The Master's Degree in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) is awarded for completion of a two-year, 48-credit degree program and a full-time summer internship. Seven core courses are required. Elective courses comprise the remaining credits of the curriculum. At least three electives must be selected from the pool of CPPA Program Electives, while others may be chosen from a larger pool of Free Electives, which are UMass courses that meet the approval of the student's adviser.

CPPA Core Courses are designed to provide students with a strong analytical foundation, applicable to a wide variety of policy issues. The MPA degree requires the following seven core courses :

• Politics of the Policy Process examines the influence of political factors on the initiation, formulation, and implementation of public policy. The goal of the course is to give students the background necessary to devise strategies to develop public policy.
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• Comparative Public Policy considers comparatively some of the experiences, accomplishments, and problems common to advanced industrial societies.
• Public Management prepares students for managing public programs and organizations by exploring topics that include leadership, motivation, decision-making, ethics, and administrative structure.
• Microeconomics for Public Policy and Administration provides an introduction to microeconomic theory and analysis. The course examines economic rationales for and against government policy and the economic consequences of public policy.
• Research Methods for Public Policy and Administration provides an introduction to qualitative and quantitative methodologies for analyzing and evaluating public policy. Topics include research methods, participant observation, survey research and questionnaire construction, measurement theory and practice, and framing categories.
• Introduction to Statistical Methods for Public Policy and Administration covers the use and interpretation of statistics in policy research. The course investigates such topics as probability theory, statistical methods, descriptive statistics, analysis of tabular data, correlation and regression, and multiple regression analysis. Students interested in acquiring additional methodological skills are encouraged to take advanced courses in qualitative and/or quantitative methods.
• Public Policy Analysis applies economic, political, social, organizational, and other skills from previous core courses to actual and hypothetical policy issues. Students complete a client-based project as part of this course.
• The Capstone Seminar synthesize the major experiences, concepts, principles, and skills covered in the program. Working with a faculty advisor, they design their own Capstone projects in their area of interest. In some cases, this work will focus on policy research. More often, students choose to work with real world clients.
  
  CPPA Program Electives provide students with a deeper understanding of areas that affect professionals in the public and nonprofit sectors. In order to fulfill requirements for the Master's Degree in Public Policy and Administration, students are required to take three program electives, one from each of the three sections: Policy, Management and Methods. CPPA currently offers the following program electives, at least every other year so students have an opportunity to take any of the courses below:
  
  1. Policy
  
  Ethics and Public Policy Students reflect upon key issues in professional and administrative ethics, apply ethical principles to policy analysis; and articulate ethical arguments in writing and in discussion.
  
  Comparative Public Policy examines comparatively some of the experiences, accomplishments, and problems common to advanced industrial societies. Current public policy issues in the United States will be used for comparison and contrast.
  
  Globalization examines the broader issues of economic development and the debates over different aspects of globalization including multilateral institutions setting policy, the operative goals and agreements and the players-- nations, NGOs, labor unions and corporations.
  
  2. Management
  
  Nonprofit Management covers a wide array of management topics. The course combines conceptual reading assignments with case studies and service learning projects to solidify theory with practice.
  
  Information Technology in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors provides an introduction to IT for students headed for work in public or nonprofit organizations. Through computer labs, practice exercises and homework students leave the class with confidence in the development of basic web sites and relational databases.
  
  Personnel Management explores many of the issues confronting public personnel management in the United States. Students analyze case studies to give them an understanding of the political impact of allegedly value-neutral techniques used in the field.
  
  3. Methods
  
  Applied Public Sector Economics provides students with the necessary skills to formulate public policies with an understanding of their economic implications.
  
  Advanced Qualitative Methods for Public Policy and Administration provides greater methodological depth in exploring various qualitative methods, including surveys, interviewing, focus groups, participant observation, and others.
  
  Advanced Quantitative Methods provides advanced training in one or more quantitative methods, including advanced regression analysis, qualitative choice models, decision analysis, queuing models, and others.