A public policy school is typically a university program, institution, or professional school that teaches students policy analysis, program evaluation, policy studies, public policy, political economy, urban planning, public administration, international relations, security studies, nonprofit studies-nonprofit management, political science, urban studies, intelligence studies, global studies, emergency management, public affairs and/or public management. Public policy schools typically train students in two streams. The more practical stream treats the master's degree as a terminal degree, which trains students to work as policy analysts or practitioners in governments, government relations, think tanks, business-to-government marketing/sales, and consulting firms. A more theoretical stream aims to train students who are aiming to go on to complete doctoral studies (e.g., a PhD), with the goal of becoming professors of public policy, political science in general, or researchers.

Public policy schools offer a wide range of public policy degrees. At the undergraduate level, universities, especially research-intensive universities may offer a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree with majors or concentrations in public policy, public administration, political science, international relations, policy studies or any other differently named but content-wise identical major or concentration. These undergraduate degrees are typically offered by a university's public administration or political science faculties whether it be part of a public policy school or a college of arts and sciences. Well known Master's degrees within this academic field include the Master of Public Policy (MPP), the Master of Public Administration (MPA), the Master of Public Affairs (MPAff), the Master of Public Service (MPS), the Master of Urban Planning (MUP) , the Master of International Affairs (MIA), and Master of Arts or Master of Sciences in International Relations, Political Science, or International Security, or other sub-fields of political science. Schools with an international and interdisciplinary focus may award a Master of Arts degree in International Policy Studies.[1][2] Some schools teaching nonprofit studies as its own field of study may offer a Master of Nonprofit Organizations or a Master of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management. Some schools also offer Executive Master's Degrees in the same topics for mid-career individuals and a Master of Professional Studies degree to signify that the education takes an applied rather than theoretical approach. Doctoral degrees include PhDs in public policy, policy studies and public administration, or in political science with a concentration in any of the aforementioned sub-fields, as well as the Doctor of Public Administration (DPA). Some schools offer relatively short-duration certificate programs aimed at working policy analysts, government managers, public executives, or any other working professional who needs this education regardless of employment sector.

In North America, students typically pursue a graduate public policy degree after having completed an undergraduate degree, either in a public administration or political science field. Some programs admit students with any undergraduate degree; however, students without a background in public administration or political science may be required to do qualifying courses in these areas. Some universities allow students to complete both degrees concurrently. North American public policy programs are generally located in an autonomous graduate or professional school within a larger university, while at others combine both graduate and undergraduate programs into a single semi-autonomous constituent college.

Curriculum

Most public policy and administration programs combine elements of political science, economics, statistics, law mostly in the form of public law, administrative law, and Legal management (academic discipline), international relations (including international law), international development, public finance, leadership studies, ethics, sociology, comparative research, global studies, urban planning, urban studies, nonprofit studies, public policy, public administration, policy analysis, and program evaluation. More recently, public policy schools have applied quantitative analysis, management information systems, data science and analytics, organizational behavior, organization development, knowledge management, project management, political communication, political psychology, criminology and the sociology of law, philosophy (in particular political philosophy), peace and conflict studies, geography and geographic information science, intelligence studies, emergency management, cross-cultural studies, public health, environmental science and environmental studies, business administration, civil engineering, industrial engineering, systems engineering, human resource management, and operations research as part of their public policy and administration education programs to tackle issue in the public sector, the non-profit sector, or the government relations, regulatory affairs, business-to-government marketing/sales industry in the private sector.

While degrees in Public Policy and Public Administration at most universities are generally taught at the graduate level (master's and PhD), some undergraduate degree program majors, concentrations, and minors either as standalone degrees or as concentrations within a degree in political science or international relations still exist, especially at research universities where research, graduate, and undergraduate faculty overlap and/or have close cooperation unlike liberal arts colleges (particularly liberal arts colleges in the United States) that focus on the more theoretical and philosophical sides of political science rather than the applied and administrative side of political science.

Admission

Undergraduate level admissions are comparable to other undergraduate programs, but this may vary between educational institutions due to conflict between the demand for admission and supply of seats.

On the graduate-level, in contrast to many other graduate-level programs, applicants with various, sometimes unrelated, educational backgrounds can be admitted to public policy schools. Applicants' backgrounds can range from programs which have a significant content overlap, such as public administration, economics and political science, to undergraduate majors that are related, such as the social sciences, to undergraduate programs which may have little content overlap (e.g., physical sciences and engineering). Students without an undergraduate major in a related field may be required to complete qualifying undergraduate courses in public policy. Admissions requirements, including standardized testing requirements, vary widely. Some schools have a second language requirement due to their global orientation.[3] In the United States, applicants for post-graduate programs must have graduated with a bachelor's degree from an accredited university and are generally required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Many schools also accept the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) in lieu of the GRE.

Notable institutions

North America

Canada
United States

Public policy schools in the United States tackle policy analysis differently. The Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago has a more quantitative and economics approach to policy, the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon uses computational and technology-driven methods, while the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University has a more political science and leadership based approach. The Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs provides traditional public policy training with multidisciplinary concentrations available in the environmental sciences and nonprofit management. Moreover, the University of Illinois at Chicago offers public policy training that emphasizes the stages of decision-making in formulating policy (e.g. agenda setting), as well as the importance of framing effects and cognitive limits in policy formation.

Schools of public policy that have met professional standards of education and quality in the United States are accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA):[6]

Mexico

South America

Brazil

Europe

In Europe, the LUISS School of Government offers a multidisciplinary approach to public policy combining economics, political science, new public management, and policy analysis, while the French institute of political studies Sciences Po complements these core disciplines with organizational sociology, human security, political economy, and leadership.

The European Commission through its Erasmus Mundus Programme has funded the Erasmus Mundus Master Program in Public Policy[10] since 2007. This program brings together four leading policy-oriented schools in Eurorpe: The IBEI (Spain), Central European University (Hungary), the International Institute of Social Studies of the Erasmus University Rotterdam (The Netherlands) and the Department of Politics at the University of York (United Kingdom).

Czech Republic
France
Germany
Hungary
Italy;
Kazakhstan
Netherlands
United Kingdom
Russia
Spain

Asia

    Brunei Darussalam
    China
    India
    Hong Kong
    Israel
    Japan
    Nepal
    Philippines
    Qatar
    Singapore
    South Korea
    Thailand
    United Arab Emirates

    Africa

    Egypt
    South Africa

    Oceania

    Australia

    See also

    References

    1. "Academics | Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey". www.middlebury.edu. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010.
    2. "MAIPS at Stanford". Archived from the original on November 28, 2011.
    3. "How to Apply: International Policy and Development | Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey". www.middlebury.edu.
    4. "School of Public Policy and Global Affairs | University of British Columbia". School of Public Policy and Global Affairs.
    5. "School of Public Policy". www.sfu.ca.
    6. "NASPAA Standards". Archived from the original on February 10, 2014.
    7. "Home | Master of Public Administration | University of Miami". mpa.as.miami.edu.
    8. "Schools Detail | NASPAA". www.naspaa.org.
    9. "Roster of Accredited Programs". NASPAA Accreditation. 2014-04-07. Archived from the original on 2018-03-19. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
    10. "Home". mundusmapp.
    11. The Graduate Certificate in Public Policy. http://takshashila.org.in/the-takshashila-gcpp/
    12. "Best Public policy management Program in India". www.mdi.ac.in. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
    13. "Political Science And Public Administration - Welcome to Banasthali Vidyapith". www.banasthali.org. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
    14. "IIT Bombay launches the 'Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies'". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
    15. "Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies, IIT Bombay". Retrieved 2022-06-07.
    16. "School of Government webpage". University of the Western Cape. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
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