice Core
Methods and Statistics Elective
Complete 4 semester hours from the following:
Internship Requirement
An approved internship or waiver is required.
Internship Waived
Electives
Complete 12 semester hours from the course list below.
Internship Completed for Course Credit
Electives
Complete 8 semester hours from the course list below.
Internship Completed Not for Course Credit
Electives
Complete 12 semester hours from the course list below.
Optional Co-op Experience
Requires two consecutive semesters of co-op work experience and experiential integration:
Course List
CRIM 5000 to CRIM 7999 (by advisement only)
ECON 5000 to ECON 7999 (by advisement only)
ENGL 5000 to ENGL 7999 (by advisement only)
HIST 5000 to HIST 7999 (by advisement only)
POLS 5000 to POLS 7999 (by advisement only)
SOCL 5000 to SOCL 7999 (by advisement only)
Optional Concentration
Students in the Master of Public Policy program have the option to concentrate in Healthcare Management and Policy or Sustainability and Climate Change Policy. However, a concentration is not mandatory for this program.
Concentrations
Choose one from the following:
Health Management
Select one of the following:
Health Policy
Select one of the following:
Health Elective
Select one of the following:
Take three of the following courses:
Please note: this curriculum is for marketing purposes only, and is subject to change. Official curriculum can be found within the Course Catalog.
- In-Class Case Studies — Professors integrate case studies, small group exercises, and applied projects into the classroom to add a real-world perspective to the coursework.
- Research — Students collaborate with faculty on groundbreaking, use-inspired research in class and in our research centers—The Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy, The Social Impact Lab, and the Boston Area Research Initiative.
- Capstone — Students must complete a capstone, a semester-long project where student teams work in partnership with local, state, or federal agencies or nonprofit institutions to assess a problem, produce a thorough policy analysis, and recommend solutions to the client.
- Opportunities Abroad — Students can participate in a one-semester exchange program with the University of Amsterdam’s Urban Studies Research master’s program or KU Leuven. This is an academic, research-oriented program that will be complementary to our professionally focused Master of Public Policy program.
Our Faculty
Our faculty represents a wide cross-section of professional practices and fields ranging from finance to education to biomedical science to management to the U.S. military. They serve as mentors and advisors and collaborate alongside students to solve the most pressing global challenges facing established and emerging markets.
By enrolling in Northeastern, you gain access to a network of more than 255,000 alumni and 3,350+ employer partners, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and global nongovernmental organizations. Our current students and faculty across strategically located regional locations further foster a lifelong, global community of learning and mentoring.
Below is a look at jobs our Master of Public Policy graduates are prepared to pursue, and the skills they bring to organizations:
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Where They Work
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Boston Children’s Hospital
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- City of Boston
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health
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What They Do
- Policy Analysis
- Program Evaluation
- Research
- Service Delivery
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What They're Skilled At
- Research and Analysis
- Policy Design
- Program Evaluation
- Policy Advocacy
Learn more about Northeastern alumni on Linkedin.