Public Policy Major, MPP

Concentrations and Options Available

• Agricultural and Environmental Policy Concentration - Coursework without Comprehensive Exam option
• Economic and Community Development Concentration - Coursework only without Comprehensive Exam option
• Energy Policy Concentration - Coursework only without Comprehensive Exam option
• Health Policy Concentration - Coursework only without Comprehensive Exam option
• International Agricultural Trade and Development Concentration - Coursework only without Comprehensive Exam option
• National Security Concentration - Coursework only without Comprehensive Exam option
• Nuclear Security Concentration - Coursework only without Comprehensive Exam option
• Public Management Concentration - Coursework only without Comprehensive Exam option

Campus Code

• Knoxville Campus
• Distance Education

Admissions Standards/Procedures

• Applicants for admission to the program must have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent.
• An overall average GPA of 3.00 for undergraduate courses is desirable.
• Students must submit a personal statement and a resume or curriculum vitae.
• Distance Education students must also provide evidence of at least two years of professional experience.

Submit the online application to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

The program seeks to admit a diverse group of students with strong ability and career potential who are committed to public service. Applicants who do not have a degree from an accredited U.S. institution must supply a GRE score. A composite score of 302 on the verbal and quantitative parts of the GRE is desired but not required.

Academic Standards

Grade Point Average: To qualify for graduation, students must have at least a 3.00 grade point average in all courses attempted for graduate credit. Students who do not maintain a 3.00 grade point average are subject to denial of enrollment privileges. Student files are evaluated each semester to determine eligibility for continued enrollment.

Credit Hours Required

36 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

Students must take all seven of the following core courses (21 credit hours):

• HBS 501 - Perspectives on the Policy Process
• IAC 501 - Ethical Leadership in Public Affairs
• HBS 512 - Research Design and Data Acquisition
• HBS 513 - Data Driven Decisions
• HBS 514 - Policy Communication and Data Visualization
• HBS 521 - Policies and Markets
• HBS 522 - Economics of the Public Sector

Additional Course Requirements

A 9 credit (3 courses) concentration is required to complete the MPP degree. *Indicates that other courses for the concentration may be accepted upon approval by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Knoxville Campus Additional Requirements

• Internship. A 3 credit hour internship (HBS 591) is required for all students who lack significant applied policy experience. Students who have had such experience in the past or who are currently employed in policy-related positions may have the requirement waived, as long as they have more than one year of continuous professional experience. Anyone wishing to waive the internship requirement should address their request to the program director. If a student waives the internship, they must take an additional elective to obtain the 36 required credit hours.
• Master Class Capstone. A 3 credit hour course (HBS 584) Master Class in Public Policy is required for all students who lack significant applied policy experience. All non-distance education MPP candidates are required to take this course, preferably during the last semester in the program. The Master Class serves in lieu of a comprehensive exam for the MPP degree.

Distance Education Additional Requirements

• Executive Practicum. A 6 credit hour executive practicum (HBS 595) is required for all students admitted into the online executive degree program. For the practicum, students must design and implement a project for their current employer or identified organization. The Executive Practicum serves in lieu of a comprehensive exam or internship/capstone for the MPP degree for executive students.

Five-Year BS/MPP Program - Public Policy Major, MPP

The MPP accelerated program is designed for UTK undergraduates who wish to earn both the bachelor’s degree and the MPP degrees within approximately 5 years. A qualified student may take up to 9 credit hours of approved graduate courses for their senior undergraduate electives and have them count toward both the bachelor’s degree and the MPP degree. Students are typically considered for conditional admission to the program, during, or immediately after, their third year of undergraduate study at UTK.

To be considered for conditional admission to the MPP program: A student must have a minimum GPA of 3.4 and must have completed at least 90 credit hours of undergraduate coursework for the bachelor’s degree. Any graduate course that is to be counted towards both the bachelor’s degree and the MPP degree must be approved by the Baker School’s Director of Graduate Studies and by the Graduate School. The form “Baker School Admission for MPP Accelerated Program” is available from the Baker School’s Undergraduate and Graduate Advisors and on the School’s website. The form must be completed, signed by the student, the student’s undergraduate advisor, and the Baker School’s Director of Graduate Studies before submitting to the Graduate School for approval and processing. Conditional admission of a student into the MPP accelerated program must be obtained before taking a graduate course that is to be used to satisfy the requirements of both the bachelor’s degree and the MPP degree. Students will be informed of the outcome of their application for conditional admission prior to the beginning of their fourth year of undergraduate study. 

Students who are conditionally admitted to the MPP accelerated program may, during the fourth year of undergraduate study, complete up to 9 credit hours of graduate credit that count towards the bachelor’s degree and towards the MPP requirements, provided that these graduate credit hours were approved both by the Department Head (or designee) and by the Graduate School prior to satisfying all requirements for the bachelor’s degree. Conditional admission into the MPP accelerated program does not guarantee acceptance into either the Graduate School or the MPP program. 

Students who have been conditionally admitted to the MPP accelerated program must apply for admission to the Graduate School and to the MPP program during their fourth year of undergraduate study, following the standard application procedure. Students will be fully admitted to the MPP accelerated program after they have been accepted both by the Graduate School and by the MPP program. Once fully admitted to the MPP program, accelerated students are required to complete the standard curriculum for the MPP program.