Graduate Preparation Program

Preparing You For What's Next

Public Policy Students, Professors, and Dean

Public Policy

Apply now for the GPP in Public Policy

About the GPP-PPL

The UC Riverside School of Public Policy’s Graduate Preparation Program in Public Policy and Leadership (GPP-PPL) will teach you how to solve real-world policy problems and prepare you for entry into the top public policy graduate programs in the U.S. as well as for leadership careers in local, state, and federal public agencies.

Benefits

Receive a transcript from one of the best public university systems in the U.S., the University of California (UC)

  • Get recommendation letters from renowned professors
  • Earn a bachelor’s degree from your home university and an advanced certificate in Public Policy and Leadership
  • Immerse yourself in cultural and educational experiences in the U.S.

Faculty

You will be taught by an interdisciplinary team of internationally-renowned professors from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including Economics, Environmental Sciences, Geography, History, Political Science, and Sociology. Additionally, you will learn from instructors with real-world policy experience who have worked as senior officials or consultants to international and federal policy agencies, state governments, and local governments.
Public Policy Students, Professors, and Dean
Number 3

3 years of study at home university

Number 1

1 year at UCR (36 credits) including graduate courses and a capstone project from your home university

Letter X

Any of the following options:
1) UCR Master of Public Policy program*
2) MPP program at another university
3) One year of O.P.T. in the U.S.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY

• One of four public policy schools in the UC system.
• Emphasis on applying innovative policy solutions from around the world to solving local and regional policy challenges
• Emphasis on regional policy-making – most pressing policy problems are regional in nature and cut across traditional administrative boundaries like cities, counties, states/provinces and even countries

J Gonzalez SPP Commencement Speaker
Public Policy Students

Getting an MPP Degree


Over the last decade, Master of Public Policy (MPP) programs have been growing in popularity in the U.S. They are:

  • Highly interdisciplinary in scope
  • Focused more on solving policy problems in comparison to a Master of Public Administration (MPA) program
  • Geared towards preparing you for careers in:
    • Local, state, and federal government public agencies
    • Non-profit organizations and NGOs
    • For-profit companies that deal with public agencies and governments

UCR Master of Public Policy Program

After completing your 3 + 1, you can decide to pursue the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program at the UCR School of Public Policy which you can complete in one year (instead of two years). Through the program, you will benefit from

Taking classes such as:

  • “State Governments as Laboratories of Change”
  • “Public Leadership and Management”

Attending seminars by eminent U.S. and California policymakers. Past guest speakers have included:

  • Robert Reich (Former U.S. Labor Secretary)
  • Raymond Orbach (Former Under Secretary, U.S. Dept. of Science)
  • Anthony Rendon (Speaker of the California State Assembly)

Undertaking a required internship, which will expose you to how policy analysis is applied in real-world settings in a variety of sectors such as energy, environment, health, law enforcement, and transportation.

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Download more information about the GPP in Public Policy:

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