Applicable only to students admitted during the 2010-2011 academic year.

Public Policy

School of Public Affairs

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Public Policy offers the Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) degree.

Admission

Program Name

Public Policy

 

Address

3250 School of Public Affairs Building
Box 951656
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656

Phone

(310) 825-0448

Email

mppinfo@luskin.ucla.edu

Leading to the degree of

M.P.P.

Admission Limited to

Fall

Deadline to apply

January 10th

GRE (General and/or Subject), TWE

GRE: General

Letters of Recommendation 

3, from supervisors in policy-related work or instructors in undergraduate courses

Other Requirements

In addition to the University’s minimum requirements and those listed above, all applicants are expected to submit the departmental supplement, and a statement of purpose.

Applicants to the M.P.P. program are evaluated on their overall record. The final decision is based on a subjective assessment of the applicant’s potential to meet the scholarship requirements of the program and to succeed as a policy professional.

Preference is given to applicants with a grade point average of 3.5 or above. Additional consideration is given to the strength of the applicant’s undergraduate program and its standards. The quantitative nature of the core curriculum requires that attention be given to quantitative and analytical abilities. An elementary statistics course is strongly recommended.

Scores on the GRE General Test are used in combination with the GPA to help predict academic performance in the M.P.P. program. Scores above 650 in each area are usually essential for admission to the program, although possible reasons for lower scores are considered. Especially high GRE scores may help alleviate concerns about a troublesome academic record, but a high GRE score alone is insufficient reason for admission. A score of at least 600 (paper and pencil test) or 250 (computer-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an overall band score of 7.0 on the International English Testing System (IELTS) examination is required for applicants whose native language is not English.

The statement of purpose is evaluated to determine the applicant’s genuine academic interest in and commitment to a career in public policy, as well as the applicant’s general ability to write coherent and convincing prose. The statement can also help determine the match between the applicant’s interests and the school’s offerings and to assess written communication skills.

Applicants with at least two years of work experience in policy-making or implementation are preferred. Internships and volunteer work in a policy setting are also viewed positively.

Recommendations should be from individuals who know the applicant well and who can comment specifically on the potential for a career as a policy professional rather than someone of high status in a firm or school who has minimal knowledge of the applicant.

Public Policy, M.P.P./Law, J.D.

The Department of Public Policy and the School of Law offer a concurrent degree program whereby students may pursue the Master of Public Policy degree and the Juris Doctor degree at the same time. For admission, applicants are required to satisfy the regular admission requirements for both the J.D. and the M.P.P. programs.

Applicants interested in the concurrent program should contact the Public Policy Graduate Adviser.

Public Policy, M.P.P./Management, M.B.A..

The Department of Public Policy and the John E. Anderson School of Management offer a three-year concurrent degree program in which students simultaneously pursue the Master of Public Policy and the Master of Business Administration. This concurrent degree program is designed for students who seek careers requiring expertise in policy making and management, enabling graduates to move easily among careers in public service, nonprofit, and the private sector. For admission, applicants are required to satisfy the regular admission requirements for both the M.B.A. and the M.P.P. programs. Applicants interested in the program should contact the the M.B.A. admissions office or the Department of Public Policy.

Public Policy, M.P.P./Public Health, M.P.H.

The Department of Public Policy and the Department of Health Services offer a concurrent degree program whereby students may pursue the Master of Public Policy degree and a Master of Public Health degree at the same time. For admission, applicants are required to satisfy the regular admission requirements for both the M.P.P. and the M.P.H. programs. During the first year, students generally begin with the first year core courses in Public Policy. In Spring Quarter students also begin taking the required Health Services courses. For the remaining two years of the concurrent degree program, students take both Public Policy and Health Services courses for a total of 68 units in Public Policy and 56 units in Health Services. Applicants interested in the concurrent program should contact the graduate adviser in Public Policy.

Public Policy, M.P.P./Social Welfare, M.S.W.

The Department of Public Policy and the Department of Social Welfare offer a concurrent program whereby students pursue the Master of Public Policy and the Master of Social Welfare at the same time. Applicants are required to satisfy the regular admission requirements of both programs. Students in the three-year concurrent program complete their first year curriculum in Social Welfare. During the second year, students complete the first-year core courses in Public Policy as well as their social work practice methods course sequence. In the third year, students meet the remaining requirements for both programs and must meet requirements for graduation in both programs to receive either degree. Applicants interested in the program should contact the Department of Social Welfare or the Department of Public Policy.

Master’s Degree

Advising

Upon entering the program, students are assigned a faculty adviser to counsel them regarding their program of study. As the student becomes more familiar with the department’s faculty, the adviser initially assigned by the department may be replaced by a faculty member in the student’s area of interest or concentration. Students also have a department graduate adviser who counsels them on their progress toward fulfillment of the degree requirements. The department graduate adviser is also the fieldwork and career services coordinator.

Areas of Study

In the second year, students select either elective or concentration courses. Concentrations may include courses from the following areas: drug and crime policy, education and human capital, employment and labor policy, environmental and natural resources policy, health policy, international policy and economics development, nonprofit management, regional development policy, social welfare policy, transportation policy, and urban poverty.

Students also have the option, with their faculty adviser’s approval, of designing their own concentrations from other courses offered in the School of Public Affairs or in other schools or departments at UCLA.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students take a minimum of three four-unit courses per quarter for a total of 80 units, including eight core courses, nine concentration or elective courses, and a three-quarter seminar in applied policy analysis. Normally all 80 units must be graduate and professional courses (200 and 400 series). However, students also may take a maximum of two 596 courses (eight units total) and/or one upper division course (four units total) when similar course content is not offered at the graduate level. In such instances the 596 units may apply toward the entire graduate course requirement for the degree and the one upper division course reduces the amount of graduate coursework required to 76 units.

A field internship is also required, generally between the first and second years.

All students are required to take the core curriculum, which provides a broadly based foundation in social/policy analysis together with relevant quantitative, analytical, managerial, and organizational methods. The first six of the core courses are normally taken in the first year.

Public Policy, M.P.P./Law, J.D.

Students who pursue the concurrent degree program with the School of Law complete the eight core courses, concentration or elective courses, and the three-quarter seminar in applied policy analysis for total of 68 units. The remaining 12 units of course requirements are fulfilled through law courses taken for the J.D. program and are applied toward the M.P.P. degree through a pro forma petition to the Graduate Division upon application for advancement to candidacy.

During the first year, students follow the required law curriculum, taking 33 units. The second year is spent in the M.P.P. program taking 36 units toward the M.P.P. degree. During the third and fourth years students take the remaining 32 units of the M.P.P. curriculum and 40 units of law courses to complete the J.D. degree.

Public Policy, M.P.P./M.B.A.

Students who pursue the concurrent degree program with the John E. Anderson School of Management complete the eight core courses, concentration or elective courses, and the three-quarter seminar in applied policy analysis for a total of 68 units. The remaining 12 units of course requirements are fulfilled through Management courses taken for the M.B.A. program and are applied toward the M.P.P. degree through a pro forma petition to the Graduate Division upon application for advancement to candidacy.

Public Policy, M.P.P./M.P.H.

Students who pursue the concurrent degree program with the School of Public Health (Department of Health Services) complete the eight core courses, concentration or elective courses, and the three-quarter seminar in applied policy analysis for a total of 68 units in Public Policy and 56 units in Health Services. The remaining 12 units of course requirements are fulfilled through Public Health courses taken for the M.P.H. program and are applied toward the M.P.P. degree through a pro forma petition to the Graduate Division upon application for advancement to candidacy.

Public Policy, M.P.P./M.S.W.

Students who pursue the concurrent degree program with the Department of Social Welfare complete the eight core courses, concentration or elective courses, and the three-quarter seminar in applied policy analysis for a total of 68 units. The remaining 12 units of course requirements are fulfilled through Social Welfare courses taken for the M.S.W. program and are applied toward the M.P.P. degree through a pro forma petition to the Graduate Division upon application for advancement to candidacy.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Candidates for the M.P.P. degree are required to participate in a field internship, ideally during the summer between their first and second years of course work. The internship consists of approximately 400 hours of work for an agency, firm, or organization which is on an approved list of fieldwork placements. Students can also complete part of the 400 hours of fieldwork during the academic year, but summer is the preferred time frame for the internship. The rigorous coursework throughout the academic year leaves little time for field experience and may impede a student’s ability to maintain the required time lines for progress to degree.

During the first year of the M.P.P. program students are invited to attend several informal non-credit sessions designed to prepare them for the field experience. These seminars include attention to skills such as resume writing and interviewing, and will also present the goals and objectives of the field internship program. Through these sessions and individual meetings with the fieldwork coordinator, students participate in the selection of internship assignments.

During the fall quarter of the second year of the M.P.P. program, students who have completed their internships are required to attend several informal non-credit colloquia organized by the fieldwork coordinator. These informal sessions include presentations by the students based on their previous summer’s fieldwork experience and efforts to generalize regarding lessons for public policy making based on the fieldwork experience. To the extent possible, it is also expected that many students will build upon their field internships in the preparation of their applied policy project.

Fieldwork is required of all M.P.P. students, although students may petition the fieldwork coordinator to waive the requirement if they have had substantial experience working in policy making prior to joining the M.P.P. program.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

This requirement is met by completion of an applied policy project during the three-quarter policy seminar, which builds on the core courses, internship experience, and the concentration courses. The final applied policy project presented individually by the student or by the project team of which the student is a member must be certified as complete by the comprehensive examination committee.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

Students are expected to be in full-time attendance and to complete the program in two years, including the summer internship. In rare cases, when the internship cannot be completed in the summer, up to one additional year is allowed to complete all program requirements.

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree, and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A faculty counseling board is established for every student whose grade point average is below 3.00 for any quarter or who fails to make satisfactory progress toward the degree. The board is responsible for reviewing the student’s record, aiding the student in raising academic performance to meet minimum standards, and recommending termination if minimum standards are not met. Recommendation for termination may also be made, even if the academic work is satisfactory, if the student fails to demonstrate in coursework, internship, or professional relations the standards essential to responsible practice of public policy analysis.