PUBPO-MPP - Public Policy (MPP)

The mission of the graduate program in Public Policy is to provide students with the advanced skills necessary to assess the performance of alternative approaches to policy making and implementation, evaluate program effectiveness, understand the political constraints faced by policy-makers, and appreciate the conflicts in fundamental human values that often animate policy debate. After completing the graduate core curriculum, students apply these skills by focusing their studies in a two-quarter, 10-unit practicum for the MPP degree. Each student in the MPP program also completes at least one concentration tailored to the student’s primary degree program or the student’s interests and skills. Current concentrations include:

• Computational Public Policy

• Education Policy

• Health Care Policy

• International and National Security Policy

• Legal and Regulatory Intervention

• Political and Moral Philosophy

• Self-Designed

• Sustainability, Environment, and Energy Policy

• Science and Technology Policy

• Self-designed (requires a detailed statement of study goals, the relationship of each proposed course to those goals, and commitment by a supervising faculty member)

• Urban and Regional Policy

Application and Admissions

Applications for graduate study in Public Policy are only accepted from:

1. Students currently enrolled in any Stanford graduate or undergraduate degree program

2. External applicants seeking a joint degree, or

3. Stanford alums (who have graduated within the past five years).

External applicants for joint degrees must apply to the department or school offering the other graduate degree (i.e.,PhD, MD, MA, MS, MBA, or JD), indicating an interest in the joint degree program; applicants admitted to the other degree program are then evaluated for admission to the MPP program.

To be considered for enrollment beginning in autumn quarter 2025-26, all application materials must be submitted no later than January 23, 2025. Admission notifications will be sent to applicants by April 1, 2025. Admitted students are required to respond to offers of admission by May 15, 2025.

Stanford Alumni within 5 Years of Graduation

Visit the Stanford Office of Graduate Admissions. The online application for the MPP is available beginning in mid-September 2024. The application fee is $125. The program cannot refund an application fee, so prospective applicants are advised to refer to eligibility requirements before applying.    

Only complete applications submitted by the deadline are reviewed. A complete application includes the following:

1. Application.

2. Official transcripts. Copies of student transcripts must bear the official seal of the institution and the signature of the registrar. Upload transcripts to the online application.

3. GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or MCAT test scores.

4. Letters of recommendation: Three confidential letters of recommendation from a Stanford faculty member or an employer should be submitted electronically via the online application. See the Stanford Office of Graduate Admissions website regarding letters of recommendation. At least one of the three letters must be from a Stanford faculty member.

5. Statement of purpose (not to exceed two pages; upload to the online application).

6. Resume or curriculum vitae (upload to the online application).

7. Prerequisite completion statement, demonstrating completion of required prerequisite coursework in calculus and introductory economics

Stanford Current Graduate Students

1. Application for Current Stanford Graduate Students.

2. Two confidential letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a Stanford faculty member familiar with the applicant’s academic work.

3. Undergraduate and graduate transcripts.

4. GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or MCAT test scores.

5. Statement of purpose, not to exceed two pages.

6. Resume or curriculum vitae.

7. Preliminary program proposal.

8. Prerequisite completion statement demonstrating completion of required prerequisite coursework in calculus and introductory economics.

Applicants may be interviewed. If admitted, students will submit a Graduate Authorization Petition through Axess. A $125 fee is charged when adding the MPP degree program in Axess.