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The Master of Public Policy prepares students to design, advocate for, and evaluate public policy, increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of public policies from inside or outside of government. Students gain understanding of public policy design and analysis techniques, and the role of politics and power in influencing the making and implementation of public policy.
General requirements
Review CU Denver's Graduate Academic Policies.
Program requirements
Required courses
Students must complete the seven required courses below, for a total of 21 credit hours. See which courses are being offered next semester. All course descriptions can be found in the Graduate Academic Catalog.
Elective courses
In addition to the required courses, students must complete 12 credit hours of elective courses. All course descriptions can be found in the Graduate Academic Catalog.
Internship
Students who have limited experience (generally defined as less than one year of experience) in public, nonprofit or relevant private-sector service must enroll in PUAD 6910 - Public Administration Internship. The decision to require PUAD 6910 for a particular student is made by the faculty admissions committee or the student's faculty advisor upon the student's acceptance to the MPP program. A minimum of 300 hours of supervised work and study is required to earn 3 semester hours of credit. This requirement raises the total semester hours needed to earn the MPP degree to 39.
Capstone option
All MPP students must complete the capstone course during the last semester of their degree program. All core classes must be completed before taking the capstone.
Thesis option
The thesis option is available in lieu of the PUAD 5361 - Capstone Seminar for MPP students who have an interest in pursuing a topic in-depth or who are planning to pursue a career in research or academia. Students must receive approval from their faculty advisor or the MPP director to pursue the thesis option.
General requirements
Review CU Denver's Graduate Academic Policies.
Program requirements
Required courses
Students must complete the seven required courses below, for a total of 21 credit hours. See which courses are being offered next semester. All course descriptions can be found in the Graduate Academic Catalog.
Elective courses
In addition to the required courses, students must complete 12 credit hours of elective courses. All course descriptions can be found in the Graduate Academic Catalog.
Internship
Students who have limited experience (generally defined as less than one year of experience) in public, nonprofit or relevant private-sector service must enroll in PUAD 6910 - Public Administration Internship. The decision to require PUAD 6910 for a particular student is made by the faculty admissions committee or the student's faculty advisor upon the student's acceptance to the MPP program. A minimum of 300 hours of supervised work and study is required to earn 3 semester hours of credit. This requirement raises the total semester hours needed to earn the MPP degree to 39.
Capstone option
All MPP students must complete the capstone course during the last semester of their degree program. All core classes must be completed before taking the capstone.
Thesis option
The thesis option is available in lieu of the PUAD 5361 - Capstone Seminar for MPP students who have an interest in pursuing a topic in-depth or who are planning to pursue a career in research or academia. Students must receive approval from their faculty advisor or the MPP director to pursue the thesis option.
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