PUBPO-MPP - Public Policy (MPP)

1. A joint degree is regarded by the University as distinct from either of its component degrees, and requirements for the joint degree differ from the sum of the requirements for the individual degrees.

2. Up to a maximum of 45 units, or one year, of the University residency requirement can be credited toward both graduate degree programs (i.e., the joint degree requirements may contain up to 45 units less than the sum of each program separately). For example, a J.D./M.P.P. has a four-year residency requirement, one year less than the sum of the requirements for the separate degrees. This recognizes that there is a subject matter overlap between the fields comprising the joint degree.

3. The Public Policy Program strives to encourage an intellectual, professional, and social community among its students. For this reason, joint degree students are strongly encouraged to devote one year of full-time study at Stanford entirely to the Public Policy Program rather than spacing Public Policy courses throughout their graduate careers. For joint degree Ph.D. students, the core requirements of the M.P.P. should be completed over two contiguous years of study, during which students may also be enrolled in courses from their Ph.D. program. Exceptions to this structure must be approved in advance by petition.

4. Joint degree students are expected to have and to consult regularly with an academic advisor. The advisor is generally a member of the faculty of both degree programs and must be a member of Academic Council. The program director and staff are available to make advisor recommendations.

5. In order to take advantage of the reduced residency requirement, joint M.P.P. students must define their area of concentration from among courses offered in their non-Public Policy program. Students wishing to concentrate in another field should apply for a dual, rather than a joint, M.P.P. degree.

The concentration in Computational Public Policy focuses on students developing skills in computer science, data science, and advanced statistics combined with policy analysis. It focuses primarily, although not exclusively, on the application of quantitative techniques to policy issues that arise in various subject matter areas. Because policy analysis interacts with the technical elements of particular disciplines, all schools and many departments in the University offer courses that meet these requirements. For the most part, the common denominator is the extensive use of machine learning and artificial intelligence, and statistics, as policy analysis tools. Concentration courses should focus on developing the skills necessary for modern data-intensive policy analysis. Students choosing such courses, therefore, need to consider their interest in the field in which the course is being given in addition to the methodology being presented. It is also advisable in the majority of the recommended courses that concentrators have an above average background in mathematics, statistics and computation.

The course list includes classes that students have taken in the past to complete this particular concentration, as well as additional classes that may be considered toward this topic. Students may choose to take other courses, though all concentration courses must be discussed with and approved by the faculty advisor whether or not they are on the suggested list. 

The educational experiences of young people are shaped by education and social policy decisions made at the national, state, local, and school-building levels. Moreover, these policy choices impact not only the educational opportunities available to young people, but also the distribution of cognitive and other skills in the labor force. A thorough understanding of current education policy debates and their consequences requires knowledge of the structure and history of the education system, the politics of education policy-making, the relationships among educational systems and other social policies, the distribution of resources—including teachers—within an educational system, and methods of policy analysis and evaluation. The concentration in education policy prepares students to participate both in the analysis of education policy and in broader political debates about the aims and structure of the educational systems. Students completing this concentration have employment opportunities with local, state, federal, and international education agencies and organizations. 

Requirements

Core courses and electives will be selected from the list below as appropriate for the goals of individual students.  All MPP students in the concentration will take two gateway courses in Education Policy; two courses in Foundations of Education; and one course in Organizational Studies and Education; and at least two additional elective courses.  Coterm students will take one gateway course and enough elective courses to satisfy the unit requirements.  Note that this is not an exhaustive list; students may select other courses for their concentration with the approval of their faculty advisor and Program Director. 

Health care spending in the United States has grown to more than 17 percent of GDP, and is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy. One reason for high expenditures on healthcare is the “third-party payer” system. Employers or state and federal governments pay for medical services selected by patients and doctors, diminishing the incentive to select the most cost-effective services. In many cases there is little objective evidence on what is the most effective form of treatment for particular conditions. As a result, a given condition may be treated quite differently from one area to another. Moreover, in spite of very large expenditures overall, many citizens lack medical coverage and others forgo preventative measures that could reduce later expenditures on treatment. Dealing with these inefficiencies and coverage gaps is a critical national priority.

The concentration in health policy prepares students to take part in the analysis of health care policy and in the broader political debate about health care.  Students completing this concentration have employment opportunities with local, state, federal, and international organizations concerned with health policy and regulatory agencies and with the firms dealing with such agencies, including consultancies.

Requirements

Required concentration courses and electives will be selected from the listing below, as appropriate for the goals of individual students. There will be a separate track for students with a special interest in epidemiology, which requires prerequisite coursework, specifically course, course, and course or equivalents.

Note that the list of course below is not an exhaustive list; students may select other courses for their concentration with the approval of their faculty advisor. 

In a world where problems cross borders and disciplines, where threats that were previously thought to be independent are found to be interconnected, where distinctions between what is domestic policy and what is foreign policy are becoming more and more tenuous, students need training and perspective to break down disciplinary silos. They need the tools and dexterity to work across issue areas and in diverse policy arenas. They need to see connections that others miss, and be able to describe and explain those connections so that others will then see them too. The concentration in International Policy Studies aims to train the next generation of policy leaders who will go on to influence policy making in trade, foreign affairs, security, economic development and the environment.

Note that the courses below are not an exhaustive list; students may select other courses for their concentration with the approval of their faculty advisor. 

The allocation of scarce resources is generally left to decentralized market forces and autonomous citizens. But markets sometimes have serious imperfections, and humans exhibit various cognitive biases. Intervention by the state seeks to avoid or mitigate the adverse outcomes of such imperfections. Intervention can take various forms, including taxes or subsidies, agency regulation, and legal rules that seek to improve the compatibility of individual incentives with social welfare (or with citizens’ ex post evaluations of their own decisions). However, interventions in practice may fail to improve outcomes, either through inadequate design or other challenges.

This concentration focuses on an understanding of the analytical and empirical relationships between imperfect market or cognitive processes and imperfect state interventions. The concentration consists of courses from economics, law, management science and engineering, psychology and other programs dealing with industrial organization, antitrust, utility regulation, consumer protection, social psychology, contracts, administrative law and specific regulatory regimes. 

The individual courses should be cumulative or complementary with respect to the student’s interests and/or career plan, which must be stated in writing prior to approval of the elective plan, and be approved in advance by a member of the Public Policy-affiliated faculty and by the director of the program.

Students completing this concentration have employment opportunities with local, state, federal, and international organizations and regulatory agencies and with the firms dealing with such agencies, including consultancies.

Note that the courses below are not an exhaustive list; students may select other courses for their concentration with the approval of their faculty advisor. 

Students in this concentration analyze policy and policy making through a lens of political and moral philosophy. The emphasis is on the foundational philosophies upon which public and private policy-making institutions are based.  Students pursuing this concentration consider Ancient Greek, Enlightenment, and Modern political ideas and take into account questions of morality in policy making.  These basic issues can then be applied to issues within fields such as medicine, law, business, education, politics, the non-profit sector, and the environment.

Note that the courses below are not an exhaustive list; students may select other courses for their concentration with the approval of their faculty advisor. 

Humans remain part of the natural world. Like all other species, we rely upon the resources of the planet to thrive, and we return our wastes to the same environment. The impact of human activity on local areas has always been obvious—uncoordinated exploitation of resources and discharge of waste progressively reduces human well being. Growing population and economic activity increase the potential gains from understanding and optimizing our relationship with the rest of the natural world.

The concentration in Resources, Environment, and Energy Policy provides Public Policy students with an opportunity to devote a year to intense study of what is known scientifically about the impact of human economic activity on the earth’s resources, and of alternative means to enhance human well-being through public measures designed to optimize resource use.

Perhaps the most powerful set of environmental policy tools are those that control the use of energy resources. The state of scientific and technological knowledge at any time in history, together with known energy resources, defines feasible energy choices. Uncoordinated individual decisions to exploit these choices can lead to patterns of energy use that are socially inefficient.

An example is the tendency of individual drivers to ignore their own contribution to air pollution when making a decision to drive, walk or bicycle. It is the task of public policy to prevent such outcomes by inducing decision-makers to take into account all the effects of particular energy choices. This is also true of other natural resources, such as land and water. Ultimately, systems that adjust individual and organizational incentives must be devised in order to bring incentives in line with the public interest as determined by policy makers. Effective implementation of energy and other environmental policy goals may require changes in law, tax policy, the provision of public services such as highways and mass transit, international treaties, and other policy tools.

Students completing this concentration have employment opportunities with local, state, federal, and international organizations and regulatory agencies and with the firms dealing with environmental, energy, and other natural resource issues, and with private firms interacting with such agencies and organizations, including consultancies.

Note that the courses below are not an exhaustive list; students may select other courses for their concentration with the approval of their faculty advisor. 

Science and technology are the roots, not only of our understanding of the natural world and its relationship to human welfare, but also of the constraints on what can be accomplished with the scarce resources comprising nature. Virtually all public policies are grounded in the realities of the natural world and proceed on the basis of constantly changing assumptions about or understandings of nature. An understanding of science and technology is thus essential to the formation of virtually any sound public policy.

In addition to the role of science and technology in policymaking on issues such as environmental imbalances, energy sources, human health, and national defense, this concentration considers U.S. policies toward science and technology itself, U.S. policy-making institutions, and the roles that scientists, engineers, and physicians play in the policy process.

Foundation courses and electives will be selected from the listing below, as appropriate for the goals of individual students. A total of 35 units is required and all courses must be completed for a letter grade.

Students proposing to undertake the Science and Technology Concentration must have a program of study approved by a member of the Science and Technology faculty (see sidebar) prior to applying for admission.

Students completing this concentration have employment opportunities with local, state, federal, and international organizations concerned with science and technology policy and regulatory agencies, legislative bodies and firms dealing with such agencies, including consultancies. Graduate students in science and engineering fields may find several sources of tuition (and in some cases stipend) support while taking classes in public policy, and should review the funding opportunities page for more details. 

Note that the courses below are not an exhaustive list; students may select other courses for their concentration with the approval of their faculty advisor. 

Requirements for the Urban Policy Concentration for MPP students include completing at least 3 gateway courses, taking courses from at least 2 of the different focus areas, and fulfilling enough courses to satisfy the unit requirement. Requirements for the Urban Policy Concentration for Coterminal students include completing at least 1 gateway course and fulfilling enough elective courses to satisfy the unit requirement. 

Note that the courses below are not an exhaustive list; students may select other courses for their concentration with the approval of their faculty advisor.