JDP_ED-MA_PUBPO-MPP - Education (MA) & Public Policy (MPP) Joint Program

The Joint Degree with the Public Policy Program is intended for POLS MA students interested in education policy and working in educational agencies to develop both their analytic skills and perspectives of policy analysis and their substantive knowledge base regarding education policy, organizations, and practice. The joint degree requires approximately two years (six quarters) to complete. Students in the joint degree program spend most of their first year taking both GSE and Public Policy courses and completing their POLS Field Project. The second year is typically devoted to the MPP practicum and remaining GSE and Public Policy requirements. Students must complete at least 95 units at Stanford to receive the MA/MPP Joint Degree. The following constraints are placed on those 95 units:

• All courses must be at or above the 100 level; courses numbered below 100 do not count toward the MA

• At least 48 units must be at or above the 200 level, of which 23+ units must count toward POLS (course or course count toward this requirement)

• At least 27 units must be from courses offered by the Graduate School of Education (EDUC units)

• At least 65 units must be taken for a letter grade (as opposed to Credit/No Credit), of which 15 units must count toward POLS

• A 3.0 GPA must be maintained for all courses applied to the joint degree

• Students must enroll in a minimum of 8 units during Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters and cannot exceed 18 units in any quarter

• No more than 40 units may be counted toward both degrees

• ​English for Foreign Students (EFSLANG 600 level) and Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (ATHLETIC) courses cannot be applied toward the master’s degree

• See the Coterminal Degree section for unit requirements applying to students admitted through the coterminal degree program

The POLS Seminar is a required course for all POLS students in autumn, winter, and spring quarters.

1. The university regards a joint degree as distinct from either of its component degrees and requirements for the joint degree differ from the sum of the requirements for the individual degrees.

2. The Public Policy Program encourages an intellectual, professional, and social community among its students. For this reason, joint degree students are strongly encouraged to devote one year of full-time study at Stanford entirely to the Public Policy Program rather than spacing out Public Policy courses throughout their graduate careers. For joint degree PhD students, the core requirements of the MPP should be completed over two contiguous years of study, during which students may also be enrolled in courses from their PhD program. Exceptions to this structure must be approved in advance by petition.

3. Joint degree students are expected to have and consult regularly with an academic advisor. The advisor is generally a member of the faculty of both degree programs and must be a member of the Academic Council. The program director and staff are available to make advisor recommendations.

4. To take advantage of the reduced residency requirement, joint MPP students must define their concentration area from courses offered in their non-Public Policy program. Students wishing to concentrate in another field should apply for a dual, rather than a joint, MPP degree.

All core courses listed above must be taken for a letter grade (except course Public Policy Colloquium, which only offers S/NC). Students must maintain a 3.0 (B) grade point average overall in courses applicable to the degree. Note: CR grades are only accepted for those enrollments from Spring 2020 through Summer 2021.