Program in Public Policy
The Heller School for Social Policy and Management
Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts
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Brandeis University - Program in Public Policy - Overview
Masters of Public Policy Program at Heller School
The Heller MPP program is an interdisciplinary two-year masters of public policy program that equips future leaders to succeed in careers within government, advocacy, policy research and analysis, policy implementation, and community work. The MPP program at Heller has a rich tradition of being in the vanguard of public policy research, and its networks and leadership in these areas provide students with excellent internship and research opportunities as well as the chance to work with faculty and senior researchers on policy analysis. This dedication and experience makes Heller's masters of public policy program one of the best in the nation.
Poverty Alleviation in Masters of Public Policy Program
The students in Heller's masters of public policy program specialize in critical policy areas, including health; behavioral health; poverty alleviation; children, youth, and families; and aging. Other students of international public policy may pursue a general track.
The poverty alleviation concentration of the masters of public policy program enables students to develop a theoretical and empirical understanding of the causes, manifestations, and consequences of social and economic inequalities. It prepares students to develop and evaluate policy and programs aimed at reducing poverty.
The health and behavioral health concentrations in the MPP program prepare students to become international leaders in the changing global landscape and infrastructure of health care. The CYF concentration of the MPP program prepares graduates to lead organizations whose mission it is to foster healthy development of children, youth, and families, while the aging concentration of the program enables students to make an immediate contribution to improving the health and quality of life of elders in the United States.
Masters of Public Policy Core Curriculum
The MPP core curriculum of Heller's MPP program provides students with the broad range of tools that a policy analyst needs in order to evaluate, create, and recommend policy options to solve complex social problems. The contemporary policy analyst also needs a wide array of analytical frameworks for understanding and analyzing policy and the contexts that give rise to policy options. In a series of required courses and special events of the MPP core curriculum, students will acquire skills fundamental to assessing the policy process and policy environment. Students in the MPP program will learn how advocacy and communications strategies are also necessary to "frame" policies and social change to decision makers and the public. The MPP core curriculum combines theory and practice to ensure that graduates bring scholarly knowledge to bear on real-world problems.