Five-Year Bachelors/MPP Program

"I am delighted that the University has established a degree program in public policy. Given its geographic proximity to both Richmond and Washington, U.Va. is well positioned to place its graduates in jobs for which a public policy degree is an excellent credential. The Public Policy program will be an asset to the University, and its graduates will be great assets to the nation."

— Jenny Schuetz, A&S '97, Doctoral candidate, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Training for Public Service, Education for Democracy

The Program in Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy has been established to prepare students for careers in both domestic and international policy arenas. The Program provides students with the substantive knowledge, analytical skills, and ethical foundation needed for public leadership. Open to current U.Va. undergraduates from all majors, the accelerated instructional program enables students to complete both a bachelor's degree and a master of public policy (M.P.P.) degree in five years, rather than the normal six.

The Program consists of a core curriculum, a summer public policy internship, elective courses, and a public policy study conducted for a realworld organizational client. Fourth year students begin their professional studies and complete their remaining undergraduate coursework to receive their bachelor's degrees at the end of the year. After the summer internship, students return to Grounds for a final year of study. Graduates will be well prepared for careers in government, with non-profit organizations, and in private firms engaged in public-private partnerships.

Requirements

The M.P.P. degree program requires students to complete a minimum of 24 credits of graduate course work. Five core public policy courses are required in the fifth year: Research Methods and Data Analysis (II); Policy History; Legal and Moral Reasoning for Public Policy; Economic Analysis of Public Policy (II); and the Advanced Policy Analysis seminar. Students must take at least two elective courses in their areas of public policy interest. In addition, students are awarded six credits for completing a master's level public policy study for an organizational client. Students will generally apply for advancement to graduate status in the spring term of the fourth year, although students who have already completed their undergraduate requirements may apply earlier. Criteria for advancement to graduate study include completion of the undergraduate degree; test scores; and an outstanding GPA.

In addition to the 24 graduate credits taken in the fifth year, students must take five public policy courses in the fourth year: American Political Institutions and Processes; Economic Analysis of Public Policy (I); Research Methods and Data Analysis (I); Introduction to Policy Analysis; and Strategic Leadership and Public Management. (Exceptionally well-prepared fourth-year students may petition the program faculty to be exempted from some of these courses).

Fourth-year students use their remaining classes to complete major, minor, or undergraduate requirements or to take elective course in their areas of public policy interest. All academic requirements for the undergraduate degree must be completed by the end of the fourth year. The credits from the public policy courses taken in the fourth year will automatically count toward the 120-credit requirement for the B.A., rather than the M.P.P. However, fourth year students who have already earned 120 credits may apply for early advancement to graduate status. The program faculty committee will permit certain adjustments to the curriculum to permit the participation of engineering students.

Summer Internship Placement

Students are required to complete a public policy internship during the summer after the fourth year. Students may intern in international, federal, state, or local government agencies; non-profit organizations; or private sector corporations and consulting firms; in the United States or abroad. Students select their internships based on their interests and in consultation with program faculty.

Public Service Retreat

Both fourth year and fifth year students will participate in a required public service retreat immediately before classes begin in the fall. The retreat will feature small group interactions with prominent public leaders, debriefings by fifth year students' on their summer internships, and workshops on the challenges and opportunities of public service. View pictures from the 2008 Public Service Retreat.