By: Nick Santangelo

They were the first, but they won't be the last. Far from it, the nine students who received their master of public policy degrees on May 10 were the inaugural class of a forward-looking program that will be preparing students to make an impact in communities near and far for years to come.

The College of Liberal Arts' master of public policy (MPP) held its first classes in fall 2016 with the goal of educating students on policy creation. Less than two years after the start of those first courses, the first group of students had mastered those skills and became graduates. Some have already landed exciting jobs in city councils, non-profits, state and municipal agencies and even here at Temple University.

Today, more than 50 students are enrolled in the program, which consists of eight required courses, three electives and an internship. As the MPP program grows, the faculty continues to develop more effective ways to offer the most professionally beneficial coursework. That means today's students benefit from a stronger focus on hard skills like program evaluation and geographic information systems.

you also enter into a select community that extends to your colleagues, mentors and professors

And to make sure students are as ready to go as possible on the first day of class, an optional "boot camp" for strengthening math skills is being offered the week before the semester starts. It's just one way students are welcomed into the program.

"When you enter into the program," says Dashiell Q. Sears, CLA '18, "you also enter into a select community that extends to your colleagues, mentors and professors who will be your extension into professional networking opportunities and contacts as well as providing valuable insights into various aspects of policy theories and problem solving crucial to developing a deeper sense of the important policy issues of today.

"You will certainly develop great relationships with your peers as all of you will share in the same struggles and accomplishments that come with such a degree program that will hopefully extend after your program ends."

Sears isn't alone in valuing the mentorship provided by his professors. Patrick Kerr, CLA '18, found this to be the most valuable aspect of the program. Kerr knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed in the program, too—he shared the Academic Excellence Award for stellar performance with classmate Megan Zak, CLA '18.

"The combination of instructors who worked in government or came from an academic background helped balance the course load and provide different perspectives to public policy," says Kerr.

Those perspectives are important not just for giving our students the best public policy educations possible, but also for helping them find their place in the job world after commencement. The reason an internship requirement has always been baked into the program is that Temple doesn't just want master of public policy to learn valuable skills—we want to see them applying them in their careers. The program now offers even more thorough academic, internship and job placement advising and recently added Assistant Director for Advising and Placement Pat Amberg-Blyskal to the team to help do just that.

The program gave me confidence to advance my career goals

Whether in the classroom at Temple or in the office at an internship, students learn the skills needed to become policy leaders.

"The program gave me the confidence to advance my career goals to enter the permanent employment marketplace with the technical and practical skillset necessary to be employed on my own terms in fields that I am passionate about," says Sears.

For both Sears and Kerr, the course that furthered their professional development the most was Program Evaluation. The course trains students to measure policies and determine whether or not they had the sort of impact their creators intended.

"Any public investments must be proven to scientifically work and ought to be a standard for public policy initiatives going forward to ensure better outcomes," says Kerr of his biggest takeaway from the course.

Sears adds that the tools, theories, analytical concepts and statistical software training the course teaches are applicable to many career paths. But Program Evaluation is far from the only course he prizes. Sears says that he gained "new insights into modern practices and theories" for subjects like economics, budget policy, management and policy analysis and a final project with a real client.

With the program completed, Sears, Kerr and their fellow graduates now have what Sears calls a stronger career profile, preparing them to take on higher levels of responsibility and do more rewarding work in their careers. Because public policy offers young professionals a plethora of divergent paths to take, Kerr recommends incoming students identify what path appeals to them the most and dedicate their education to getting them on that path.

Some MPP graduates go into research or management jobs, while others gravitate towards advocacy, lobbying and communications, government agency or legislative body careers, or work in non-profits.

"Think about what kind of public policy goals and career you envision," he says, "and ensure that you will gain the experiences, knowledge and skills to attain these goals during your time in the program."

And thanks to the experience helping students like Kerr and Sears find that path, the MPP program is now even better positioned to help incoming master of public policy students find theirs. And they don't have to (and shouldn't) wait until graduation to do it, either.

This October, the program will support Young Involved Philadelphia's "State of Young Philly" series of events. Through support of this and other events, the program will showcase how students with a background in public policy can help guide local activism and bring about policy improvements.

If you're interested in getting involved in public policy or are already involved but want to feel empowered to do more, Temple's master of public policy will give you the education and guidance you need to start the career you belong in.