- Degree Requirements
- Non-Degree Status
- Recommended Course Schedule
- Internship
- Professional Portfolio
- Special Opportunities
Additional information, including tuition and fees, can be found at: Graduate Admissions
An informational video giving an overview of the Master of Public Policy Program can be viewed in conjunction with the materials on this page.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is designed to be a two-year professional degree although part-time students may take significantly longer to complete the degree.
Students are normally required to complete 39 credits of coursework (13 courses), including 24 credits (8 courses) in a common curriculum component, that includes an Internship, 9 credits (3 courses) in a policy concentration area, 3 credits of free elective (1 course), and a 3 credit Policy Research Seminar. Students are also required to prepare a portfolio of their professional work and present it to a faculty committee for their review and approval.
The Common Curriculum Component consists of eight courses required of all students in the MPP program. Some courses in the Common Curriculum Component have prerequisites which can/may be fulfilled by courses taken as an undergraduate. If a prerequisite is not fulfilled by a course taken in obtaining a bachelor's degree, the Free Elective may be used to fulfill one prerequisite, including one undergraduate course. No other courses taken as prerequisites will count toward the MPP degree requirements.
Requirements for Master of Public Policy Degree
| Credits | Courses | |
|---|---|---|
| Common Curriculum Component | 24 | 8 |
| Policy Area Concentration | 9 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | 1 |
| Internship | 3 | 1 |
| Total: | 39 | 13 |
Concentration Areas
The MPP requires students to declare a policy area concentration by the beginning of their second semester. The policy area concentration will be fulfilled by taking three or more courses on a related topic(s). Special Topics courses and Independent Study courses may count toward the concentration if they are relevant to the student's declared area of concentration and are approved in advance by the Program Director.
Available concentration areas include:
- Public Management
- Environmental Policy
- Educational Policy
Students may propose an individualized concentration area from available courses and submit it for approval to the program director before the end of the student's first semester.
Non-Degree Status
Students may enroll in up to two MPP courses without being admitted to the MPP program. Students interested in taking courses as a non-matriculated student must have the permission of the instructor before enrolling in the course.
Recommended Course Schedule
Year 1- Fall
POL 500 - Public Institutions and Policy Process
POL 540 - Microeconomics for Public Policy (prerequisite for POL 541)
POL 581 - Research Methods for Public Policy (prerequisite for POL 530, 580, and 585)
Year 1- Spring
POL 510 - Public Management
POL 530 – Policy Analysis
POL 541 – State and Local Finance
Year 2 – Fall
POL 580 – Statistics
Concentration Area Class or Internship
Concentration Area Class or Internship
Year 2- Spring
POL 585 - Applied Policy Research Seminar
Concentration Area Class or Internship
Concentration Area Class or Internship
To help map out your studies, the MPP_Advising_Form can help you figure out which courses you need to take as well as track your coursework in the program.
Internship
A video providing an overview of the internship requirement is available here.
The Master of Public Policy requires an internship (3 credits) for students with less than 2 years of substantial and relevant public policy or public management experience. The field work component of the internship (2 credits) will be waived if an individual has at least 2 years substantial and relevant work experience in a policy making or public management position, although all students must enroll in the academic seminar component (1 credit) of the internship to graduate and for purposes of reviewing the students' professional portfolios.
Students seeking a waiver should make a formal request in writing to both the Department Chair and Internship Coordinator in the semester prior to when they plan on completing the internship requirement. This written request should include a detailed discussion of the substantive reasons why the applicant's previous experience and professional background merits a waiver. Waivers are granted at the sole discretion of the Department of Public Policy.
Students will select an internship venue from a pre-approved list of local, state, and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and private sector businesses. The internship's objective is to expose students to a policy-related or public management setting that allows them to integrate public policy theory (in their academic course) with the real world of policy making and public management in their area of substantive interest. In the academic seminar, interns will share workplace experiences and analyze these experiences within the framework of public policy and public management theory.
Deadlines for Requesting Experiential Component Waivers for the Internship
Students requesting waivers must adhere to the following deadlines:
For waiver requests where the course is to be taken in the Fall semester, students must submit the request no later than April 15th of the immediately preceding semester (for example, a waiver request for Fall 2011 must be made no later than April 15, 2011).
For waiver requests where the course is to be taken in the Spring semester, students must submit the request no later than November 15th of the immediately preceding semester (for example, a waiver request for Spring 2012 must be made no later than November 15, 2011).
Failure to follow these deadlines will result in an automatic denial of the waiver requests. If students cannot wait until a later semester to make the request then they will be required to take the full internship experience (3-units) regardless of prior experience.
Registering for the Internship
Registering for the internship course (POL599) requires written approval from the internship director. After speaking with your academic advisor, contact the director for written approval during registration for the semester you wish to engage in the internship experience. With written approval you will be able to register for the course as indicated in the approval (1-unit section with waiver, 3-unit section without waiver).
Planning Your Internship
Ultimately, establishing an internship experience that is valuable to you and also one that meets the requirement of the MPP program is an interactive process between the student and their advisor, with approval of the experience required by the internship coordinator. As stated in the course description of POL599:
A policy-related internship tailored to each student's career preferences or academic interests. The selection of an internship venue will occur in consultation with the student's MPP advisor and with the approval of the MPP Internship Coordinator. The Internship venue is usually selected from a pre-approved list of local, state, and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and private sector businesses. Note: The field work component of the internship (2 credits) is waived if an individual has at least 2 years substantial and relevant work experience in a policy making or public management position, although students must still enroll in the academic course component (1 credit) of the internship to graduate.
To allow for the most valuable internship experience possible, the following guidelines are suggested:
- First, explore what is out there. Reach out into the community in the areas that interest you to see if you can find an experience you would enjoy. If you are having difficulty, and after consultation with your adviser, you can contact the internship coordinator Chad McGuire for help and to develop your ideas. This should be done well before the semester you are planning to take your internship.
- Second, once you have a possible connection for an internship, make sure the specific 'project' you plan to engage in during the semester meets the internship requirements of the program. You should ensure the expectations between yourself and your sponsor for the internship are aligned. You should also make sure these expectations meet the requirements of the program, and this is where involving the internship coordinator in the final agreement between you and your agency makes sense.
The Internship Experience
The actual internship will be divided into two parts: the experiential component (actually engaging in the internship experience), and aseminar component where you will interact with your fellow classmates also interning during the semester. The specific details of the experiential component (required if not waived) will be determined by agreement between your host entity and the internship coordinator. The seminar component will take place mainly in an online interactive environment where you will have specific readings to link your internship experience to your academics in the public policy program, as well as larger connections between your work and civic engagement. There are monthly discussion posts required in the seminar component of the course, as well as a final report that is due at the end of the semester. Part of the final report may be helpful to students in preparing their summary statement for their portfolio presentation.
For more information about internships, please see: http://www.naspaa.org/students/careers/service.asp
For a searchable listing of internship opportunities in Massachusetts, visit http://massitsallhere.com/Student-Internships
Professional Portfolio
(A video tutorial on preparing your e-porfolio materials on the wiki page is available here)
Students should begin developing a professional portfolio during their first semester. In the last semester of their studies, students present their portfolio to a faculty committee and discuss how it represents their learning and will support their future job search.
Portfolio Presentation Requirements
The portfolio presentation is a final requirement of all Master of Public Policy (MPP) candidates. The goal of the portfolio is to present a ‘cumulative experience assessment’ that integrates the academic experience of the student in the MPP program with a reflective assessment by the student of how that experience has impacted their understanding of public policy both intellectually and practically. This goal is met by two deliverables: a portfolio submission and a portfolio presentation (both explained in greater detail below). Faculty members review the submission of the MPP candidate, some level of inquiry is given, and the candidate finalizes the process by completing an exit interview.
The general process of the portfolio requirement is as follows:
- MPP candidate is invited to a private e-portfolio website in their final semester of study (candidates who believe they are in their final semester who have not received a formal invitation to this site should contact their faculty advisor or the department chair and request an invitation). An example of the e-portfolio site can be found here: e-portfolio example.
- The MPP candidate assembles all of their learning materials during their tenure in the MPP program into a coherent portfolio. The portfolio should begin with a overview by the candidate summarizing their experience in the program, the way the portfolio is laid out for review, and identifying any major themes presented in the portfolio (concentration area for example). The candidate then submits the portfolio on their private section of the website in an electronic pdf format. Items to include in the portfolio include, but are not limited to, the following:
- research papers written for courses taken in the program
- policy white papers written for courses taken in the program
- papers or products from the course in Applied Policy Research
- documentation of other professional or scholarly achievements over the course of their enrollment in the MPP
- newspaper clippings about the individual's achievements, public service, and awards
- published articles in trade magazines or newspapers
- professional certifications, licenses, and other evidence of professional development
- evidence of presentations or attendance at meetings of relevant professional associations
- letters of commendation and letters of recommendation from supervisors or others in a position to evaluate the individual's academic and work.
- other items of importance as determined by the student and their faculty advisor
- An example of how this information is presented from the e-portfolio example site is available for viewing here.
- On a separate page of the website, the candidate ‘presents’ their portfolio to the faculty by preparing a presentation. The presentation can include a variety of formats including: a powerpoint presentation with voice capture; a video presentation that is uploaded for viewing; or other methods of presenting the material that are suitable to the candidate. The e-portfolio site contains a variety of tools to aid you in presenting your materials. An example of a recorded presentation from the e-portfolio example site is here.
- Helpful Hint for Video Recording: For the presentation, UMD now offers Camtasia Relay to students and faculty (with MyUMassD credentials - username and password). This software product allows for easy-to-use screen capture video recording. Details on the product, including an easy how-to-use video, is available here.
- Helpful Hint for Video Recording: For the presentation, UMD now offers Camtasia Relay to students and faculty (with MyUMassD credentials - username and password). This software product allows for easy-to-use screen capture video recording. Details on the product, including an easy how-to-use video, is available here.
- Once the portfolio and presentation have been submitted, faculty will review the materials and post comments/questions in discussion threads that attach to the specific web page on which you created your submission and presentation. The candidate will review these comments and respond where appropriate. The candidate will then be given an indication by the faculty that the presentation of the portfolio is complete.
- Once the presentation has been completed, the candidate will find a final page connected to their personal portfolio site. This page will contain an exit interview that asks the candidate to answer a few questions about their experience in the MPP program specifically, and at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth generally. Once the candidate has completed the exit interview, all of the requirements of the portfolio have been completed. Congratulations!
Helpful Hints and Procedural Notes
You will be given reinforced detailed instructions and examples on the portfolio creation and submission when you are officially invited to the e-portfolio website. This summary above should give you a good understanding of how to think about the portfolio as you begin and matriculate throughout the MPP program. As a rule-of-thumb, you should consider the following to aid you in preparing for your portfolio submission and presentation:
- Create a special ‘portfolio’ file where you place digital copies of all major papers, reports, etc. created for each course you have taken during your tenure in the MPP program.
- Include summaries of any special events or presentations you have made during your time in the MPP program.
- Consider your POL599 Internship experience and final report as examples of summative pieces that can help tie together the academic and practical experiences you have had during your MPP experience. The final report, for example, can be helpful in producing your ‘introductory’ summary at the beginning of your written portfolio submission, and it can also help you in highlighting some of the integration of what you have learned into an applied setting for your portfolio presentation.
- A video tutorial has been prepared to help you understand how to prepare your materials, available here.
If you follow these general guidelines you should have little difficulty in the preparation, submission, and presentation of your portfolio.
The deadline for completing your portfolio materials is generally the last day of classes of the semester in which you are graduating; use this date as a 'marker' for completing your portfolio materials.
Special Opportunities
Kassel University (German Exchange Agreement)
The Department of Public Policy has a student exchange and course-sharing partnership with Kassel University's (Germany) Master in Global Political Economy program. The exchange agreement allows up to 3 students annually to study in Germany for periods of 4 weeks to one full semester (or summer). All courses in Germany are taught in English and are pre-approved for transfer credit in the MPP. Consult the International Programs Office for more information.
