Public Policy (M.P.P.)

• Online

The policy decisions that government at all levels must make are becoming increasingly complex. Private nonprofit and for-profit entities are also increasingly involved in complex policy issues. To respond effectively to these issues, organizations increasingly need staff that are trained in the politics and economics of public policy and in sophisticated methods of analysis, as well as being knowledgeable about the substantive issues at hand.

The Masters in Public Policy (M.P.P.) program at the University of Northern Iowa is a professional, interdisciplinary degree designed to provide just such a combination of skills. The M.P.P. is a two-year cohort program requiring 37 credit hours to complete. As a cohort program, students will move through the curriculum together in the same courses and at the same pace. The program is designed to facilitate the schedules of students who are working full time.

Once enrolled, students take two 8-week courses each semester, but the courses are offered sequentially, meaning students take one course the first 8 weeks and the second course the second 8 weeks of the semester for a total of 6 credit hours each semester. The M.P.P. may be completed entirely at a distance. In addition to courses on policy analysis, evaluation, politics and methods, students will complete: a two-course sequence on specific policy areas, two experiential learning projects, and a final applied research project on a policy area of their choosing.