Minor in Public Policy
If you want to learn how to create an impact on major public issues—from gun violence to student debt to poverty to criminal justice and beyond—this is the minor for you. Public Policy minors will discover how governments, policy experts and ordinary citizens can work to improve society’s most vexing challenges. They’ll also learn how to assess policies and evaluate their effectiveness.
The minor is six-courses (18-credits). There are two required courses (PLCY 2103 U.S. Public Policymaking and POLS 3151 Policy Analysis) and four electives, one of which can be filled by an internship. If you’re thinking about a career in the public or nonprofit sector or just want to learn more about how to enhance communities through effective policy, this is the perfect minor to pair with your major.
- Learn More about the Minor in Public Policy
Earn Your Undergraduate and MPP Degrees in Five Years
The Master of Public Policy (MPP) +1 accelerated degree program allows promising students to complete both an undergraduate and an MPP degree in five years. Normally, completing each degree separately takes six years. You can begin the accelerated degree program as a junior or senior. Admitted juniors take four three-credit courses (12 credits total) as an undergraduate and take the remaining 24 credits as a full-time MPP student in the summer following graduation and during the “Plus One” year. Admitted seniors take three three-credit courses (nine credits total) in their final undergraduate year and the remaining 27 credits after as a full-time MPP student during the summer following graduation and during the Plus One year.
- As an added bonus, MPP credits taken as an undergraduate count toward both master’s and bachelor’s degrees.
- All required MPP courses and select electives are held at the Center City campus in the evenings.
Please visit the MPP +1 Accelerated Degree page to learn more about graduate program requirements, dates and deadlines and instructions on how to apply.
Capital Semester in Harrisburg or Washington DC
The Washington Semester and the Pennsylvania Capital Semester provide you an opportunity to gain valuable career experience in the nation’s capital while remaining a full-time student. If you’re accepted into the Plus One accelerated degree program, your MPP internship requirement is fulfilled by your semester or summer in Washington/Harrisburg and by registering for PLCY 5085. In addition, if you participate in the Capital Semester program, you must make up the required MPP course you would take at Temple University during your Plus One year.