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PRINCETON
UNIVERSITY
The
Master's Degree in Public Policy
The Master’s in Public Policy (M.P.P.) program at
Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International
Affairs is designed to meet the needs of rising leaders in the public service
professions, including domestic and international government agencies and
nonprofit organizations.
The M.P.P. program provides rigorous on-campus training in
quantitative reasoning and policy analysis, preparing degree candidates to
return to their careers with the intellectual breadth, organizational skills,
and self-confidence necessary to assume leadership positions in an increasingly
complex public service environment. In
a typical year, approximately 20 students are enrolled in the program.
The Princeton Difference
M.P.P. students benefit from:
- a
small program within a major research university;
- a
diverse student body and alumni network;
- close
working relationships between world-renowned faculty and students;
- an
innovative curriculum;
- attention
to career-building skills in all areas of public affairs.
Degree Requirements
The M.P.P. year begins with an
intensive five-week summer program in economics, mathematics, and policy skills
and leadership, designed to strengthen students’ skills in preparation for
graduate-level Woodrow Wilson School courses. During the academic year, M.P.P. candidates select their courses from
among the offerings available to all Woodrow Wilson School graduate students. To
qualify for the degree, candidates must successfully complete eight courses. The
offerings vary considerably in format. Some are essentially lecture/discussion
courses; others are seminars in which students present papers for group
discussion; and still others are workshops based on field research,
participation by visiting experts, and group reports.
Curriculum
M.P.P. candidates typically undertake programs of study
that combine general courses in quantitative methods, policy analysis, and
public management with more specialized courses chosen from the School’s four
fields of concentration. A typical curriculum might include two courses each in
economics and public management, a policy workshop, and three courses in one of
the four fields of concentration.
I.
International Relations
II.
Development Studies
III.
Domestic Policy
IV.
Economics and Public Policy
In addition, students with appropriate
professional backgrounds may also take courses leading to the M.P.P. with a
certificate in Health and Health Policy (HHP), Demography (offered through the
Office of Population Research [OPR]), Urban and Regional Planning (URP), or
Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP).
Admission
Information and Requirements
Applicants to the program must have had at least seven
years of relevant public service work experience. They must demonstrate
leadership, creativity, a commitment to public service, and the intellectual
ability to thrive in a demanding academic environment. Recent
candidates have included: a consular section chief with the Embassy of the
United States in Sofia, Bulgaria, an executive director for a non-profit in
Minneapolis, a senior economics officer and parliamentary assistance to the
Minister of Finance in Accra, Ghana, a minister of external affairs and head of
chancery for the Embassy of India in Washington, D.C., a program coordinator for
OXFAM, in Hanoi, Vietnam, a commanding officer for the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami
Beach, and an analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research in the U.S.
Department of State in Washington, D.C.
To be considered for enrollment, the completed
application form and all required materials must be received in the Princeton
University Graduate Admission Office, Box 270, Princeton, NJ 08544-0270, no
later than December 1.
Following are the required elements of the completed application:
- the
completed University application form;
- a
resume that includes professional experience, educational background, and
other relevant experience;
- a
personal statement of career plans and goals;
- an
original policy memorandum of 1,000 words;
- three
letters of recommendation;
- official
transcripts from each college and graduate school attended; and
- the
results of the verbal, quantitative, and analytic sections of the Graduate
Record Examination (GRE), recent to within five years.
Financial Assistance
The School’s fellowship program is committed to providing
generous financial assistance to all admitted students through grant assistance
rather than loans to enable students to continue their public service careers
without being burdened with new debts. Decisions on financial aid are made after
admissions decisions so that the two processes are kept completely separate.
More than three-quarters of graduate students at the School receive this aid,
which typically amounts to full tuition plus a generous stipend for living
expenses. Applicants also should pursue funding from outside sources such as the
scholarship programs administered by the World Bank and InterAmerican
Development Bank, with which the School has cooperative and cost-sharing
arrangements.
Who to Contact
For more information, please contact:
Woodrow Wilson School
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544-1013
Phone: (609) 258-4836
E-mail: mpp17@princeton.edu
Visit our website at: http://www.wws.princeton.edu/degree/grad.html
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