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Date: September 9, 1997
Woodrow Wilson School Inaugurates
New One-Year Program for a
Master's Degree in Public PolicyPRINCETON, N.J. -- The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University is offering a new master's degree in public policy (MPP), a one-year degree program, beginning with the 1997-98 academic year.
The MPP program is designed to meet the needs of rising leaders in the public service professions, including government agencies and nonprofit organizations in the United States and internationally. Intended for mid-career professionals with at least seven years of relevant work experience, the MPP program provides rigorous training in quantitative reasoning and policy analysis, as well as individual programs of study tailored to students' particular backgrounds and interests. MPP students also participate in task force projects in teams analyzing current policy issues and formulating specific policy recommendations.
"The public service arena has changed dramatically," said Robert L. Hutchings, the Woodrow Wilson School's assistant dean for academic affairs. "Even experienced professionals need strong quantitative and analytical skills to succeed in this increasingly complex working environment. Our goal is prepare degree candidates to return to their careers with the intellectual breadth, organizational skills, and self-confidence necessary to assert leadership."
The first MPP cohort comprises 14 students from diverse backgrounds, including a journalist with the Economic Times in India, an economic development manager with CARE in Bangladesh, a software engineer working at a Brooklyn drug treatment center, a development officer with the New Zealand ministry of foreign affairs and trade, and a member of the Inspector General's staff at the CIA, who is also a veteran of the White House Situation Room.
The MPP program complements the Woodrow Wilson School's existing two-year master's in public affairs (MPA) program, which addresses the needs of more recent college graduates. In addition to course work in quantitative reasoning and policy analysis and participation in policy task forces, MPA students pursue additional study in four fields of specialization: international relations, development studies, domestic policy, and economics and public policy.
Beginning next year, the U.S. State Department will nominate up to 10 outstanding mid-career foreign service and other officials to become John L. Weinberg '47 MPP Fellows at the Woodrow Wilson School. The Weinberg program allows the school to waive tuition and fees for select MPP students; the sponsoring employer continues to pay the students' salaries during the period of enrollment.
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