Return to: Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy: Degree Programs
Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master of Public Policy
Admission Requirements
Requirements for admission to the Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master of Public Policy program are listed in the Graduate Record under the Batten School Academic Rules and Regulations section.
Curricular Requirements: Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master of Public Policy
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
- Three core courses on leadership
- Two core courses on the foundations and contexts of public policy
- Three core courses centered on applied, experiential learning
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 School of Education and Human Development, the School of Architecture, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Batten offers 1, 2 and 3-credit elective course options. MPP students are limited to no more than six 1-credit courses toward their graduate elective requirement.
Students are required to complete a 400-hour, policy-related internship during the summer between their first and second years of the program. Qualifying internships may be domestic or international and typically included federal, state, or local government agencies, non-profit organizations, think tanks, private sector corporations, and consulting firms; because they are designed to offer students a practical opportunity to apply their education in a professional setting, traditional academic research assistantships and campaign field positions are generally outside the scope of this requirement. Internships must be pre-approved by the Batten School Director of Career Advancement and Alumni Engagement or the Director’s designee; students seeking to work abroad must obtain additional, independent authorization from the UVA International Studies Office before travel commences. Exceptions the internship requirement must be submitted to the Academic Standards Committee for approval and should be done in consultation with the Batten School Director of Career Advancement.
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.).
