You are here: American University School of Public Affairs Master of Public Policy Mission, Job Placements and More

Back to top

Mission Statement

The mission of the AU Masters of Public Policy (MPP) program is to prepare students to advance the quality of policy making in a variety of institutional settings in the U.S. and abroad by instilling a blend of analytical, contextual, ethical, and substantive skills and knowledge.

We will achieve our mission by preparing students to:

  1. Formulate and evaluate public policy, and communicate analysis effectively to relevant stakeholders;
  2. Address societal problems with policy analysis in the context of political/policy processes in the U.S. and abroad;
  3. Improve the allocation of resources using sound, evidence-based evaluation of the costs and benefits of policy alternatives; and
  4. Incorporate a range of values into policy analysis, including democratic/constitutional values, respect for the diversity of people and perspectives in the policy process, and ethical principles including commitment to upholding the public trust.

For the foreseeable future, the United States and other governments worldwide face the challenge of discerning how best to harness the energy and expertise of public servants, the passion and commitment of nonprofit organizations, and the dynamism and creativity of markets in the pursuit of democratic and constitutionally informed public purposes.

Through our teaching and unique location in Washington, D.C., we seek to help meet this challenge by enhancing the knowledge, professional skills, and leadership potential of our students in their public service careers.

We educate students entering, engaged in, and interacting with government agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

We treat administration and policy as interrelated subjects strongly influenced by the values of public service and democratic constitutionalism.

Through our research and civic involvement, we also seek to enhance what is practiced and taught in our field.

We seek to attract a diverse group of talented students. We encourage their active involvement in learning, research, and professional activity and strive to enhance their appreciation of the responsibilities of public service.

Selected
Employers & Internships
Practicum Projects
Sample Course Plans
Graduation Rates
Math & Statistics Boot Camp

We Know Success Facts

Employers, Recent MPP Graduates

  • Ambon City Government
  • American Nurses Association
  • American Sustainable Business Network
  • Avalere Health
  • Axiom Strategies
  • Buckley LLP
  • Care.com, Inc.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Chesapeake Research Consortium
  • City of Chicago
  • Convergence Center for Policy Resolution
  • Deloitte
  • Earth Day Network
  • Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.
  • Environmental Investigation Agency
  • EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases
  • FHI 360
  • General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc.
  • Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada
  • Haley Stevens For Congress
  • Housing Counseling Services
  • ICF
  • International Association of Chiefs of Police
  • Leidos
  • Lever Fund
  • Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
  • Migration Policy Institute
  • Mothership Strategies
  • National Academy of Sciences
  • National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
  • National Association of Counties
  • National Breast Cancer Coalition
  • National MS Society
  • Neighborhood Investment Impact Fund
  • Oceana
  • Office of the State Superintendent of Education
  • Peace Corps
  • Perspecta
  • PHI
  • Reno & Cavanaugh, PLLC
  • SciStarter
  • Synergy Enterprises, Inc.
  • The A21 Campaign, Inc
  • The James Hollister Wellness Foundation
  • The Raben Group
  • The Urban Institute
  • The World Bank Group
  • TM Associates Management, Inc.
  • U.S. Agency for International Development
  • U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
  • U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
  • U.S. Department of Education/Office of Inspector General
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • U.S. Department of Justice/Office of the Inspector General
  • U.S. Department of State
  • U.S. Government Accountability Office
  • U.S. House of Representatives
  • U.S. Office of the Secretary, The Council Office of Racial Equity
  • United Nations Development Programme
  • Urban Institute

MPP Employment By the Numbers, 2022-23

MPP Employment By the Numbers, 2020-21
Prior to Graduation/Final Semester Post Graduation (Six Months)*
% Employed Full Time 61% % Employed 86%
% Employed Part Time 20%    
% in Internships 7%    
Where are the Jobs?
Where are the Jobs?
  
% in Public Sector 21% % in Public Sector 26%
% in Nonprofit Sector 37% % in Nonprofit Sector 51%
% in Private Sector 22% % in Private Sector 23%
Source: Student Exit Surveys
Source: University Graduate Census
  

*For more information on post-graduation employment, see: We Know Success, MPP

Representative MPP Internship Sites, 2022-23

  • Aerem Nova Energy Storage Inc
  • American Legion through the Washington Center
  • American Lung Association
  • American Sustainable Business Network
  • American University Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies
  • AmeriCorps
  • Becky Lee Women’s Support Fund 
  • BitautoCompany, Beijing
  • Center for American Progress 
  • Citizenship and Immigration Services
  • Council on Foreign Relations
  • D.C. Public Schools Central Office
  • Democracy Fund
  • Department of Commerce: Economic Development Administration
  • Earth Day Network
  • Energy Innovation Reform Project
  • Eterprise Community Partners
  • Feminist for Peace, Rights, and Justice Centre
  • Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA)
  • Green Acres School
  • Healthcare Ready
  • Higher Heights for America
  • Monument Policy Group
  • National Association of Counties
  • National Partnership for Women and Families
  • National Security Archives 
  • Nonviolence International (NVI)
  • Northeast-Midwest Institute
  • Office of Senator Shelley Moore Capito
  • Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
  • Population Council
  • Public Citizen 
  • Scenic America
  • Serve Your City
  • Serve Your City Ward 6 Mutual Aid
  • Signal Group DC
  • Strathmore
  • The Center for Sexual Justice 
  • The World Bank Group
  • U.S. Chamber of Commerce
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • U.S. Department of Justice 
  • U.S. Department of Justice/Office of the Inspector General
  • U.S. Department of Transportation 
  • U.S. Food and Drug Administration 
  • U.S. Government Accountability Office 
  • U.S. House Congressman Seth Moulton
  • UNESCO MGIEP, Promundo
  • United States House of Representatives 
  • United States of Care
  • United Way Worldwide
  • Washington DC Dept of Transportation
  • White House Office of Management and Budget 
  • Women's Leadership Institute
  • World Food Program (WFP) USA 
  •  

Recent MPP Practicum Projects

Client: Southwest Business Improvement District
Project: Southwest Business Improvement District Policy Memo

Client: International Justice Mission
Project: Shifts Towards Justice: Recommendations On Crafting A Theory Of Change To Eradicate Modern-Day Slavery

Client: Office of Policy Development and Research
Project: Recommendations for the Implementation and Enforcement Issues of the Smoke-Free Housing Rule

Client: National Juvenile Justice Network on the Youth Justice Leadership Institute.
Project: 2018 National Juvenile Justice Network Evaluation Report

Client: The USAID Office of Land and Urban
Project: USAID Indonesia Data Visualization

Client: ICF
Project: First Generation College Student Success: Theory and Practice

Client: Just Detention International-South Africa
Project: Prison Policy and Strategic Analysis

Client: National League of Cities
Project: Identify minute trends contributing to city manager uncertainty regarding the fiscal health of their cities in the post-recession era (2010-2017).

Concentration Booklet

Concentration Featured: Advanced Policy Analysis

Social Policy Sample Courses
Semester Courses Level
Fall (1) PUAD 601: Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis I
PUAD 606: Foundations of Policy Analysis 
PUAD 670: Economics for Policy Analysis		 All courses are core requirements, should be taken in the first semester.
Spring (2) PUAD 602: Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis II 
PUAD 616: Legal Basis of Public Administration 
PUAD 631: Financing Government Services		 Core Requirement 
Core Requirement for Legal, Org, Ethical Context 
Core Requirement
Summer (3) PUAD 684: Organizational Analysis Core Requirement
Fall (4) PUAD 603: Policy Process 
PUAD 604: Public Program Evaluation 
PUAD 672: Advanced Quantitative Methods		 Core Requirement 
Concentration Option* 
Concentration Option*
Spring (5) PUAD 671: Cost Benefit Analysis 
PUAD 688: Policy Practicum 
[Any elective of your choosing, e.g. PUAD 685: Social Policy]		 Concentration Option* 
Core Requirement 
Elective

* Any of these courses will also count towards the Applied Policy Analysis requirement for the MPP program as a whole.

Concentration Featured: Social Policy

Social Policy Sample Courses
Semester Courses Level
Fall (1) PUAD 601: Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis I
PUAD 606: Foundations of Policy Analysis
PUAD 670: Economics for Policy Analysis		 All courses are core requirements, should be taken in first semester
Spring (2) PUAD 602: Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis II
PUAD 685: Social Welfare Policy and Programs
PUAD 685: Education and the American Policy System

Core Requirement
Concentration Option
Concentration Option
Summer (3) PUAD 617: Project Management Core Requirement for Legal, Org, Ethical Context
Fall (4) PUAD 603: Policy Process
PUAD 604: Public Program Evaluation
PUAD 631: Financing Government Services		 Core Requirement
Core Requirement for Applied Policy Analysis
Core Requirement
Spring (5) PUAD 685: Healthcare Policy
PUAD 684: Organizational Analysis
PUAD 688: Policy Practicum		 Concentration Option
Core Requirement
Core Requirement

*These are sample course plans. Actual course work may vary.

MPP Graduation Rates

MPP Graduation Rates
Student Entering Academic Term Student Entering Cohort Count at Census Graduated within 1years Graduated within 2years Graduated within 3 years Graduated within 4 years Total Students Graduated and Persisting to Graduation
2017-18 48   38   45 45
2016-2017 35   22 31 32 32
2015-2016 38 5 26 34 35  
2016 35 0 22 31 32  

Math & Statistics Boot Camp

The objective of Boot Camp is to improve your math skills while you get to know your peers.

Boot Camp is tailored exclusively for incoming MPP students wishing to prepare for the advanced economic and mathematical requirements of that degree, as well as for those MPA students committed to pursuing a policy analysis concentration (i.e., taking PUAD 601 and/or 670 in their first semester at AU).

Math & Statistics Boot Camp is held in August, the weekend before Fall Orientation for one full day (Friday). Email invitations will be sent in summer to all new eligible MPA and MPP students for this year’s Boot Camp, to be held on Friday, August 20th, 2021, location TBA.

Contact Marquise McGraw, mcgrawm@american.edu, with questions.

Please refer to the 2022 Syllabus for anticipated course content.

Basic Mathematics Review

  • Greek notation
  • Operators
  • Order of operations
  • Basics of probability
  • Logs
  • Exponents
  • Properties of expected values
  • Equation of a line
  • Tangencies

Algebra

  • Manipulating mathematical equations
  • Solving equation(s) with one or two unknowns, including equations with logs & exponents