Return to: Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy: Programs/Courses
Accelerated Bachelor/MPP
Open to current UVA undergraduates from all majors, except the Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Leadership, the Accelerated Bachelor/MPP Program allows admitted students to complete both a bachelor’s degree and a master of public policy degree in five years, rather than the normal six. While pursuing the core MPP curriculum students are encouraged to identify specific issues that interest them and to explore these issues through elective coursework, the experiential components of the curriculum (policy projects and internships), discussion groups, and the rich array of events on public policy organized by the Batten School.
Admission to the Batten School is competitive to ensure a well-rounded class and to limit class size. UVA undergraduate students typically apply for admission to the Accelerated Bachelor/MPP Program during their third year. The application for the program can be found on the Batten School’s website. Applicants must demonstrate that they will have earned at least 90 undergraduate credits before matriculation into the program. In addition, prior to enrollment in the Accelerated Bachelor/MPP program, students must complete and earn a ‘C’ or higher in ECON 2010 or equivalent and any one of the following math courses: MATH 1190 - A Survey of Calculus I with Algebra; MATH 1210 - A Survey of Calculus I; MATH 1310 - Calculus I; APMA 1090 - Single Variable Calculus I; or any more advanced calculus course. The math prerequisite can be fulfilled through either coursework or AP credit.
In special circumstances, a student may apply for admission to the Accelerated Bachelor/MPP program during their second year at UVA and complete the program over the course of their third and fourth year of study. In such cases, the student must still fulfill the requirement of having completed 90 credits prior to entry to the Batten School.
Once admitted to and enrolled in the Accelerated Bachelor/MPP Program, students begin their professional studies at the Batten School while completing their remaining undergraduate coursework to receive their bachelor’s degree in another discipline. They will take four Batten core courses in the first fall semester and three Batten core courses in the spring of their first year with Batten, for a total of seven Batten courses during the first year of the program. The remaining two courses per semester of their final undergraduate year are available for students to complete their major, minor, other undergraduate requirements, or electives relevant to the MPP program.
Students must complete all of the academic requirements for and receive their undergraduate degree by the end of their first year in the Accelerated Bachelor/MPP program in order to be eligible to advance to graduate standing and receive the MPP degree.
Students in the accelerated Bachelor/MPP program are required to complete a 400-hour policy-related internship during the summer before their final year of the program. Students select their internships based on their interests and background, in consultation with the Batten School Office of Career Services and faculty. Students may intern domestically or abroad in international, federal, state, or local government agencies, non-profit organizations, think tanks, private sector corporations and consulting firms. All internships must be pre-approved by the Batten School Director of Career Services; students seeking to work abroad must obtain additional independent authorization from the UVA Study Abroad Office.
During the summer after their first year in the program, Batten students participate in a required 400-hour internship in a public policy field of the students’ interest. At the conclusion of the summer internship, Batten students return for their final year as graduate students completing their MPP coursework.
Curricular Requirements: Accelerated Bachelor/MPP
The Master of Public Policy curriculum instills four distinctive elements into the traditional study of policy analysis:
- A focus on leadership skills.
- A multidisciplinary perspective on the evolving context of public policy.
- Attention to the role of psychological and non-rational factors in decision-making and group behavior.
- A fully realized commitment to experiential learning through hands–on projects, policy simulations, and field experiences.
The core curriculum consists of twelve required Batten School core courses:
• Four core courses on the concepts and tools of problem solving and policy analysis
o LPPA 6100 - Economics of Public Policy I
o LPPA 7110 - Economics of Public Policy II
o LPPA 6150 - Research Methods & Data Analysis I
o LPPA 7160 - Research Methods & Data Analysis II
• Three core courses on leadership
o LPPL 6050 - Leadership in the Public Arena
o LPPL 7410 - Psychology for Leadership
o LPPL 7025 - Values-Based Leadership
• Two core courses on the foundations and contexts of public policy
o LPPP 6001 - Foundational Skills Workshop
o LPPP 6350 - Politics of Public Policy
• Three core courses centered on applied, experiential learning
o LPPP 6250 - Policy Analysis
o LPPP 7700 - Applied Policy Project I
o LPPP 7750 - Applied Policy Project II
The core curriculum provides students with a solid foundation in the concepts, methods and strategies of policy analysis and effective leadership. The program emphasizes teamwork and close interaction among students and faculty.
In addition to core courses, students are required to take 15 elective credits. Electives give students an opportunity to gain substantive expertise in their areas of policy interest. Students may enroll in electives offered by the Batten School and by other graduate and professional schools across the University. Batten students regularly enroll in courses at the Law School, the Darden Graduate School of Business, the Curry School of Education and Human Development, the School of Architecture, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Students are required to complete a 400-hour internship in the summer after their first year in the program. Students may intern in international, federal, state, or local government agencies; non-profit organizations; or private sector corporations and consulting firms; in the United States or abroad. Students select their internships based on their interests and in consultation with program faculty.
The capstone of the program is an Applied Policy Project in which students perform a professional-quality study for a real-world client under faculty supervision. For some students, the project is an outgrowth of the summer internship, and in some cases, it may lead to a post-graduation position with the client organization. Upon graduation, students are prepared for public service careers in government (Federal, state, and local), non-profit/governmental organizations, think tanks, and private firms engaged in public-private partnerships. In addition, students compete, and are often selected, for opportunities in the Peace Corps, Teach for American, and similar service-oriented organizations. Several students also choose to continue their education with advanced degrees or pursue prestigious fellowships (i.e. Fulbright Scholar, etc.).
