A solid curriculum

In their  first semester at the Hertie School, MPP students take foundational courses in economics, statistics, public management, governance and policy processes. In the second semester, they deepen their knowledge in the field of political economy as well as law and governance. At the same time, they participate in a project course taught in collaboration with a public policy institution and designed to confront students with the challenges of a real-world policy project. MPP candidates also choose between concentrations in policy analysis and public management in their second semester.Policy analysis focuses on quantitative methods such as statistics and econometrics. Public management looks at management tools such as budgeting, performance management or organizational design which can be applied in different governance settings, from local, national, or international public administration to social entrepreneurship or civil society.

In their third and fourth semesters, students choose from a portfolio of offered electives - including European and Global Governance, Political Economy, Welfare and Sustainability, Innovation and Regulation, or Ethics and Democracy - to refine their quantitative analysis or management skills and deepen their knowledge of related fields. At the same time they write a master thesis which applies the knowledge, concepts, and tools they have learned to a concrete policy problem and develop a set of policy recommendations.