Public policy schools teach students policy analysis, policy studies, public policy, political economy, urban planning, public administration, public affairs, and public management.
Public policy schools offer a wide range of public policy degrees. 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), and the Master of International Affairs (MIA). Schools with an international and interdisciplinary focus award Master of Arts in International Policy Studies. Some schools also offer executive master's degrees in the same topics for mid-career individuals. Doctoral degrees include PhDs in Public Policy, Policy Studies, and Public Administration, as well as the Doctor of Public Administration (DPA).
In North America, students pursue a public policy degree after having completed an undergraduate degree in some other field, or can complete both degrees concurrently at select schools. North American public policy programs are generally located in an autonomous graduate or professional school within a larger university.
Most public policy programs combine elements of political science, economics, statistics, law, international relations, international development, public finance, leadership studies, ethics, sociology, and public administration. More recently, public policy schools have applied quantitative analysis, management information systems, organizational behavior, project management, and operations research to the public sector.
While degrees in Public Policy are generally at the graduate level (masters and PhD), some undergraduate degree programs still exist.
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 economics and political science, to social sciences, to physical sciences and engineering.
Admissions requirements, including standardized testing requirements, vary widely. Some school have a second language requirement due to their global orientation.
In the United States, applicants must have graduated 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.
CanadaThe School of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BCJohnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of ReginaCarleton University's School of Public Policy and AdministrationMaster of Arts in Public Policy and Administration at Ryerson University, Toronto, ONMaster of Arts in Public Policy and Public Administration at Concordia University, Montreal, QCUniversity of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International AffairsThe School of Policy Studies at Queen's UniversityThe School of Public Policy at the University of CalgarySchool of Public Policy and Governance at the University of TorontoMunk School of Global Affairs at the University of TorontoThe School of Public Administration at the University of VictoriaThe Balsillie School of International Affairs, a joint initiative at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier UniversityDalhousie University School of Public AdministrationDepartment of Political Science at the Université de MontréalDepartment of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Ontario Institute of TechnologyUnited StatesPublic 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 empirical 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):
Master of Public Administration Program (UMPA) at the University of Miami Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School at RAND CorporationSchool of Public Affairs at American UniversityAndrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State UniversityDaniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of WashingtonEdward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers UniversityMcCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown UniversityGerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of MichiganGoldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, BerkeleyPublic Policy at the University of California, RiversideCenter for Public Administration and Policy at Virginia TechFrank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of VirginiaGeorge Mason University School of Public PolicyHarris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of ChicagoH. John Heinz III College at Carnegie Mellon UniversityHubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of MinnesotaIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts at the Georgia Institute of TechnologyInstitute for Public Affairs at Cornell UniversitySchool of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University BloomingtonJohn F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard UniversityJohns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies at Johns Hopkins UniversityGraduate Program in Public Management at Johns Hopkins UniversityLyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at AustinMartin School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of KentuckyMaxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse UniversityMonterey Institute of International Studies at Middlebury CollegeRobert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York UniversityRobert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin–MadisonRockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany, SUNYSanford School of Public Policy at Duke UniversitySchool of International and Public Affairs at Columbia UniversitySchool of Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts AmherstHelms School of Government at Liberty UniversitySol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern CaliforniaSchool of Public Policy at Oregon State UniversityThe Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M UniversityTrachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington UniversityPublic Policy Program, Graduate School at the University of ArkansasLuskin School of Public Affairs at the University of California, Los AngelesSchool of Public and International Affairs at the University of GeorgiaDepartment of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore CountySchool of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College ParkWoodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton UniversitySchool of Public Policy at Pepperdine UniversityMexicoPublic Administration Division at Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, Mexico CityInstituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Mexico CityCenter for International Studies at El Colegio de México, Mexico CityUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico CityNational Institute of Public Administration, Mexico CitySchool of Government and Public Transformation at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, campus Monterrey and Mexico CityDepartment of Social Sciences and Politics at Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico CityUniversidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México,UACM, Colegio de de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades (Ciencias Política y Administración Urbana).Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, UAS, FACULTAD DE ESTUDIOS INTERNACIONALES Y POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS.BrazilFGV-EAESP, São PauloFGV-EBAPE, Rio de JaneiroProfessor Paulo Neves de Carvalho Government School, Belo HorizonteIn 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.
Czech RepublicDepartment of Public and Social Policy at Charles University in PragueFranceSciences Po, ParisGermanyHertie School of Governance, BerlinWilly Brandt School of Public Policy, ErfurtGerman University of Administrative Sciences, SpeyerNRW School of Governance, DuisburgHungaryCentral European University, BudapestCorvinus University of Budapest (Department of Public Policy and Management-EAPAA accredited)Italy;Luiss School of Government at Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli, RomeNetherlandsMaastricht Graduate School of Governance at Maastricht University and the United Nations UniversityUnited KingdomSchool for Policy Studies at the University of BristolInstitute of Public Affairs at The London School of Economics and Political ScienceUniversity of Edinburgh Academy of Government at the University of EdinburghSchool of Public Policy at the University College LondonBlavatnik School of Government, University of OxfordDepartment of Social Policy and Intervention, University of OxfordThe Centre for Financial and Management Studies, SOAS, University of LondonFaculty of Social Science & Public Policy at King's College London, University of LondonSchool of Government and Public Policy at the University of StrathclydeThe Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation.
ChinaSchool of Government at Peking UniversitySchool of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua UniversityIndiaTata Institute of Social Sciences,Hyderabad launch Masters in Public Policy and Governance in Hyderabad Campus.National Law School, Bangalore launched MPP programme in 2014 with some of the top faculty of India, with a special thrust on law as an interface between development and public policy.The Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management course offered by Indian Institutes of Management is a multidisciplinary course with special emphasis on select policy areas such as health policy, environment policy and developed on Economic and Quantitative approach. The Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad & Mohali has launched an executive master's level "Management Programme in Public Policy (MPPP)" in consultation with one of the world’s leading public policy schools - The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. School of International Relations and Politics, Mahatma Gandhi University was the first to start Masters in Public Policy and Governance which is interdisciplinary in nature. The Jindal School of Government and Public Policy in India offers an interdisciplinary training in public policy with a focus on the policy making processes in developing and BRIC countries. The Takshashila Institution in India offers a semester-long graduate certificate in public policy instead, focusing on developing public policy as an academic discipline in India as well as making public policy education accessible to working professionals.
Indian School of Business, HyderabadSchool of Policy & Governance, Azim Premji University, BangaloreIndian Institute of Public Administration, New DelhiIndian Institute of Management AhmedabadIndian Institute of Management BangaloreNational Law School of India University, BangaloreSchool of Public Policy and Governance Tata Institute of Social Sciences, HyderabadJindal School of Government and Public Policy, Sonipat, HaryanaSt. Xavier's College, MumbaiTERI University, New DelhiThe Takshashila Institution, an independent think tank and school of public policyFaculty of planning, CEPT University, AhmedabadCentral University of Rajasthan, Department of Public Policy, Law and GovernanceCentral University of Jammu, Department of Public Policy and Public AdministrationJapanNational Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, TokyoGraduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo, TokyoSchool of International and Public Policy, Hitotsubashi University, TokyoGraduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, TokyoGraduate School of Public Management, Waseda University, TokyoGraduate School of Public Policy, Chuo University, TokyoGraduate School of Public Policy and Social Governance, Hosei University, TokyoGraduate School of Governance Studies, Meiji University, TokyoSchool of Government, Kyoto University, KyotoGraduate School of Public Policy, Kyoto Prefectural University, KyotoGraduate School of Policy and Management, Doshisha University, KyotoGraduate School of Policy Science, Ritsumeikan University, KyotoThe Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University, OsakaGraduate School of Governance, Kansai University, OsakaSchool and Graduate School of Public Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University, Hyōgo PrefectureHokkaido University Public Policy School, SapporoSchool of Public Policy, Tohoku University, SendaiGraduate School of Policy Studies, Chiba University of Commerce, ChibaGraduate School of Policy Studies, Iwate Prefectural University, IwateSouth Korea KDI School of Public Policy and Management
NepalCentral Department of Public Administration (CDPA)Public Administration Campus (PAC)Mahendra Morang Multiple Campus (MMC)PhilippinesAteneo School of Government at the Ateneo de Manila UniversityNational College of Public Administration and Governance at University of the Philippines DilimanCollege of Economics, Finance, and Politics at Polytechnic University of the PhilippinesQatarDepartment of Public Policy in Islam at Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa UniversitySingaporeLee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of SingaporeS. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological UniversityUnited Arab EmiratesDubai School of Government, DubaiEgyptSchool of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the American University in CairoSouth AfricaThe School of Government at the University of the Western CapeAustraliaCrawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityAustralia and New Zealand School of Government