Bachelor's/Master of Public Policy

You must meet with your primary Academic Advisor at your earliest convenience in order to review your academic plan. This meeting is intended to ensure that the PLCY requirements fit into your undergraduate schedule.  

The dual degree program allows you to double-count 18 credits of graduate course work toward your undergraduate degree, with these credits taken as an undergraduate student at undergraduate tuition rates (saving you 18 credits of graduate-level tuition rates). The remaining 30 credits required to earn the Master's degree are taken as a graduate student, and can be completed in one year by taking 12 credits in both the fall and spring semesters and 6 credits in the summer or winter terms. By double-counting credits as an undergraduate student, and taking some courses during the summer or winter terms, you are able to complete the Master's degree with only one additional year of school.

Students are able to take up to 18 credit pre-approved eligible courses. Four of the 3-credit courses are from the core governance and quantitative skills sequence. For the credits to count towards the MPP master's degree, students must earn a minimum of a B- or higher.

GOVERNANCE SEQUENCE

• PLCY630 (formerly PLCY688E) Normative and Political Dimensions of Public Policy (3 credits)
• PLCY631 (formerly PLCY688G) Governance: Leadership, Management & Accountability (3 credits)

QUANTITATIVE SKILLS SEQUENCE

• PLCY640 Microeconomic and Policy Analysis (3 credits)
• PLCY610 Quantitative Aspects of Public Policy (3 credits)

When taking the courses as an undergrad there is a preferred order for students to take each course. Students may take courses beginning the first semester of acceptance or wait until the following semester. It is advised that students take PLCY630 (formerly PLCY688E) first followed with quantitative skills sequence course PLCY610. When taking PLCY631 (formerly PLCY688G) it is recommended that students take PLCY640.

Graduate electives that are counted in your 18 credits may have a preferred sequence depending on the specialization. Specializations are not required for students pursuing an MPP, however, electives are required to fulfill the 48 credits of the MPP program.

Read more about our specializations offerings. Each specialization has a preferred sequence with core foundational courses and electives. We recommend checking out the info of the specialization and choosing the core specialization courses to start off with as a Bachelor's/MPP student.

If you are pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy or certain majors within the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences(economics, government and politics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, geography, criminology and criminal justice or African American studies), you can apply as part of a pre-existing structured program. If you are pursuing any other major, you must apply for an individualized program and have the permission of both your primary undergraduate major department and the School of Public Policy. 

All students must schedule a meeting with their respective undergraduate Academic Advisor prior to discuss your program course of study before applying.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrate a strong commitment to public service
• Have declared a major in Public Policy or an approved BSOS major
• Shown academic success in core courses to respective major of Public Policy or BSOS
• Students are first eligible to apply when they are within two months of completing at least 60 credits with a cumulative 3.5 GPA, you may apply later
• Students are required to take ECON 200 AND STAT 100 with a grade of C or better or equivalent before registering for graduate-level PLCY courses

Please complete the program application. Questions can be emailed to Graduate Student Affairs at policy-BAMPPprogram@umd.edu. Recommendations can be provided electronically 

• Application
• Statement of Purpose
• 2 Letters of Recommendation from faculty members
• Transcript (unofficial is okay for the initial application process) . Official transcripts will be needed at the time of enrolling into the MPP program full time.
• Resume
• U.achieve Audit (a PDF version is acceptable and may be sent directly by the student)

Admissions Deadlines

For Spring 2026 Admission:

• Early decision: October 24, 2025
• Final: December 10, 2025

For Fall 2026 Admission:

• Early decision: March 27, 2026
• Final: June 12, 2026

If you know that a Master of Public Policy is a degree that you would like to one day pursue, and you are currently an approved BSOS or policy major, this is a great program for you. It allows you to save money and time by completing your Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Policy in five years.  It would take six years if the programs are completed independently. This allows you to jumpstart your career in public policy or public administration. We support you in your career development through access to our Career Services team and networking opportunities with classmates, alumni and faculty.

No, not at all. The BA/MPP community is large and you will have fellow undergraduates in your classes. Additionally, approximately 20%-25% of MPP students come straight into the program from an undergraduate degree.  The rest of our student population varies from 1 to 20+ years of experience.  Regardless of the age of anyone in your classes, everyone is very friendly and group projects allow you to collaborate and build bonds that you will have for life.  In addition, SPP has a variety of clubs and student groups that allow you to gather with students of with similar interest outside of class. 

BA/MPP students must take our core courses before delving into the many electives* we offer. We recommend you take:

First Semester:

PLCY630 (Formerly 688E) - Governance: Normative and Political Dimensions

PLCY610 - Quantitative Aspects of Public Policy

Second Semester:

PLCY631 (Formerly 688G) - Governance, Leadership, Management, and Accountability

PLCY640 - Microeconomic and Policy Analysis

*Electives may have a sequence of preference depending on specialization.

All enrollment stamps for graduate courses start with your undergraduate academic advisor. We recommend you prepare early by making an appointment or contacting your academic advisor to create your academic plan and get the necessary undergraduate enrollment permissions (stamps). Once your plan is approved, you submit it to policy-BAMPPprogram@umd.edu and we will issue the enrollment stamp for your graduate courses. You will be able to register for the course once both parties have approved the stamp. 

Specializations are not required but encouraged for those that want to explore an area of interest. If you have a niche policy interest, adding a specialization is a great addition to your resume and will allow you to focus on a specific policy area in your courses. Because the program offers so many elective credits, you are able to complete a specialization and still have room in your schedule to take other courses you find interesting. Our specializations are:

• Environmental Policy
• Energy Policy
• International Development Policy
• International Security and Economic Policy
• Public Financial Management
• Leadership and Management
• Nonprofit Leadership and Management
• Social Policy
• Health Policy
• Education Policy
• Individualized Program
• Generalist/No Specialization

• Strong commitment to public service
• Major in Public Policy or one of the eight policy-related BSOS majors (AASP, ANTH, CCJS, ECON, GEOG, GVPT, PSYC, SOCY)
• Students are eligible to apply when they are within two months of completing 60 credits with a cumulative 3.5 GPA (you may apply later, too)
• Other majors are eligible with permission from department

Fall Semester: 

Early: April 15  

Final Deadline: July 1  

Spring Semester:

Early: December 1

Final Deadline: January 7

It is recommended that you apply by the early deadline if you wish to start taking courses in the upcoming semester.  This gives you time to meet with your academic advisor and get all necessary stamps and get early access to register for the next semester’s courses.  You can still apply by the final deadline but course selection might be limited and/or you may spend time on a course waitlist.

We have a paper application process that is fairly simple. The application can be found in a Google Doc version to download here. Below are the components to the application.

• Application in hard copy
• Statement of Purpose
• Three letters of recommendation
• Transcript
• Resume
• Uachieve Audit 

Graduate assistantships, or GAs, are a way to partially fund your studies while you’re a full time graduate student. You’ll receive partial tuition remission and a living stipend. A multitude of offices around campus hire GAs each year, not just the school of Public Policy. Learn more about non-policy GA offerings.

Career Services & Alumni Relations offers countless opportunities to students that complement your policy education with professional development experiences. They send out a newsletter each week detailing job opportunities, upcoming events and other important information related to policy careers. UMD Policy Jobs is a website run by Career Services just for Policy Terps to search for employment opportunities. Our career advisors, Director Bryan Kempton and Coordinator Hardeep Chowdhary offer one on one appointments each week. There are frequent workshops that focus on interviewing, improving your resume and salary negotiation, among other topics. They also frequently host employers on campus. Learn more about the services they offer.

Job searches are unique for each student. Traditional MPP students typically have some combination of work or professional policy-relevant experience beyond an internship upon arriving at the School of Public Policy which is appealing to employers. Since BA/MPP students go straight through both degrees, it is important for BA/MPP students to complement their academic record with various professional development experiences, internships, conferences, informational interviews and leveraging their networks. Additionally, it is worth noting that there is not a "one-size-fits-all" approach to finding a job. and our dedicated Career Services & Alumni Relations team are there to assist students in their job search. Learn More.