Public Policy

Students sitting in class

Shape policy and solve real-world problems

Simmons University's Master in Public Policy (MPP) provides an interdisciplinary lens for understanding complex societal issues and exploring potential solutions. This graduate degree will teach you how to bring about positive change from policy development through implementation.

Simmons’ innovative curriculum and the unique politics and diversity of Boston ground our program. The city offers you access to meaningful internship placements, future employment, and networking opportunities.

What Will You Study as an MPP Student?

An MPP degree will enable you to build fundamental knowledge in policy areas, such as economic policy, social sciences, and social policy. Through interdisciplinary electives, you’ll follow your passions and develop expertise in areas of importance to you. Topics may include race and culture, feminist international relations, epidemiology, economic development, project management, and the food supply.

Our dynamic curriculum draws on economics, quantitative methods, political science, and sociology. You'll build an integrated, well-rounded foundation for deep public policy analysis. You’ll sharpen your expertise through independent study and a capstone research paper. You'll use tools like policy briefs, research papers, and theses to demonstrate your mastery.

You’ll also complete both an internship and a capstone project, where you’ll put your classroom learning into action. These skills-based experiences prepare you for a policy-oriented career.

Flexible Pathways to the MPP

You can choose from three flexible pathways to earn your Master in Public Policy:

  • 3+1 Program: Complete both a BA (in political science, economics, or sociology) and your MPP in four years.
  • Simmons Edge: Earn any undergraduate degree in four years, then complete your MPP in one to two years or at your own pace.
  • Graduate Admission: If you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree elsewhere, you may complete the 11-course MPP in one to two years, or on a flexible schedule.

What Sets Apart Simmons' Master in Public Policy?

  • Location: You’ll study in Boston, a vibrant hub of innovation in government, medicine, technology, and social activism.
  • Mentorship: Professors deeply engaged in your learning will provide you with personalized attention.
  • Diversity of Expertise: Learn from faculty with wide-ranging specializations and explore policy issues that matter to you.
  • Flexibility: You can study full- or part-time, and complete the program in as little as one year.
  • Career Development: You’ll present research publicly, pursue fellowships and internships, and access a strong professional network.

As a student, you’ll join an active community with diverse interests. Recent MPP theses have explored topics including women’s prisons, anti-trans legislation, the privatization of social services, and educational policy in state legislatures.

MPP Program Learning Objectives

By the time you graduate, you’ll be skilled in:

  • Understanding the forces that shape government action
  • Identifying tools to address policy problems
  • Evaluating the effects of policy decisions
  • Analyzing constituencies and theoretical frameworks that inform real-life policy

You’ll also develop professional and analytical skills, including written and verbal communication, public speaking, conflict resolution, data analysis, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Master in Public Policy Careers

As a graduate, you’ll be prepared to create policy solutions to society’s most pressing challenges. You can pursue a career in the public sector (government agencies), non-profits, public service, or the private sector. Possible roles include:

  • Policy Analyst
  • Government Relations Manager/Advocate
  • Legislative Aide
  • Program Analyst
  • Policy Coordinator
  • City Manager or Councilor
  • Non-profit Research Analyst
  • Advancement Officer
  • Fundraising Fellow
  • Teaching Fellow

You also may pursue a law degree or a PhD in public policy, political science, economics, or sociology.

Credits: 30-33 (depending on the student's need for an internship)

Core Courses

MPP 501Policy Analysis & Theory3
MPP 502Social Policy3
MPP 503Economic Policy3
MPP504Quantitative Analysis3
MPP 505Capstone3

Electives (Choose Five)

AST 529Race, Culture, Identity, and Achievement4
AST 536Narratives of Oppression, Resistance & Resiliency4
GCS 492Prisons in Political Thought4
HIST 527Archives, History, and Collective Memory4
HIST 552Transnational Labor History4
HIST 553Commodities in World History 
HIST 563Decolonizing the Archive: Non-Western Approaches to History 
HIST 568Seminar in Public History: Sites of History4
HIST 578Pilgrims, Prophets, & Profaners Biography & Autobiography4
HIST 597Historical Methods4
IPE 450-01Healthcare Sys: Interdis Pers3
LIS 475Organizational and Information Ethics3
LIS 493Intellectual Freedom and Censorship3
LIS 505-OL01Special Topics in Library and Information Science: Information Policy 
MPP 507Public Policy in a Capitalist World3
MSMG 407Financial Aspects of Business3
MSMG 440Creativity and Innovation3
MSMG 470Negotiations, Power and Problem-Solving in Organizations 
MSMG 522Business, Government and the Global Economy3
POLS 435Transgender Politics & Freedom4
POLS 556Feminist International Relations4
SOCI 500Plagues, Epidemics, and Society4
SOCI 539Community Research4
SOCI 545Health Systems & Policy4
SOCI 547Antiracism and Justice Work4
SW 403Social Policy & Social Work in Organizations & Communities3
SW 409Dynamics of Racism & Oppression3

Please note that the 3+1 program requires you to maintain a 3.2 overall GPA and a 3.67 in your home major (political science, economics, or sociology). 

All MPP candidates shall write and present a master’s thesis in their final semester, usually in the spring. Please coordinate with a faculty advisor to supervise your thesis in the semester prior to writing your thesis. You and your advisor will come to a common understanding of the topic, length, draft deadlines, and citation style. All theses shall have a cover sheet following our Thesis Template Word document.

The final draft of your thesis must be uploaded to Simmons University Digital Archives (SUDA) by graduation day. We also recommend (but do not require) that you upload your thesis to the Proquest archive that will make your thesis more widely available.

Spotlight on Public Policy Students and Alums

April Beatty ’25MPP

Protecting Workers and Finding Community at Simmons

Master's degree student April Beatty ’25MPP discusses her research, internship experience, finding community at Simmons, and the best thing about attending graduate school in Boston.


Bella Yee ’24

Flourishing in the Community at Simmons and Completing Meaningful Internships

Bella Yee ’24 is a Public Relations and Marketing Communications major, with minors in Business and Public Policy. She is the Communications Director for the Student Government Association and Co-President of the Communications Liaison. Yee also interned for the Massachusetts legislature, most recently for the Office of Representative Adrianne Ramos.


Photo of Micah Guillermo

Meet Micah Joyce Guillermo ’26, Gilbert and Marcia Kotzen Scholarship Recipient

The Gilbert and Marcia Kotzen Scholarship is the most prestigious student award at Simmons. Kotzen scholarship recipients receive full tuition remission over four years. The class of 2026 includes ten Kotzen scholars. We spoke with Micah Joyce Guillermo about her...


Karla Alba ’23, Inaugural Jennifer Eckert Leadership Fellow

Karla Alba ’23, Inaugural Jennifer Eckert Leadership Fellow for DEI, Knows the Importance of Difficult Conversations

Jennifer Eckert '08MSW, a member of the Simmons University Board of Trustees, provided a generous donation to support the mission of Simmons University to become a beacon of leadership in the world of higher education. A portion of these funds...


Madison Poshkus ’22, ’23MPP

Madison Poshkus ’22, ’23MPP Completes Barbara Lee Foundation Fellowship

During her senior year as a Political Science major at Simmons, Madison Poshkus '21 '23MPP worked as an intern at the Massachusetts State House as part of Simmons' Barbara Lee Fellowship program. Sponsored by the Barbara Lee Foundation, the Fellowship...


Rayna Danis, student in the gender and cultural studies and public policy masters program

Rayna Danis ’22MA, ’22MPP Makes an Impact with the Joint Master's in Gender and Cultural Studies and Public Policy

Rayna Danis '22MA, '22MPP never expected to get her masters, but then she found her passion for affecting inclusive policy change. We spoke with Rayna about the joint master's program and how it's helping her on this journey.


Headshot of Lucy Lawrence

Meet Your Orientation Leader: Lucy Lawrence '23

Meet economics major, Lucy Lawrence! Read why Lucy chose to attend Simmons and the one lesser-known item she recommends first-years have in their dorms.


Bria Gambrell with feminist activist Gloria Steinem at the 2019 National Women's Studies Association in San Francisco, California.

Be the Change: Gender and Culture Studies Alum Promotes Intersectional Feminist Policy with Mass NOW

Co-Director of Mass NOW, Bria Gambrell ’19MA, ’19MPP, shares her motivation behind pursuing a dual degree in gender and cultural studies and public policy, and why she finds her position with Mass NOW so rewarding.