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Your Bridge to Impact

Our Flagship Two-Year Public Policy and Management Program

Our most flexible Public Policy graduate degree

In the Flagship track of our Public Policy and Management master's program, you will gain crucial skills in evidence-based problem-solving, as well as effective communication and strategic thinking. This combination of abilities will position you to use smart policy and data to make the world a better place.

Our program is a full-time professional graduate degree program with a required summer internship. Students have opportunities to work with industry clients on real-world problems via Capstone Projects, bringing theory into practice.

With a Public Policy and Management graduate degree from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, you will come out ready to use your skills to lead meaningful change.

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Duration: 2 years / 4 semesters (Fall, Spring, Summer Internship, Fall, Spring)

Admissions Requirements

My heinz college story

Transit for Good

Maggie Harger was a Transportation Fellow for Traffic21, a U.S. Department of Transportation University Transportation Center, during her time at Heinz College.

PUBLIC POLICY AND MANAGEMENT: FLAGSHIP TRACK CURRICULUM

SAMPLE SCHEDULE: Master of Science in public policy and management

Below is one possible schedule for the Flagship pathway. Class titles in bold are core courses. Heinz College offers a mix of full-semester (14 weeks) and half-semester courses (7 weeks) for core and elective courses. 

YEAR 1 - FALL SEMESTER

  • Statistical Reasoning with R
  • Applied Economic Analysis
  • Organizational Design and Implementation*
  • Writing for Public Policy*
  • Strategic Presentation Skills
  • U.S. Energy and Climate Policy

YEAR 1 - SPRING SEMESTER

  • Management Science
  • Policy and Politics: American or International Perspective
  • Financial Analysis*
  • Intro to Database Management*

--REQUIRED SUMMER INTERNSHIP--

YEAR 2 - FALL SEMESTER

  • Systems Analysis: Environmental Policy
  • Behavioral Economics in Public Policy
  • Evidence-based Management*
  • Programming R for Analytics*
  • Policy Innovation Lab: Public Interest Technology*
  • Telling Stories with Data*

YEAR 2 - SPRING SEMESTER

  • Public Policy Capstone Project
  • Rise of Asian Economies
  • Critical Analysis of Policy Research
  • Human Rights, Conflicts and Development*
  • Affordable Housing Policy and Finance*

*Half-semester courses

what can you do with a graduate degree in public policy?

This graphic illustrates the organizations that our Public Policy and Management master's students work for after graduation, as well as their starting salaries, geographic location and job titles. 9 percent of our graduates work for think tanks or research organizations; 27 percent in the private sector; 33 percent in government; 14 percent for nonprofit organizations; and 17 percent for consulting firms. They work for organizations such as Deloitte, Guidehouse, the FDA, the cities of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Charlotte, EY, Alibaba, the U.N. Human Rights Council, Gallup, Duolingo and more. 37 percent of our students make between $75,000 and $100,000 as a starting salary, and 4 percent make more than $100,000. Our students work all across the country in roles such as data analyst, researcher, policy analyst, data scientist, consultant, and product manager.

Public Policy and Management Tracks

Compare all four Public Policy master's degree tracks at once

Our public policy master's program is offered in four distinct tracks: Flagship, Data Analytics, Washington D.C., and Fast Track (Three-Semester). Compare all four and choose the track that best suits your mission.

Read More

What's Next?

Get all the details about applying to our public policy and management program, including:

  • Application deadlines
  • Scheduling a visit
  • Attending an online info session
  • Connecting with a current student

Ready to apply? Check out our graduate application checklist now!

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