Are you looking to create imaginative solutions to policy challenges? If so, the Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree may be right for you. Because policy challenges are not neatly bundled into academic subjects, George Mason’s policy program is highly interdisciplinary. It draws upon economics, political science, applied statistics, regional science, sociology, cultural studies and other areas to provide students with the theoretical grounding and hands-on tools needed to address a vast range of public concerns like terrorism, human trafficking, environmental hazards, hunger, and much else.
The program includes a robust international emphasis, encouraging global consideration of policy processes and problems. In that regard, all MPP students are encouraged to take a study-abroad course and are required to take courses that stress comparative public policy and international policy issues. This emphasis is reinforced by our location in the Washington metropolitan area, not only the center of the U.S. government but also the hub of global governance.
Instruction in the program pays particular attention to understanding the elements of good governance, performing careful policy analyses, writing logically and convincingly, making effective oral presentations, distinguishing advocacy from analysis, and developing the strategic and moral qualities required of effective leaders and policy professionals. Led by a faculty of prominent scholars and practitioners, the School offers an extraordinary opportunity to anyone with the talent and desire to undertake a demanding program preparatory to a meaningful life’s work in the policy world.
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Syllabi
MPP Program Overview and Curriculum Requirements