Degree Requirements
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The Master of Public Policy degree requires a total of 39 semester credit hours of coursework, which includes an internship within the public, private, or nonprofit sector. During the last semester, students will complete either an individual or group capstone project that will incorporate the entire program. The program is designed to be completed in two years, but program length will vary depending on full-time or part-time enrollment.
In order to accommodate working students, classes are offered in the evenings, Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Academic advising and career placement services will be coordinated by a dedicated Hobby School staff member.
The MPP degree curriculum is interdisciplinary with a quantitative emphasis, incorporating political science, economics, computer science, business, and statistics.
The MPP also requires nine hours of more quantitatively-focused classes such as microeconomics, research methods, statistics, and advanced data analysis, six hours in philosophy and research ethics, and three hours for an internship.
In addition, students are required to complete a specialization that is six hours, or typically two courses. This specialization and courses are selected by the student and approved by the Hobby School.
The Hobby School doesn't have a pre-selected list of specializations that must be used. Therefore, students are encouraged to find graduate-level electives throughout the university that fit their interests. The following are some examples of MPP students' specializations: Governmental Affairs, Health Policy, Higher Education Policy, Nonprofit Management, and Quantitative Methods.
The specialization won't specifically appear on students' diploma or transcripts. However, a record is kept by the Hobby School of all specializations, and students are encouraged to list their specialization on their resume.
The UH MPP Interdisciplinary Curriculum
The following table shows a sample degree plan for a current MPP student beginning in Fall 2019:
|
Term: Fall, Year 1
|
Term: Fall, Year 2
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Course
|
Credits
|
Course
|
Credits
|
|
|
POLC 6311 Leadership and Professional Development
|
3
|
POLC 6312 Public Finance
|
3
|
|
|
POLC 6313 Policy Analysis I: Microeconomics
|
3
|
POLC 6316 Policy Research Methods III: Advanced Quantitative Modeling
|
3
|
|
|
POLC 6314 Policy Research Methods I: Introduction to Statistics
|
3
|
POLC 6331 Philosophy and Public Policy II |
3
|
|
|
TOTAL FALL, YEAR 1 CREDITS
|
9
|
TOTAL FALL, YEAR 2 CREDITS | 9 | |
| Term: Spring, Year 1 | Term: Spring, Year 2 | |||
|
Course
|
Credits |
Course
|
Credits
|
|
|
POLC 6315 Policy Research Methods II: Multivariate Analysis
|
3
|
POLC 6317 Public Policy Capstone
|
3
|
|
|
POLC 6320 Policy Analysis II: Political Analysis
|
3
|
² Public Policy Elective | 3 | |
|
POLC 6330 Philosophy and Public Policy I
|
3
|
² Public Policy Elective | 3 | |
|
TOTAL SPRING, YEAR 1 CREDITS
|
9
|
TOTAL SPRING, YEAR 2 CREDITS | 9 | |
|
Term: Summer, Year 1
|
||||
|
Course
|
Credits | |||
|
¹ POLC 6391 Public Policy Internship
|
3
|
|||
|
TOTAL SUMMER, YEAR 1 CREDITS
|
3
|
TOTAL REQUIRED CREDITS
|
39
|
|
¹ POLC 6391 Public Policy Internship is a required course. However, a student may use their current job to satisfy the internship requirement if the position is related to public policy and approved by the Hobby School. The course requirements will still need to be fulfilled.
² Two Public Policy Electives comprise the student specialization, and are chosen by the student and approved by the Hobby School.
The following table shows a sample degree plan for a current MPP student that started prior to Fall 2018:
|
Term: Fall, Year 1
|
Term: Fall, Year 2
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Course
|
Credits
|
Course
|
Credits
|
|
|
POLC 6313 Fundamentals of Policy Analysis
|
3
|
POLC 6316 Statistical Methods for Policy Research III
|
3
|
|
|
POLC 6314 Statistical Methods for Policy Research I
|
3
|
POLC 6397 Selected Topics in Public Policy: Policy Analysis II-Political Analysis
|
3
|
|
|
POLC 6330 Philosophy and Public Policy I
|
3
|
² Public Policy Elective |
3
|
|
|
TOTAL FALL, YEAR 1 CREDITS
|
9
|
TOTAL FALL, YEAR 2 CREDITS | 9 | |
| Term: Spring, Year 1 | Term: Spring, Year 2 | |||
|
Course
|
Credits |
Course
|
Credits
|
|
|
POLC 6312 Public Finance
|
3
|
POLC 6317 Statistical Methods for Policy Research IV
|
3
|
|
|
POLC 6315 Statistical Methods for Policy Research II
|
3
|
POLC 6352 Quantitative Methods & Applications | 3 | |
|
POLC 6331 Philosophy and Public Policy II
|
3
|
² Public Policy Elective | 3 | |
|
TOTAL SPRING, YEAR 1 CREDITS
|
9
|
TOTAL SPRING, YEAR 2 CREDITS | 9 | |
|
Term: Summer, Year 1
|
||||
|
Course
|
Credits | |||
|
¹ POLC 6391 Internship in Public Policy
|
3
|
|||
|
TOTAL SUMMER, YEAR 1 CREDITS
|
3
|
TOTAL REQUIRED CREDITS
|
39
|
|
¹ POLC 6391 Internship in Public Policy is a required course. However, a student may use their current job to satisfy the internship requirement if the position is related to public policy and approved by the Hobby School. The course requirements will still need to be fulfilled.
² Two Public Policy Electives comprise the student specialization, and are chosen by the student and approved by the Hobby School.