About

The MPP degree emphasizes the analysis of data and other relevant information to enable graduates to assess public problems, develop appropriate policy responses, and evaluate program effectiveness. MPP graduates enter careers as policy analysts, researchers, consultants, program evaluators, and policymakers in a broad range of public and nonprofit settings, ranging from the local to the international, and in the private sector.

Additionally, students can concentrate in healthcare management and policy or sustainability and climate change policy. The healthcare management and policy angle of study equips students to better assess and act within today's complicated healthcare sector. Students who select sustainability and climate change policy will be immersed in the intricacies of climate change inquiry and action, the most crucial issue of our time.

At Northeastern, the MPP joins our long-established and nationally accredited Master of Public Administration, as well as our Master of Urban Planning and Policy, Master of Science in Urban Informatics, and Master of Arts in International Affairs. As such, students are part of a larger community of great intellectual and policy area diversity. The curriculum is designed to offer methodological rigor, a theoretical framework, and opportunities for applied experiences in optional areas of specialization. The majority of classes are offered in the early evening to accommodate working students.

MPP students build an area of subject expertise based on an array of electives offered by the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, by other programs in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, and elsewhere in the university. As experiential learning is a key element of the program, students who enter with fewer than two years of relevant professional experience will be required to complete an internship. Students also have the option to take the internship for credit. Candidates with relevant professional experience can request a waiver of the internship requirement.

Please visit the Master of Public Policy (MPP) site to learn more about the program and download a free brochure.

More Details

Unique Features

Required internship for students with fewer than two years of relevant professional experience
Optional internship for candidates with relevant professional experience
Majority of classes are offered in the early evening to accommodate working students
Optional areas of applied specialization currently include law and public policy, sustainability and climate change, urban informatics, and health policy
Optional Concentration in Healthcare Management and Policy
This graduate concentration is available to students in the Masters of Public Policy program in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. It is designed to enable students to develop a deeper understanding of the contemporary healthcare sector, including intricacies of U.S. health policy and competencies in healthcare management. The concentration comprises three courses, one from each of three focus areas: Health Management, Health Policy, and Health Elective.
Optional Concentration in Sustainability and Climate Change Policy
This graduate concentration is available to students in the Master of Public Policy program in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. It is designed to enable MPP students to develop deeper insights into the policy dimensions of these intertwined but conceptually distinct realms of climate change inquiry and action, and in both domestic and international domains. The concentration comprises three courses.

The Master of Public Policy is the industry standard among public policy degrees, emphasizing the analysis of data and other relevant information and enabling students to assess public problems, develop appropriate policy responses, and evaluate program effectiveness. To learn more about the program and download a free brochure, please visit the Master of Public Policy (MPP) site.

Required internship for students with fewer than two years of relevant professional experience
Optional internship for candidates with relevant professional experience
Majority of classes are offered in the early evening to accommodate working students
Optional areas of applied specialization currently include law and public policy, sustainability and climate change, urban informatics, and health policy
Optional Concentration in Healthcare Management and Policy
This graduate concentration is available to students in the Masters of Public Policy program in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. It is designed to enable students to develop a deeper understanding of the contemporary healthcare sector, including intricacies of U.S. health policy and competencies in healthcare management. The concentration comprises three courses, one from each of three focus areas: Health Management, Health Policy, and Health Elective.
Optional Concentration in Sustainability and Climate Change Policy
This graduate concentration is available to students in the Master of Public Policy program in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. It is designed to enable MPP students to develop deeper insights into the policy dimensions of these intertwined but conceptually distinct realms of climate change inquiry and action, and in both domestic and international domains. The concentration comprises three courses.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Admissions Dates

Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis.

Fall Term

Spring Term

Summer 1 Term


Final deadline for international applicants:	June 15
Final deadline for domestic applicants:	August 15
Deadline for special student applicants (noninternational only):	August 25


Deadline for international applicants:	October 1
Deadline for domestic applicants:	December 15
Deadline for special student applicants (noninternational only):	December 15


Domestic applicants only:	April 15

English Requirements

PTEMin 76
IELTSMin 8
TOEFLMin 108

English Program Requirements

Northeastern students will be exposed to not only a rigorous academic environment but also a fast-paced experiential one. In order to be successful in both, all first-year and transfer applicants, regardless of citizenship, must demonstrate proficiency in English to be considered for admission to Northeastern.

Once your application is submitted, received, and processed, you will be able to access your Application Status Check. If you are required to provide further information regarding your proficiency in English, you will be able to complete the requirement in several ways, depending on your familiarity with English, and the frequency with which you use English each and every day:

Non-native English-speaking applicants will be required to submit official and valid results from one of the following English Language Tests:
- C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency (Cambridge English)
- Duolingo English Test (DET)
- IELTS Academic
- PTE Academic
- TOEFL Internt-based Test (CEEB Code: 3667) Northeastern will accept either the in-person version completed in a test center, or the TOEFL iBT Home Edition
However, based on your academic environment and the primary instructional language in either your high school or university, you may be eligible for a waiver. All waivers must be submitted through your Application Status Check. For additional information and to determine whether or not you are eligible for a waiver, please read the section below on waiving the English proficiency requirement.

Please note: Northeastern’s Admissions Committee reserves the right to request proof of English language proficiency from any applicant, regardless of citizenship or first language, at any time during the evaluation process.

Fee Information

Application Fee 75

How to Apply

1.Create your application
Submit your application through The Common Application or the Coalition Application (both are accepted). Once you have created your application, please select Northeastern University to directly submit your application to us. Application fee of $75 or need-based fee waiver* *Northeastern accepts need-based fee waivers from the Common Application, the Coalition Application, as well as organizations such as the College Board and ACT, or in a written request from a school official.
2.Submit all required materials
Double check to make sure that you have submitted all required materials. Even if your application has been submitted, we cannot begin reviewing your file until all of your required materials have been received. For applicants applying for the 2022-2023 academic year, Northeastern University is test-optional and does not require standardized testing to complete an application for admission.
3.Check your application status
Within seven days of applying, you should receive a confirmation email containing your Northeastern University ID number and instructions for setting up your Application Status Check account. To ensure all of the necessary documents have been submitted, and for updates or information about your application, visit your application status check.