The Brown MPA - Change the World

The Ivy League’s only one-year residential master’s program in public affairs, Brown’s MPA prepares students to be public policy leaders, analysts, and advocates in government, the nonprofit, and private sectors in the U.S. and abroad. Through our rigorous one-year program that runs from early June to May, students will sharpen the analytical, communication, leadership, and other skills needed to address pressing societal challenges as future global leaders.

Distinct Program Features:

• The exclusive one-year, on-campus master of public affairs degree from an Ivy League institution

• Rigorous, multidisciplinary curriculum with flexibility to pursue a track through elective coursework on data analysis, economics, leadership, inequity, security, or a customized topic 

• Policy in Action project with a real-world collaborating organization in the public, private, or nonprofit sector

• Faculty comprised of world–renowned researchers and experienced practitioners

• Merit–based Tuition Scholarships are available

• Dedicated career planning and professional coaching support

For more information on admission and program requirements, please visit the following website:

http://www.brown.edu/academics/gradschool/programs/public-affairs-and-public-policy

Required Courses
Summer Sequence I
MPA 2455	Statistics for Public Policy	0.5
MPA 2460	Economics for Public Policy	0.5
Summer Sequence 2
MPA 2040	Statistics for Program Evaluation	0.5
MPA 2450	Economics of Government Intervention	0.5
Global Policy Experience (2 Weeks)
Fall Semester
MPA 2445	Policy Analysis and Problem Solving	1
Skills-based MPA Elective		1
MPA 2015	Public Policy Advocacy and Strategic Communication
MPA 2020	Public Budgeting and Management
MPA 2229	Principles and Practices of Stakeholder Engagement
MPA 2603	Leading for Impact
Track Elective 1		1
Track Elective 2		1
Spring Semester
MPA 2800	Policy in Action Consultancy	1
MPA 2160	Management and Implementation in Public and Non-Profit Organizations	1
MPA 2475	Policy Problems of the 21st Century	1
Track Elective 3		1
Total Credits		10

Data and Policy Analysis Track

The following information should be read in conjunction with the Curriculum Requirements for the Master of Public Affairs program.

Track Description: Data and Policy Analysis

How do we know when a public policy, government program, or a public organization is working? What data, information, or evidence can we leverage? What analytical methods, tools, languages, or software can we deploy to investigate correlations or identify causal relationships? When does it make sense to use one analytical tool or another? The Data and Policy Analysis specialization prepares MPA students to answer such important questions for government, nonprofit, or for-profit organizations.

The courses below introduce students to a variety of programming languages, packages, and environments for analyzing data, such as R, Python, Stata, and SQL. Students also gain hands-on, practical experience with data cleaning, analysis, visualization, and reporting. Finally, students develop knowledge of multiple statistical and econometric tools, and the theoretical foundations of different model specifications.

Data and Policy Analysis Track Requirements

MPA students will be required to complete complete at least three credits from among the MPA courses listed below, with a grade of “B” or higher in each completed course, to qualify to have this Track notation added to their transcript.

Eligible MPA courses for the Data and Policy Analysis Track include:

MPA 2455	Statistics for Public Policy	.5
MPA 2460	Economics for Public Policy	.5
MPA 2040	Statistics for Program Evaluation	.5
MPA 2450	Economics of Government Intervention	.5
MPA 2065	Introduction to Data Science and Programming	1
MPA 2710	GIS and Public Policy	1

Note: available classes may change on a year-to-year basis, and the academic advising staff of the MPA program will inform students of their options accordingly.

Inequity and Public Policy Track

The following information should be read in conjunction with the Curriculum Requirements for the Master of Public Affairs program.

Track Description: Inequity and Public Policy

Age. Caste. Disability. Education. Gender. Income. Race. Religion. Sexual Orientation. Let’s face it: inequity is a fact of life around the world today, along these and many other dimensions. How do we measure inequality? How do we explain it? How can we eradicate it?

The courses in the Inequity and Public Policy specialization help MPA students identify inequity in its many forms and venues; determine how, when, and why inequity materializes; understand how public policy can contribute to inequities; and strategize ways to address inequality using the instruments of public policy where appropriate. 

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Inequity and Public Policy Track Requirements

MPA students will be required to complete complete at least three credits from among the MPA courses listed below, with a grade of “B” or higher in each completed course, to qualify to have this Track notation added to their transcript.

Eligible MPA courses for the Inequity and Public Policy Track include:

MPA 2226	Race and Public Policy	1
MPA 2735	Women and Nations	1
MPA 2475	Policy Problems of the 21st Century (one of two sections below)	1
MPA 2475 Section: Social Policy
MPA 2475 Section: State Law, Policy, and Advocacy

Note: available classes may change on a year-to-year basis, and the academic advising staff of the MPA program will inform students of their options accordingly.

Global Security Track

The following information should be read in conjunction with the Curriculum Requirements for the Master of Public Affairs program.

Track Description: Global Security

Peace and security are noble goals, but they are often elusive. What factors tend to promote peace and security? What factors tend to undermine them? What happens when the opposite of peace and security prevail? 

Courses in this specialization examine the foundations of and challenges to security in domestic and international contexts. They also examine how insecurity affects different political and social outcomes, including inequality, migration, and public health, and ways to foster peace and improve conditions that insecurity creates. Students who pursue this specialization will have the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s foremost academics and practitioners about topics like the use of digital technologies to achieve peace, how women leaders navigate conflict, the complicated history of humanitarian assistance, and leading practices for managing public health crises. 

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Global Security Track Requirements

MPA students will be required to complete complete at least three credits from among the MPA courses listed below, with a grade of “B” or higher in each completed course, to qualify to have this Track notation added to their transcript.

Eligible MPA courses for the Global Security Track include:

MPA 2475	Policy Problems of the 21st Century (Digital Peacebuilding section)	1
MPA 2735	Women and Nations	1
PHP 2700	Lessons (Un)Learned in Public Health and Humanitarian Response: A Historical Perspective (cross- or double-listing with MPA)	1
PHP 1580	Pandemic Game Changers: Preparing the Next Generation of Decision-Makers for Emerging Bio Threats (cross- or double-listing with MPA)	1

Note: available classes may change on a year-to-year basis, and the academic advising staff of the MPA program will inform students of their options accordingly.

Public Leadership and Management Track

The following information should be read in conjunction with the Curriculum Requirements for the Master of Public Affairs program.

Track Description: Public Leadership and Management

The Public Leadership and Management specialization prepares MPA students to manage and lead complex organizations in government, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors. Students are introduced to a variety of applied skills, including strategic communication, budget management, project management, inclusive leadership, and negotiation.

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Public Leadership and Management Track Requirements

Dual Degree Program: Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Public Affairs (MPA)

The School of Public Health and the School of International and Public Affairs  also offer a dual-degree Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Public Affairs (MPA) program.  Emphasizing a learning by doing approach, this rigorous, program will offer highly qualified applicants the opportunity to gain training in public health and public policy to prepare them to address the critical health policy issues in the United States and throughout the world.  The dual-degree degree program includes 19 courses as well as a Masters level thesis.  Students will benefit from the rich academic resources at the School of International and Public Affairs and the School of Public Health, as well as their extensive applied learning programs in Rhode Island, as well as throughout the United States and the world.

Interested students should apply separately to the MPH and MPA program. Applicants will indicate interest in the joint degree program on the application form. 

For more information on admission to the MPH program and it's requirements, please visit the following website:

https://www.brown.edu/academics/gradschool/programs/public-health