Students, Consider Public Policy School (MPP)

In my article Considering Law School? Perhaps You Should Reconsider, I told my story, which is a common story among ambitious college students. I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. Faced with the typical options: Doctor, Lawyer, or Businessman, the natural choice for me was to go to law school. Law school often ends up being a choice by default.

But there are many other options, and I'd like to introduce you to another good one. I happily chose to forego the lawyer life and enroll in a public policy school. I attended the Master's of Public Policy (MPP) program at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

What is Public Policy?

When people hear public policy, they usually picture politicians. Why go to school to become a politician?

Public policy students actually do not focus become politicians. Policy schools teach students to become civil servants, government bureaucrats. MPP's go behind the scenes as part of the executive branch.

-When Congress or the President wants a new Medicare program, policy grads in Health and Human Services analyze the situation and recommend how to best design the program.

-When Congress wants to know how expensive something will cost, they ask policy grads in the Congressional Budget Office who offer cost analyses.

-When a politicians wants to know what will happen if they propose a certain political plan, they often will ask an MPP to analyze the situation and propose recommendations.

What Classes will you take?

This probably varies from school to school. My school is well known for churning out top public policy analysts. Therefore, our classes focused heavily on economics, cost-benefit analysis, statistics, calculus, political environment, and how to write and present policy analyses. Generally, I think of MPP degrees as a slightly less technical MBA with an emphasis more on social benefit than profit.

How much do public policy graduates earn?

This isn't a field known for bringing in the big bucks. MPP students tend to be on the idealist side, and aren't so focused on salary. The majority of MPP grads take jobs in the government sector, which pays more than the nonprofit sector but less than the private sector (although plenty of MPP students work with nonprofits and private companies). With little work experience, somebody with a Master's Degree in Public Policy will earn around $44,000 (GS-9 on the federal pay scale) starting with the Federal Government. With 1 year or more of relevant work experience beforehand, you might start closer to $53,000 (GS-11). Students with significant work experience beforehand start closer to $63,000 (GS-12) or more. Job security is generally higher than in the private sector, and fringe benefits tend to be very good.

Is public policy for you?

Maybe. Maybe not. The lawyer field did not have the right atmosphere for me. MBA students were known for discussing their initial salary office, while MPP students discussed the work they'd be doing after graduation. I have a little idealist in me, so public policy appealed to me. But to each their own. Now that you know a bit more about public policy, you should think about what you're looking for in life, then pick the line of work that fits you best.