Earn an On-campus or Online MPP at Temple University

The Master of Public Policy (MPP) program offers an affordable education just steps from Philadelphia’s City Hall at Temple’s Center City Campus with evening classes. Whether you’re a recent college graduate or you’ve already started a career, the MPP program combines a robust research environment and real-world experience to help students learn the technical and analytical skills needed for successful careers in nonprofit organizations, or in the private or public sector. Learn to assess, develop and evaluate the effectiveness of government policies and programs at the federal, local and state levels.

Careers aren’t shaped solely in classrooms. Students apply what they learn in class to internships or to the jobs that many already have in public service. The MPP program also sponsors a variety of extracurricular events including candidate forums, guest speakers, panels of experts on policy issues and public service careers workshops.

Online Master of Public Policy

Temple’s Online Master of Public Policy (OMPP) degree offers students the same curriculum and faculty as our on-campus program but with 100% online classes.

Working professionals and recent college grads can complete the online Master of Public Policy in two or three years. You decide the learning pace that best balances your current career needs and your future career goals. When you graduate, you’ll be prepared to apply your newfound political understanding, policy analysis skills and leadership abilities and take the next step toward a life-changing career. Please visit the admissions page to learn more about graduate program requirements, dates and deadlines and instructions on how to apply.

Master of Public Policy students can take advantage of elective courses offered by other College of Liberal Arts graduate programs as well as Temple University's hundreds of other courses. Examples include:

  • Criminal justice
  • Education policy
  • Health policy
  • Social policy
  • Economic Development
  • Geographic Information Systems
  • Statistics

Please visit the admissions page to learn more about graduate program requirements, dates and deadlines and instructions on how to apply.

The MPP Curriculum

The 36-credit MPP and OMPP curriculum consists of eight required courses, an internship and three electives. Full-time students are able to complete the program in two years or in as little as a year and a half if they enter in the fall semester and take courses in the summer. If you enroll part time, the program takes between three and five years. Our schedule of evening classes make the MPP program accessible for our students to work during the daytime. The OMPP offers additional flexibility, with a combination of asynchronous and synchronous evening components. You will gain practical experience with public and nonprofit organizations and work on real-world projects and programs designed to address public policy problems.

Students who matriculate into the In-person MPP program are permitted to take up to 6 credits of core, required MPP coursework online, excluding PLCY 8127 Public Policy Project. Requests to take required courses online must be approved in writing on a case-by-case basis.

Public Policy Internships

All Master of Public Policy (MPP) students are required to serve in an internship and complete PLCY 5085 Internship in Public Policy. Past MPP students have served their internships at a number of different organizations, agencies and legislative offices.

Admission Requirements

Successful applicants to the MPP or OMPP programs have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. If you wish to inquire about your competitiveness for admission, send your resume and unofficial transcripts to mpp@temple.edu

The Public Policy Program is pleased to be able to offer application fee waivers to current members and alumni of the following public service programs: AmeriCorps, City Year and Peace Corps. Please email mpp@temple.edu to request a fee waiver prior to submitting your application.

For the full list of application requirements, instructions and deadlines, please visit the admissions page.

Degree Offerings

Nonprofit Management Graduate Certificate

Is change inevitable? Only if you make it so. Students in Temple’s Nonprofit Management Graduate Certificate program learn how to become impactful change agents on health care, the economy, public policy, criminal justice, education, sustainability and other crucial issues. In just four fully online courses, you’ll gain a stronger understanding of nonprofit organizational leadership, empowering you to manage finances, fundraising and community engagement at any of the nation’s estimated 1.5 million nonprofits.

The Nonprofit Management Graduate Certificate’s four courses include one elective and can be completed in just one year or up to two years—whatever pace is most practical for your life.

Public Policy Graduate Certificate

If you’ve ever questioned how and why local, state and federal governments make the policy decisions that affect our lives every day, Temple’s Public Policy Graduate Certificate may be the program for you. Graduates have the policy analysis skills and critical thinking abilities to evaluate if existing and proposed laws, taxes and budgets are truly in the public’s best interest. Instead of simply identifying problems like access to affordable health care, climate change, income inequality and reproductive rights, you’ll learn to develop solutions.

Temple offers all of our Public Policy Graduate Certificate courses in the evening to fit into the lives of working professionals. The program has just four laser-focused policy courses that you can complete quickly as one year or spaced out over two years to accommodate your busy schedule

Certificate Offerings
image of student learning in an MPP class

New MPP-MPH Dual Degree Program

We offer a dual degree program that allows graduate students to earn both a Master of Public Policy and a Master of Public Health (MPP-MPH). Federal, state and local governments play a large and growing role in public health by combating epidemics, funding research into public health problems and programs, issuing regulations, providing critical resources aimed at public education and training the public health workforce. Adding the MPP to the MPH will enhance your qualifications for jobs at the intersection of public policy and public health. MPP-MPH dual degree students are able to graduate in three years by earning 54 credits.

Academic Support and Advising

As a student working toward your MPP, you will receive support and guidance from our program and Temple University. The support and guidance includes a focus on employment readiness, working with the Temple Career Center, assisting with internship placements and supporting permanent job search activities. All of our instructors are personable, helpful folks and are happy to work with students on an individual basis. If you have general questions about how to register for classes, find academic buildings, or the like, you can also contact us at mpp@temple.edu.

Temple Graduate School Funding

The cost of our program is very competitive when compared to similar degrees in the region, particularly if you’re eligible for in-state tuition. Some employers subsidize their employees’ educational expenses. Otherwise, most students finance their own education or borrow from the regular financial aid programs. Explore all available funding and apply early to make your education an affordable experience.

Tuition and Fees

For more than 130 years, we have focused on providing a world-class education at an affordable price. Just compare Temple to other universities and see what we mean. Temple tuition rates vary by college or school, residency status, student level and more. Use the Temple Tuition Calculator to estimate your tuition rate.

Transferring Credits from Other MPP or MPA Programs into Temple

Students admitted to the MPP program can transfer up to six credits. The credits must have been earned at a reputable institution with a grade of B or better, and Temple must have equivalent courses in its course inventory. Students who wish to transfer credits need to submit a transcript listing the courses to be transferred and set up an appointment with the MPP Director to discuss transferring. Transfer students must apply to the MPP program and generally meet the same requirements as other applicants, although their performance in another MPP or MPA program will be given special consideration in the admissions decision. Questions about whether applicants qualify for waivers should be sent to mpp@temple.edu. For more info, read the full admission requirements.

Graduate Resources