Accelerated Master of Public Policy Curriculum

The Accelerated Master of Public Policy program allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Public Policy degree in a total of five years of coursework. This program is available to students from all undergraduate majors at the University of Virginia except the undergraduate major in Public Policy and Leadership. Students typically apply for admission in their third undergraduate year.

Prior to enrollment in the program, applicants are required to have completed and earned at least 90 undergraduate credits and a C or higher in two prerequisite courses: ECON 2010 or equivalent, and one of the following calculus math courses: MATH 1190: A Survey of Calculus 1 with Algebra; MATH 1210: A Survey of Calculus 1; MATH 1310: Calculus 1; APMA 1090: Single Variable Calculus 1; or any more advanced calculus course. The math prerequisite can be fulfilled through either equivalent coursework or AP credit.

Curriculum

This two-year program fortifies a strong, lasting foundation in the concepts, methods, and strategies of policy analysis and effective leadership. To earn the MPP degree, a student must complete 49 credits:

11 three-credit core courses:

• Four analytics courses
• Three leadership courses
• Three experiential courses
• One context course

A one-credit Foundation Skills Workshop.

15 elective credits, including:

• Three-credit electives
• Two-credit policy clinics
• One-credit short courses (taken at Batten and across the university pending approval from the Director of Academic Programs)

Students must also complete a 400-hour, policy-based internship in the summer between Year One and Year Two of the program. The capstone of the program is an Applied Policy Project in which students perform a professional-quality study for a real-world client under faculty supervision. For some students, the project is an outgrowth of the summer internship. For the truly vigorous, it may even lead to a post-graduation position with the client organization.