Master of Public Administration - Social Policy

M.P.A. Program The two-year Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program consists of sixteen courses, students typically take four courses per term for four semesters. The M.P.A. program offers a basic structure for study, however, each M.P.A. student designs an individualized program based on the student's specific area of interest. Elective courses and research opportunities may be taken through the program in relevant departments or colleges at the university. Students have eight areas they may concentrate their studies in: Environmental Policy, Economic and Financial Policy, Government, Politics, and Policy Studies, Human Rights and Social Justice, International Development Studies, Public and Non-Profit Management, Science, Technology and Infrastructure Policy, Social Policy

The Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy offers students the opportunity to study public policy and program management from a cross-disciplinary perspective. Students gain an understanding of the political processes through which issues, problems, and policies are formulated, the economic basis for government action in a market economy, and the comparative and historical contexts of governmental programs. Students study public budgets, finance, and regulatory processes, as well as the behavior of both public and private organizations and their management. Students also gain competence in the qualitative and quantitative methods needed to analyze programs and policies, and develop sensitivity to the moral and ethical dimensions of policy issues.

M.P.A. students are expected to engage in public affairs work related to their respective areas of concentration during the summer between their first and second years of study. As a culmination of studies in the M.P.A. program, all students are required to develop and complete a professional writing project. This professional writing requirement may be fulfilled by writing a research thesis, a professional report based on work done during the summer internship, or by completing the MPA Capstone.

MPA Fellows concentrating in Social Policy learn the tools and policy history necessary to design, manage, and evaluate programs. Those may include programs in health, nutrition, education, poverty alleviation, aging, and criminal justice. Fundamental material in this concentration introduces students to problem formulation, identification of policy alternatives to address social concerns, cost-benefit analysis and other tools needed to evaluate policy choices and implementation strategies.

Submit unofficial copies of your college and university transcripts. Do not send transcripts to the MPA Program. Before matriculating, all admitted students will be required to submit an official transcript to the Graduate School.
Submit your resume and three letters of recommendation (academic and/or professional are acceptable).
Submit both a Statement of Purpose and an Essay. See detailed information below for completing these submissions.
Statement of Purpose (500 words maximum)
Essay (1,000 words maximum)
current resume
Applicants for whom English is a second language will need to meet minimum scores on either the TOEFL or IELTS exams. Required minimum scores on the TOEFL exam are: writing 20, listening 15, reading 20, and speaking 22. Our field requirements for the IELTS exam are an overall score of at least 7.0.
computer-based TOEFL minimum: 250, paper-based: 600