Public Policy MPP

OVERVIEW

The Master of Public Policy (MPP) program engages students interested in a range of policy areas, including urban policy, environment, transportation, economic development, international policy, disaster policy and homeland security. This program emphasizes policy research, evaluation and evidence-based decision-making in a collaborative environment.

Students will enhance and sharpen their knowledge and skills through the development of various core competencies: public policy and governance; economic principles; research methods and tools; policy and program analysis and evaluation; organization management and network analysis; public leadership and the decision-making process; and specific courses dedicated to unique topics within policy research. This program is an ideal fit for students seeking an interdisciplinary approach to face today’s policy challenges.

CURRICULUM

The Master of Public Policy program is a full-time cohort research program that requires 36-credit hours. Students complete a core of six courses (18 credits), three general electives (nine credits), two policy specialization electives (six credits) and one policy analysis capstone course (three credits).

PAD 6700: Research methods for Public Administration

This course provides a foundation in the theory and practice of applied research methodology in public policy and administration. These methods are used in program evaluation, monitoring social programs, performance evaluation, and assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of their impacts.

PAD 6035: Public Administration in the Policy Process

This course provides an analysis of the role of the public administrator in the analysis, formulation, implementation, and evaluation of public policy, especially at the state and local levels.

PAD 6616: Economic Principles for Public Policy and Management

This course presents the economic concepts, relationships, and methods of analysis that are relevant for public sector management decisions and policy analysis. Basic concepts and principles such as demand, production, cost, pricing, and cost-benefit analysis are discussed. The course builds on these concepts to demonstrate the importance and usefulness of economic analysis in public sector decision-making.

PAD 6327: Public Program Evaluation Techniques

This course focuses on the basic concepts and issues of conducting an evaluation. It will introduce students to a variety of research designs and related methodological tools useful for evaluating the impact of nonprofit and public programs. Students will learn methods of collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating information used in evaluation reports.

PAD 6307: Public Policy Analysis and Management

This course is designed to provide the conceptual foundations, practical approaches, and analytical techniques to public policy analysis and management. How public policy is made, what roles stakeholders play in policy formulation and implementation, and what impacts public policy can produce. Students are expected to understand the political context of policy analysis and conduct policy analysis.

PAD 6701: Analytic Techniques for Public Administration

This course provides an overview of statistical methods and hands-on application to managerial decision-making in the public sector.
Course topics include program evaluation, data collection and measurement in public policy and administration, descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, index variable construction, regression analysis, and an overview of selected other statistical and quantitative methods applied to problems of public administration.

PAD 6848: Policy Analysis Capstone

Policy Analysis Capstone course provides an environment in which students integrate, synthesize, and apply the knowledge, skills, and perspectives acquired in the MPP curriculum to a real-world public policy and management problem. The capstone course is a professional experience inside the classroom intended to sharpen problem solving, analytic, and communications skills. The capstone experience serves as an important bridge between the classroom and the professional policy world by applying theories and advanced methods to practice.

2 Policy Specialization Electives (six credits)

Visit the Graduate Catalog for a list of eligible courses.

3 Restricted Electives (nine credits)

Visit the Graduate Catalog for a list of eligible courses.

Students must achieve a minimum grade of a B- (80%) or better for each core class and the capstone experience, and they must maintain an overall program grade point average of 3.0.

For more information, please visit the UCF Graduate Catalog.

STUDENT RESOURCES

MPP New Student Handbook
MPP Plan of Study

CERTIFICATES

Students accepted into a graduate program within the School of Public Administration may apply some applicable credits toward a graduate certificate. Students must apply separately for the certificate program. View the graduate certificates offered by the School of Public Administration.

ADMISSIONS AND ADVISING

Applications are accepted in the fall. Apply online through the College of Graduate Studies. To be considered for admission, the following documentation must be on file with UCF by the appropriate application deadline date:

An official, sealed transcript of each college or university attended, showing a GPA of at least 3.0
Official, competitive GRE score taken within the last 5 years (UCF's institution code is 5233)
Three letters of recommendation specifically for the MPP program evaluating scholarly and professional capacity. Letters from professors from the colleges/universities attended are preferred, but if that is not feasible, letters from current or past supervisors will be accepted. The recommender must address the applicant's work ethic and ability to succeed at graduate-level academic work.
Current professional resume including public service experience (paid or voluntary)
Goal statement no longer than two pages double-spaced (500-800 words) that addresses the following:
- Personal background and career aspirations in public service
- Reason for pursuing graduate study in public policy, including future career goals and plans
- Specific areas of public policy that interest you
Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.
All international students must meet university minimum TOEFL score requirements regardless of the language in which the undergraduate program was completed.

For more information on admissions, please contact our graduate advisor, Edlira Dursun.