JDP_INPOL-MA_PUBPO-MPP - International Policy (MA) & Public Policy (MPP) Joint Program

​​To earn the MA in International Policy, students must complete the following degree requirements for at least 80 units. These requirements include:

• Core (28 units)

  • All courses must be completed during the first year (except course, which is required in winter of the second year)

• Area of Specialization (20 units)

  • Two required courses to be completed during the first year

  • Three or more additional courses (see the Area of Specialization Elective Courses list on this page for approved options)

• Customized Electives (23 units​)

  • Elective courses selected by the student to augment the course of study

• Capstone (9 units)

  • Two-quarter Policy Change Studio course for winter and spring in the second year

  • Capstone Field Research course for spring in the second year

Students enrolled before autumn quarter 2024 should review their degree requirements by visiting the university’s Archived Bulletins.

All core courses must be completed during the first year of the program (except INTLPOL 300S, which is required during winter quarter of the second year). The only exception to the other core courses is for coterm, dual, or joint degree students who have conflicts with requirements in their other degree programs. In this instance, prior approval from MIP is required to move a core course to the second year. Note the additional guidance on first-year core courses:

• course and course are a sequenced series in autumn and winter of the first year.

• Students are required to enroll in course, course, and course for autumn quarter.  

• Students are required to enroll in course for winter quarter.

• Students are required to enroll in course and course for spring quarter.

• Students are required to enroll in course for winter quarter of the second year.

The Policy Change Studio is a capstone course that partners small student teams with external organizations from industry, government, and non-profit sectors under faculty mentorship. The capstone is solutions-driven, and students are expected to identify challenging problems that matter to clients and propose thoughtful solutions that can be realistically implemented.

• Students enroll in course for both winter quarter and spring quarter of the program’s second year, for a total of eight units.

• Additionally, students enroll in course, the field research component, for spring quarter of the program’s second year.

Subplan Requirements

Students must choose one subplan and complete at least five courses within the subplan for a minimum of 20 total units. Each subplan has two required courses, which must be taken during the first year. Additionally, each subplan has a list of approved elective courses from which at least three additional courses must be completed. The list of subplan elective courses is available below. 

Subplan Selection

Matriculated students will see their subplan listed in Axess based on the subplan they selected when applying for admission. MIP will ask students to update their subplan before matriculation in autumn quarter, and this information will be used in the process to identify faculty advisors.

Please note that students may change their subplan through the end of the first academic year, pending approval from the MIP Assistant Director for Academic and Student Affairs.

Any approved change to the subplan will require the student to submit the Declaration or Change to a Field of Study for Graduate Students (Subplan change) e-Form in Axess to process the change to the academic plan.

Subplan Course Planning

The two required courses must be completed during the program’s first year unless there are unavoidable conflicts. Approval to complete a required subplan course during the second year of the program must be obtained from the MIP Assistant Director for Academic and Student Affairs.

There are no exemptions permitted for the required courses. However, coterm students who have already completed a required subplan course as part of their undergraduate degree program should discuss alternative options with MIP in order to avoid duplication.

As a reminder, all required subplan courses must be taken for a letter grade.  However, limited subplan elective courses may be taken as pass-fail. Review details under Grade Policies below in this document. Additionally, courses numbered below 100 do not count toward graduate degrees. 

Subplan Course Petition Process

Twice annually, MIP will accept petitions to incorporate additional courses into the approved electives. The process will allow students to submit courses for review by MIP leadership and the subject-matter faculty leaders for the respective subplan (s). For each review period, the timeline for the submission of petitions will be provided in writing.

The process requires students to submit detailed course information, including syllabi and a rationale for inclusion. The criteria for inclusion will include a review of a course’s substantive fit within the subplan ; rationale submitted by the student; recency and consistency of offering; graduate offering (i.e., course number generally 200-level and above); letter grade option (except GSB/LAW/SoM); and teaching evaluations. Skills-based courses are usually considered Customized Electives, a different degree requirement.

Approved courses will be added to the list of subplan electives. Students may retroactively apply a course toward their subplan if it is approved via petition after completing it.

The elective course list below includes currently offered as well as inactive courses, preserving the historical record per University policy.  A list of active courses for the current academic year is available on the MIP website.

Subplan Requirements

Students must choose one subplan and complete at least five courses within the subplan for a minimum of 20 total units. Each subplan has two required courses, which must be taken during the first year. Additionally, each subplan has a list of approved elective courses from which at least three additional courses must be completed. The list of subplan elective courses is available below. 

Subplan Selection

Matriculated students will see their subplan listed in Axess based on the subplan they selected when applying for admission. MIP will ask students to update their subplan before matriculation in autumn quarter, and this information will be used in the process to identify faculty advisors.

Please note that students may change their subplan through the end of the first academic year, pending approval from the MIP Assistant Director for Academic and Student Affairs.

Any approved change to the subplan will require the student to submit the Declaration or Change to a Field of Study for Graduate Students (Subplan change) e-Form in Axess to process the change to the academic plan.

Subplan Course Planning

The two required courses must be completed during the program’s first year unless there are unavoidable conflicts. Approval to complete a required subplan course during the second year of the program must be obtained from the MIP Assistant Director for Academic and Student Affairs.

There are no exemptions permitted for the required courses. However, coterm students who have already completed a required subplan course as part of their undergraduate degree program should discuss alternative options with MIP in order to avoid duplication.

As a reminder, all required subplan courses must be taken for a letter grade.  However, limited subplan elective courses may be taken as pass-fail. Review details under Grade Policies below in this document. Additionally, courses numbered below 100 do not count toward graduate degrees. 

Subplan Course Petition Process

Twice annually, MIP will accept petitions to incorporate additional courses into the approved electives. The process will allow students to submit courses for review by MIP leadership and the subject-matter faculty leaders for the respective subplan (s). For each review period, the timeline for the submission of petitions will be provided in writing.

The process requires students to submit detailed course information, including syllabi and a rationale for inclusion. The criteria for inclusion will include a review of a course’s substantive fit within the subplan ; rationale submitted by the student; recency and consistency of offering; graduate offering (i.e., course number generally 200-level and above); letter grade option (except GSB/LAW/SoM); and teaching evaluations. Skills-based courses are usually considered Customized Electives, a different degree requirement.

Approved courses will be added to the list of subplan electives. Students may retroactively apply a course toward their subplan if it is approved via petition after completing it.

The elective course list below includes currently offered as well as inactive courses, preserving the historical record per University policy.  A list of active courses for the current academic year is available on the MIP website.

Subplan Requirements

Students must choose one subplan and complete at least five courses within the subplan for a minimum of 20 total units. Each subplan has two required courses, which must be taken during the first year. Additionally, each subplan has a list of approved elective courses from which at least three additional courses must be completed. The list of subplan elective courses is available below. 

Subplan Selection

Matriculated students will see their subplan listed in Axess based on the subplan they selected when applying for admission. MIP will ask students to update their subplan before matriculation in autumn quarter, and this information will be used in the process to identify faculty advisors.

Please note that students may change their subplan through the end of the first academic year, pending approval from the MIP Assistant Director for Academic and Student Affairs.

Any approved change to the subplan will require the student to submit the Declaration or Change to a Field of Study for Graduate Students (Subplan change) e-Form in Axess to process the change to the academic plan.

Subplan Course Planning

The two required courses must be completed during the program’s first year unless there are unavoidable conflicts. Approval to complete a required subplan course during the second year of the program must be obtained from the MIP Assistant Director for Academic and Student Affairs.

There are no exemptions permitted for the required courses. However, coterm students who have already completed a required subplan course as part of their undergraduate degree program should discuss alternative options with MIP in order to avoid duplication.

As a reminder, all required subplan courses must be taken for a letter grade.  However, limited subplan elective courses may be taken as pass-fail. Review details under Grade Policies below in this document. Additionally, courses numbered below 100 do not count toward graduate degrees. 

Subplan Course Petition Process

Twice annually, MIP will accept petitions to incorporate additional courses into the approved electives. The process will allow students to submit courses for review by MIP leadership and the subject-matter faculty leaders for the respective subplan (s). For each review period, the timeline for the submission of petitions will be provided in writing.

The process requires students to submit detailed course information, including syllabi and a rationale for inclusion. The criteria for inclusion will include a review of a course’s substantive fit within the subplan ; rationale submitted by the student; recency and consistency of offering; graduate offering (i.e., course number generally 200-level and above); letter grade option (except GSB/LAW/SoM); and teaching evaluations. Skills-based courses are usually considered Customized Electives, a different degree requirement.

Approved courses will be added to the list of subplan electives. Students may retroactively apply a course toward their subplan if it is approved via petition after completing it.

The elective course list below includes currently offered as well as inactive courses, preserving the historical record per University policy.  A list of active courses for the current academic year is available on the MIP website.

Subplan Requirements

Students must choose one subplan and complete at least five courses within the subplan for a minimum of 20 total units. Each subplan has two required courses, which must be taken during the first year. Additionally, each subplan has a list of approved elective courses from which at least three additional courses must be completed. The list of subplan elective courses is available below. 

Subplan Selection

Matriculated students will see their subplan listed in Axess based on the subplan they selected when applying for admission. MIP will ask students to update their subplan before matriculation in autumn quarter, and this information will be used in the process to identify faculty advisors.

Please note that students may change their subplan through the end of the first academic year, pending approval from the MIP Assistant Director for Academic and Student Affairs.

Any approved change to the subplan will require the student to submit the Declaration or Change to a Field of Study for Graduate Students (Subplan change) e-Form in Axess to process the change to the academic plan.

Subplan Course Planning

The two required courses must be completed during the program’s first year unless there are unavoidable conflicts. Approval to complete a required subplan course during the second year of the program must be obtained from the MIP Assistant Director for Academic and Student Affairs.

There are no exemptions permitted for the required courses. However, coterm students who have already completed a required subplan course as part of their undergraduate degree program should discuss alternative options with MIP in order to avoid duplication.

As a reminder, all required subplan courses must be taken for a letter grade.  However, limited subplan elective courses may be taken as pass-fail. Review details under Grade Policies below in this document. Additionally, courses numbered below 100 do not count toward graduate degrees. 

Subplan Course Petition Process

Twice annually, MIP will accept petitions to incorporate additional courses into the approved electives. The process will allow students to submit courses for review by MIP leadership and the subject-matter faculty leaders for the respective subplan (s). For each review period, the timeline for the submission of petitions will be provided in writing.

The process requires students to submit detailed course information, including syllabi and a rationale for inclusion. The criteria for inclusion will include a review of a course’s substantive fit within the subplan ; rationale submitted by the student; recency and consistency of offering; graduate offering (i.e., course number generally 200-level and above); letter grade option (except GSB/LAW/SoM); and teaching evaluations. Skills-based courses are usually considered Customized Electives, a different degree requirement.

Approved courses will be added to the list of subplan electives. Students may retroactively apply a course toward their subplan if it is approved via petition after completing it.

The elective course list below includes currently offered as well as inactive courses, preserving the historical record per University policy.  A list of active courses for the current academic year is available on the MIP website.

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. Up to a maximum of 45 units, or one year, of the university residency requirement can be credited toward both graduate degree programs (i.e., the joint degree requirements may contain up to 45 units less than the sum of each program separately). For example, a J.D./M.P.P. has a four-year residency requirement, one year less than the sum of the requirements for the separate degrees. This recognizes a subject matter overlap between the fields comprising the joint degree.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.