MPP Program Information 
Why a MPP at The University of Utah?
You will gain the skills to be successful
The University of Utah Master of Public Policy program provides you with the skills and expertise needed to be successful in the public policy analysis field. You will sharpen your skills in analysis and deepen your knowledge base about the policymaking process. You will learn to craft effective and practical solutions to real world policy challenges in a personal, attentive academic environment.
The MPP program seeks to balance economic and political approaches to policy analysis. With a solid foundation in theory, analysis, and evaluation and the ability to select from a range of interdisciplinary emphases, you will graduate from the program qualified to analyze and evaluate public policy in a variety of fields in the public, not for profit and private sectors.
You can make choices about your education
The MPP program is an interdisciplinary two-year full-time, or four-year part-time, post baccalaureate degree that is comprised of 10 core courses (31 credit hours), and 3 courses from a specific policy-related emphasis area (minimum 9 credit hours) for a total of 40 semester credit hours. You will complete a master's project that requires you to apply aspects of the MPP curriculum to the analysis of a specific public policy issue. In addition to core policy and analytical methods training, this program allows you to gain specialized knowledge in a specific policy-related area:
- Family and Social Welfare Policy (with an option to complete a graduate certificate in Demography)
- Health Policy
- Community Policy
- Environmental Policy
- International Context of Public Policy
- Education Policy
- Economic Policy
- Urban Affairs Policy (with an option to apply and complete a graduate certificate in Planning through the City & Metropolitan Planning Department)
Students also have the opportunity to create an alternate track of emphasis in a substantive policy area (e.g., Business Policy and Regulation, Land Use and Water Policy, Social and Child Welfare Policy). If you are interested in an alternative track contact the MPP program manager.
The MPP is designed for both employed practitioners and full-time students who want to deepen their understanding of the policy process, better analyze policy options, and rigorously evaluate the effects of public policy. The MPP is administered through the Institute of Public and International Affairs and the Center for Public Policy and Administration at The University of Utah and the degree is granted by the College of Social and Behavioral Science.