Master of Science in Public Policy

The Master of Science in Public Policy is designed for students with strong analytical backgrounds, such as those received in engineering, natural science, or an analytically oriented social science or humanities curriculum. Graduate studies in public policy focus on areas in which either the consequences of scientific and technological activity have significant public policy implications, or technical and scientific information is a significant input to the policy-making process. Current areas of specialization for the School include science and technology policy, environmental and energy policy, information and telecommunication policy, and regional economic development policy.

The MS in Public Policy requires forty-6 credit hours of study, including either: a) 3 hours devoted to producing a professional policy research paper or team research project or b) 9 hours for a thesis. In general, it is expected that students planning to enter employment upon completing the degree will choose the paper or project option, while students planning to continue their graduate work will choose the thesis option.

The program requires a twenty-five-credit-hour core curriculum consisting of five substantive elements: policy and organizational analysis; ethics, philosophy, and public policy; economics and public finance; methods of analysis, including quantitative analysis and research design; and a capstone course in public policy analysis. In addition, there is a required one-credit-hour introductory graduate seminar in public policy. Based on prior coursework or a test-out exam, students may request up to 6 credit hours of exemptions from core courses. In individual cases, students may be required to take pre-core preparatory courses to be ready for graduate studies in particular methodological or analytical areas.

Core courses include:

  1. PUBP 6001    Introduction to Public Policy
  2. PUBP 6010    Ethics, Epistemology, and Public Policy
  3. PUBP 6012    Fundamentals of Policy Processes
  4. PUBP 6112    Research Design in Policy Science
  5. PUBP 6114    Applied Policy Methods and Data Analysis
  6. PUBP 6116    Microeconomics for Policy Analysis
  7. PUBP 6118    Public Finance and Policy
  8. PUBP 6201    Public Policy Analysis

Plus one of the following:

  1. PUBP    6014 Organization Theory
  2. PUBP    6017 Public Management
  3. PUBP    6018 Policy Implementation and Administration

Students must achieve a grade of B or higher in all core courses. In addition to elective courses in the School of Public Policy, students may develop their own programs of study by taking courses in other Georgia Tech schools, including those in the Ivan Allen College and the Colleges of Architecture, Management, Sciences, and Engineering. A summer internship, work experience, or co-op assignment between the first and second years offers students insight into a research or professional setting related to their career interests.

For the MSPP, students are encouraged to pursue one or more concentrations. A concentration consists of at least three 3-credit courses, of which at least one is the School of Public Policy. Students can pursue concentrations within groups already developed by the faculty (see above). Or, students can pursue an individualized concentration, with the written approval of the proposed concentration program of study by their advisor.