Master of Public Policy

Students enrolled in this program will be equipped to:

• Lead and manage diverse teams working on a range of interdisciplinary policy challenges.
• Exhibit expertise in one or more public policy issue areas and the tools and concepts used to address them.
• Understand all phases of the policy process, including using and conducting applied research and translating the findings into policy-relevant and actionable recommendations.
• Employ a range of qualitative and quantitative evidence-based tools to analyze policy problems and assess possible solutions.
• Demonstrate a solid understanding of organizational structures and legal/administrative settings and procedures and their role in policy adoption and implementation.
• Maintain a strong ethical framework and analytic approach to public service that promotes the rule of law, transparency and fairness.
• Communicate and interact productively in a range of institutional settings with diverse leadership, colleagues and citizenry.
• Incorporate diverse stakeholder perspectives into policy analysis and practice effective and inclusive advocacy.

Bachelor’s degree from accredited university, acceptable GPA, English proficiency test (TOEFL/IELTS), two recommendation letters, personal statement

Courses (36 credit hours)
Students seeking the degree of Master of Public Policy must complete 36 credit hours including a thesis preparation course (PPAD 5298) or 36 credit hours plus a comprehensive examination. The program core, required of all students, consists of 6 courses (18 credits). Students must complete a concentration of 5 courses (15 credits). Students writing a thesis, consistent with department and university guidelines, will enroll in Research Seminar (PPAD 5298) and subsequently in PPAD 5299 if they do not complete during their enrollment in PPAD 5298. Students in the non-thesis track will need to complete 36 credit hours (not including PPAD 5298) and register for the Comprehensive Examination.

Core Requirement (18 credit hours):
Students must complete the following six courses:

Group 1: Students must complete the following five courses:

PPAD 500/5201 – Research Methods for Public Policy and Administration (3 cr.)
PPAD 502/5231 – Economics for Public Policy Analysis (3 cr.)
PPAD 515/5202 – Public Policy Theory & Practice (3 cr.)
PPAD 508/5211 – Qualitative Analysis for Policy and Administration (3 cr.)
PPAD 509/5212 – Applied Quantitative Analysis (3 cr.)
Group 2: Complete one of the following:

PPAD 506/5111 – Essentials of Public Policy and Administration (3 cr.)

PPAD 000/5165 – Program Evaluation (3 cr.)

Concentration Requirement (15 credit hours):
Students must complete 5 courses in one of the concentrations below. Students may substitute up to two courses for those shown in a concentration with permission of the department.

MPP Concentration 1: Policies for Sustainable Development – 5 courses (15 credits) required
Students should select concentration courses based on their chosen area of specialization, which may include health and social services policy, anti-poverty policy, environmental policy, or an area defined by the student.

Group 1: Complete three of the following courses
PPAD 525/5127 – Reforming the Delivery of Social Policies in the Middle East (3 cr.)
PPAD 516/5132 – Social and Environmental Policy (3 cr.)
PPAD 520/5133 – Global Health Issues and Policies (3 cr.)
PPAD 541/5136 – Gender in Public Policy and Administration (3 cr.)
PPAD 536/5141 – Policy for Sustainable Cities (3 cr.)
PPAD 537/5142 – Greening the Built Environment (3 cr.)
PPAD 538/5143 – Urban Infrastructure Development for Sustainability (3 cr.)
Group 2: Complete any two course in consultation with the Department advisor
MPP Concentration 2: Promotion and Regulation of the Private Sector Development – 5 courses (15 credits) required
Students should select concentration courses based on their chosen area of specialization, which may include financial markets; telecommunications, power, and water; private sector development; regional economic development, or a topic identified by the student.

Group 1: Complete three of the following courses
PPAD 518/5123 – Governance, Accountability, and Stakeholder Negotiations (3 cr.)
PPAD 524/5129 – Globalization and Development (3 cr.)
PPAD 507/5131 – Government Finance for Policy Analysis (3 cr.)
PPAD 521/5134 – Government Regulation of Business and Investment (3 cr.)
PPAD 000/5165 – Program Evaluation (3 cr.)
PPAD 503/5232 – Role of Government in a Market-Oriented Economy (3 cr.)
PPAD 527/5251 – International Organization in Global Governance (3 cr.)
PPAD 528/5252 – Theory and Practice of Negotiation (3 cr.)
Group 2: Complete any two course in consultation with the Department advisor
MPP Concentration 3: Media Policy – 5 courses (15 credits) required
Group 1: Complete three of the following courses
JRMC 550/5250 – Seminar in International Communication (3 cr.)
JRMC 570/5270 – Seminar in Mass Communication and National Development (3 cr.)
JRMC 580/5280 – Television and Digital Broadcasting: Impact and Development (3 cr.)
JRMC 590/5290 – Special Topics (3 cr.)
PPAD 519/5124 – Leadership and Communication for Public Affairs (3 cr.)
PPAD 570/5199 – Special Topics in Public Policy and Administration (1-3 cr.)
Group 2: Complete any two course in consultation with the Department advisor
MPP Concentration 4: Data Analytics and program Evaluation – 5 courses (15 credits) required
Students should select concentration courses based on their chosen area of specialization, which may include program evaluation and data analysis and survey data analysis , or an area defined by the student.

Group 1: Complete three of the following courses
Students should select concentration courses based on their chosen area of specialization, which may include program evaluation and data analysis and survey data analysis, or an area defined by the student. Students can only declare this concentration upon the successful completion of PPAD 509/5212 – Applied Quantitative Analysis (3 cr.)

PPAD 000/5173 – Public Administration, Technology, and Innovation (3 cr.)
PPAD 000/5165 – Program Evaluation (3 cr.)
PPAD 000/5179 – Big Data Analytics for Public Policy (3 cr.)
PPAD 000/5180 – Introduction to Data Analytics (3 cr.)
Group 2: Complete any two course in consultation with the Department advisor
Practicum (PPAD 5198): 3 credits Graded Pass-Fail
Students are strongly encouraged to undertake a practicum (internship) within their concentration, ideally in conjunction with their thesis work. This class is P/F graded.

Thesis
Students are required to write a thesis on some aspect of public policy relevant to their concentration. The preparation of the thesis and the thesis itself must comply with Departmental and AUC guidelines with regard to content, format, dates, and the review and supervision process. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with these guidelines and meeting formal deadlines. Students preparing the thesis normally develop a preliminary thesis proposal during PPAD 5201, a required core course, but may prepare an alternative thesis proposal if desired. Once the proposal is approved, students should enroll in PPAD 5298, the thesis research seminar, in the first semester in which they are working on the research component and write-up of their thesis. Thereafter, if additional work is required to complete the thesis, students must enrol each semester in PPAD 5299.

Non-Thesis Track
Students who do not wish to undertake a thesis can choose to substitute the thesis with one additional PPAD 3-credit course (not including PPAD 5298), with the approval of the program director, and then sit for a comprehensive examination after completing all program course requirements. A comprehensive examination is usually offered in mid-December and mid-April. Students not registered for courses or thesis credit hours and planning to sit for the comprehensive examination in any semester must register for comprehensives (PPAD 5288) in that semester.

Comprehensive examination may be repeated once. A student who fails the comprehensive examination a second time would be dismissed from the degree program after the end of the semester in which the examination was retaken.