School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs
CSSH Graduate Programs General Regulations
The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is the recognized industry standard for those seeking careers in public policy analysis and design. The MPP degree emphasizes the analysis of data and other relevant information to enable graduates to assess public problems, develop appropriate policy responses, and evaluate program effectiveness. MPP graduates enter careers as policy analysts, researchers, consultants, program evaluators, and policymakers in a broad range of public and nonprofit settings, ranging from the local to the international, and in the private sector. At Northeastern, the MPP joins the nationally accredited Master of Public Administration (MPA) as well as our Master of Science in Urban Planning and Policy (MUPP), Master of Science in Urban Informatics, Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy, and Master of Arts in International Affairs. As such, MPP students are part of a larger School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs community of great intellectual and policy area diversity.
The MPP programs require all students to engage in an internship experience and offer an optional cooperative education experience (co-op) to eligible students. Cooperative education is central to both the Northeastern experience and to the experiential liberal arts framework of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. Northeastern’s signature co-op ecosystem provides qualified master's students with six-month work experiences in businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in Boston and across the United States.
Healthcare Management and Policy Concentration
This graduate concentration is available to students in the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. It is designed to enable students in the MPP program to develop a deeper understanding of the contemporary healthcare sector, including the intricacies of U.S. health policy, and competencies in healthcare management. The concentration is comprised of three courses, one from each of three focus areas, and an elective.
Sustainability and Climate Change Policy Concentration
This graduate concentration is available to students in the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. It is designed to enable MPP students to develop deeper insights into the policy dimensions of these intertwined but conceptually distinct realms of inquiry and action, in both domestic and international domains. The concentration is comprised of three courses.
Please review the tuition and fees page as credit costs differ depending on the college the course is located in.
Academic Standing/Progress
Students in the program are monitored for academic progress. Those students whose grade-point average (GPA) falls below a 3.000 are notified by and meet with the director of academic programs. They are counseled that if their GPA does not rise to a 3.000 or higher, they run the risk of not graduating and are advised on strategies for improvement.
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Core Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Methods, Statistics, and Applications Core | ||
| PPUA 6509 | Techniques of Program Evaluation | 4 |
| or PPUA 6506 | Techniques of Policy Analysis | |
| INSH 6300 | Research Methods in the Social Sciences | 4 |
| INSH 6500 | Statistical Analysis | 4 |
| Policy Frameworks and Practice Core | ||
| PPUA 6502 | Economic Analysis for Policy and Planning | 4 |
| LPSC 7311 | Strategizing Public Policy | 4 |
| PPUA 7673 | Capstone in Public Policy and Urban Affairs | 4 |
| Methods and Statistics Elective | ||
| Complete 4 semester hours from the following: | 4 | |
| Quantitative Analysis | ||
| Dynamic Modeling for Environmental Decision Making | ||
| Big Data for Cities | ||
| Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Regional Policy | ||
Internship Requirement
An approved internship or waiver is required.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Noncredit Internship | ||
| PPUA 6861 | Internship | 0 |
Concentration Options
A concentration is not required. Students may complete electives (from the elective list below) in lieu of a concentration.
Healthcare Management and Policy Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Health Management | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Health Organization Management | ||
| How Healthcare Works: Business and Policy Innovations | ||
| Strategic Management for Healthcare Organizations | ||
| Health Policy | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Public Health Administration and Policy | ||
| Economic Perspectives on Health Policy | ||
| Health Policy and Politics | ||
| Electives | ||
| Health Elective | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | |
| Race, Ethnicity, and Health in the United States | ||
| Public Health Administration and Policy | ||
| Environmental Health | ||
| Health Advocacy | ||
| Global Health | ||
| Principles and History of Urban Health | ||
| Society, Behavior, and Health | ||
| General Elective | ||
| Complete an additional course from the Health Elective list above or one of the following: | 2-3 | |
| Research Toolkit for Urban and Regional Policy: Project Management | ||
| Research Toolkit for Urban and Regional Policy: Data Visualization | ||
| Research Toolkit for Urban and Regional Policy: Grant Writing | ||
| Social Epidemiology | ||
Sustainability and Climate Change Policy Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 12 semester hours from the following: | 12 | |
| Food Security and Sustainability | ||
| Cities, Sustainability, and Climate Change | ||
| Climate and Development | ||
| Ecological Economics | ||
| Dynamic Modeling for Environmental Decision Making | ||
| Energy Democracy and Climate Resilience: Technology, Policy, and Social Change | ||
| International Environmental Policy | ||
| Food Systems and Public Policy | ||
| Environmental Science and Policy Seminar 1 | ||
Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 12 semester hours from the following: | 12 | |
LPSC 5000 to LPSC 7999 | ||
PPUA 5000 to PPUA 7999 | ||
CRIM 5000 to CRIM 7999 (by advisement only) | ||
ECON 5000 to ECON 7999 (by advisement only) | ||
ENGL 5000 to ENGL 7999 (by advisement only) | ||
HIST 5000 to HIST 7999 (by advisement only) | ||
POLS 5000 to POLS 7999 (by advisement only) | ||
SOCL 5000 to SOCL 7999 (by advisement only) | ||
Optional Co-op Experience
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Requires two consecutive semesters of Co-op Work Experience and Experiential Integration: | 2 | |
| Co-op Work Experience and Experiential Integration | ||
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
40 total semester hours required (42 with optional co-op)
Minimum 3.000 GPA required