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Admissions

The University of Utah Master of Public Policy program will help you build a solid foundation of practical skills and knowledge that you can apply to real policy challenges.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who aspire to learn, practice and interact in a supportive, yet rigorous, graduate program designed to help you achieve. We admit MPP students representing a variety of undergraduate majors, including political science, economics, history, urban planning, sociology and psychology. We also admit students with diverse professional backgrounds, including those who work in various policy-related positions, those who work in the private sector, and those who are coming directly from their undergraduate education.

No specific background or undergraduate major is required.

  • Admission is selective.
  • Decisions are based on evaluation of the applicant's overall academic record including undergraduate transcripts, GRE scores, three letters of recommendation, a personal statement of purpose, and a resume describing relevant work, community, and extracurricular experiences.
  • The TOEFL will be required of students for whom English is a second language (a TOEFL score of 580 is required).
  • Applicants will be required to complete coursework in introductory statistics (sample courses at The University of Utah: FCS 3210; SOC 3112 and PSYCH 3000), introductory microeconomics (sample course at The University of Utah: ECON 2010), and U.S. national government, as prerequisites to the program. The University of Utah course listings and descriptions are available in the Course Catalog.
  • In addition to the prerequisites, students are strongly encouraged to complete intermediate microeconomics before entering the program. Due to the rigorous analytic component of the MPP, it is assumed that applicants will have a strong quantitative background. Applicants lacking a solid background in economics and statistics are encouraged to strengthen their understanding of these areas prior to application.

Students are admitted to the MPP program for the fall semester, which starts in late August. Applicants must:

  • Hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Establish eligibility for admission to graduate standing at The University of Utah.
  • Obtain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) in all upper division courses.
  • Submit all MPP application materials.

The MPP Admissions Committee carefully considers an applicant's combined academic background and work experience in determining admission into the program. All portions of the application are considered equally. Interviews are not required for admission. There is no minimum entrance exam score.

We are here to help you successfully complete your application. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact us.

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For More Information

Information Sessions - Attend a presentation about the MPP
Program Manager - Ask general questions or schedule a visit
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