Fields of Study

All MPP students are required to select a field of concentration when they enter the School, but the structure of the degree is quite flexible, allowing students to tailor their studies to their specific career goals.

Field I: International Relations

Field I emphasizes the nature of the international system and ways in which states conduct their foreign policies, particularly in a global environment where nonstate actors have increasing influence.

Field II: International Development

Field II is concerned with low-income countries and transition economies as they pursue development strategies under a wide range of political regimes and economic conditions. Field II both overlaps and complements Field I.

Field III: Domestic Policy

Field III emphasizes U.S. domestic policy, with the American political system as the backdrop.

Field IV: Economics and Public Policy

In order to pursue Field IV, MPP students must have substantial prior training in economics. Students are expected to have taken the equivalent of c-track courses in micro, macro and econometrics (at the level of SPI 508c) and must be pre-approved as Field IV candidates by the Associate Dean for Graduate Education before the start of the academic year.  In order to fulfill the MPP requirements for Field IV, an MPP student must take at least two courses from the pre-approved Field IV list of core courses, and at least one full-term equivalent elective course from that list.