Learn to drive change at the local, national, and international levels.
Master's in Public Policy and Administration
Build the analytical, administrative, and leadership skills needed to make an impact. Northwestern’s MPPA curriculum offers a unique and comprehensive opportunity to delve into both the administrative and analytical sides of policy. This holistic approach is grounded in the perspective that policy challenges are fluid, interconnected, and global. This perspective gives graduates the tools needed to rise in the field and drive change at the local, national, and international levels.
Earn your master's degree from Northwestern — ranked tenth nationally among U.S. universities — entirely online or in classes on Northwestern's Chicago campus.
As an MPPA student you’ll build skills that are relevant to a variety of fields — public and private. You'll earn your master’s degree in one of the only programs that focuses on both policy and administration and build the leadership, administrative, and analytical expertise needed to drive change at the local, national, and international levels.
Develop the skills needed to drive change in government, education, and nonprofit organizations.
Study under world-class faculty including Fulbright Fellows, DHS Fellows, Congressional advisors, Civitas Scholar recipients, National Institute on Aging grant recipients, and more.
Critically examine public organizations and leadership using the theories and concepts of collaborative systems.
Learn to apply methods for analyzing policies such as cost-benefit analysis, economic evaluation, and statistics.
Focus your studies to align with your goals by choosing a specialization in Public Policy, Public Administration, Global Policy, Global Health, or Data Analytics for Public Policy.
Earn your Northwestern master’s degree online or on campus.
A global perspective
The MPPA program helps students put their analytic skills and administrative knowledge together into a new, synergistic perspective and understand how these connect to achieve global solutions in an increasingly interdependent world.
Compare the methods international governments use to make policy decisions with the U.S. policy-making milieu.
Examine the effects of international organizations on world politics.
Students in the MPPA Global Policy Lab collaborate with global client organizations on live projects. Past clients include the American Red Cross and The Urban Institute.
Develop a theoretical and technical understanding of demographic, economic and sociological tools.
Discuss the current debates surrounding topics such as world economic systems, international trade, monetary policy, and global resource allocation.
Choose the pace that's right for you
Accelerated full-time and part-time options
The MPPA program is offered in part-time and accelerated full-time formats. The part-time option offers a choice of five specializations and a wide range of electives that enable you to create the course of study you need to meet your career goals. You can complete your degree through part-time, nonresidential study or the one-year accelerated option. Whatever you choose, you will learn from experienced, engaged faculty who are thought leaders in their fields.
We welcome international students from around the world to apply for our accelerated MPPA option. If admitted to the accelerated option, international students are eligible to apply and receive a student visa.
Find out more about the differences between the accelerated full-time and part-time options.
I researched a lot of programs here in Chicago, and the accelerated MPPA had the perfect combination of online and on-campus classes. More importantly, it was one of the few with faculty who work in the field. Other programs have full-time professors who have been out of their practice areas. But at SPS, for example, my microeconomics instructor actually works in the Federal Reserve during the day.”
It was a tough decision, but I knew that with the accelerated program I could jumpstart a new career and return to the job market sooner. I researched other programs, but two years for those programs was too long. For many reasons, including the chance to study in Chicago, Northwestern was the right choice.”
Master's in Public Policy and Administration Program Goals
After successful completion of this interdisciplinary professional program, MPPA graduates will possess the knowledge, skills and aptitude to:
Evaluate the collaborative inter-organizational, inter-governmental, and international public policy and administrative environment
Apply a standard of ethics to policy and administrative context
Design public policies and programs
Evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of public policies and programs
Communicate relevant policy or program information to diverse stakeholders
Lead public organizations to implement policy decisions with respect and understanding for the broader institutional, societal, economic and political environment
Manage public resources to achieve organizational goals
Public Policy and Administration Curriculum
Review curriculum details and elective choices while you consider applying to this program. The MPPA program requires the successful completion of 13 courses. The curriculum covers nine core courses, three elective courses corresponding to a declared specialization, and a capstone (498) or thesis (590) project.
MPPA 401 Research Methods
MPPA 402 Public Finance and Budgeting
MPPA 403 Fundamentals of Public Administration
MPPA 404 Microeconomics for Public Policy and Administration
MPPA 405 Statistics for Research
MPPA 406 Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis
MPPA 407 Scope and Theory of Public Policy
MPPA 408 Public Organization Theory and Management
MPPA 498 Capstone Project or MPPA 590 Thesis Research
Current students should refer to the curriculum requirements in place at time of entry into the program.
MA in Public Policy and Administration Areas of Specialization
Students can focus on a particular area of interest by selecting one of the MA in Public Policy and Administration Specializations as part of the application process. Students can also choose the "generalist" designation, which allows them to take their electives from different specializations.
Master's in Public Policy and Administration Admission
A variety of factors are considered when your application is reviewed. Background and experience vary from student to student. For a complete list of requirements, see the Admission page for SPS graduate programs.
MPPA Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition for the Master's in Public Policy and Administration program at Northwestern is comparable to similar US programs. Financial aid opportunities exist for students at Northwestern. Complete details can be found on the MPPA Tuition and Financial Aid pages.
Registration Information for Public Policy and Administration
Already accepted into the Master's in Public Policy and Administration program? Get ahead and register for your classes as soon as possible.
Professional opportunities for graduates of Northwestern's MPPA program are as broad and varied as the field of public policy and administration itself. With five concentrations to choose from, MPPA graduates set their sights on leadership roles in government at the local, regional and federal levels, in nonprofit organizations or in private enterprise. For details visit the Public Policy and Administration Career Options page.
Public Policy and Administration Faculty
Instructors in the Master's in Public Policy and Administration program at Northwestern are leading scholars and practitioners in their field. They bring real-world experiences to the classroom and engage with students on a personal level. Get to know the instructors on our Public Policy and Administration Faculty page.
(The MPPA) gives you an opportunity to study public administration and public policy. If you want to be an effective agent of change, I think you need both skills.”
Santiago Ernesto Castrillon, MPPA student
Law is reactive. If you want change, you have to effect it at the policy level.”
I loved my time at Northwestern. The people that I've met and the resources that I've been able to connect to will serve me well throughout my career.”
Nick Mathiowdis (MPPA '17) Housing Authority of Cook County
Not only was [behavioral economics] interesting to me academically, but those ideas have helped inform my professional work. In the world of politics, a lot of the questions are about how people are going to react to situations.”
JC Kibbey (MPPA '14), Outreach and Policy Advocate at Union of Concerned Scientists
