Master of Public Policy at the Hertie School of Governance

Contents

To successfully deal with governance issues in complex settings, public policy leaders need the flexibility and know-how to navigate the public, private, and civil society sectors. A solid understanding of cross-border political challenges is also essential in an era of globalisation. Different actors and their modes of action and interaction on the national, regional, and international levels need to be studied in order to develop solutions to current challenges in public policy.

At the Hertie School, MPP students are exposed to a ‘European take’ on governance. This implies a focus on governance beyond the nation state, as well as on the cooperation of public and private actors in international institutions such as the European Union and the United Nations. Students analyse the political, economic, and legal aspects relevant to the different spheres of politics and society. Apart from being introduced to public policy concepts, students employ management skills and are trained in quantitative
and qualitative research methods.

The MPP curriculum is divided into a core curriculum (first year of study) and an advanced curriculum (second year of study).

The core curriculum conveys essential knowledge and skills future policymakers need in order to understand and shape public policy. In elective courses chosen during the second year, students apply the acquired policy tools and theories, and they deepen their knowledge in the chosen area of concentration. In addition, the MPP programme seeks to advance students' professional development, acquainting them with a wide variety of skills relevant to their future careers.

The MPP Core Curriculum

Build a Strong Foundation

The core curriculum consists of eight mandatory courses which enhance the students' understanding of the disciplines and methods relevant to policymaking. These are introductory courses on the development of governance, quantitative, and qualitative methods, applied economic analysis, political economy, law and governance, the policy process, and public management.

• Development of governance

This course lays out the foundations for the "European take" on governance issues. It addresses the central topics of governance, as well as their historically determined, normative frames of reference. The aim of the course is to explore the commonalities, as well as the differences between different types of political systems.

• The policy process

This course conveys basic concepts regarding public policy and the skills needed to work within processes of political change. Students are introduced to the key issues of the policy process, including: problem definition, agenda setting, implementation and evaluation, policy instruments, actors and stakeholders. The course is taught using the case method, and assignments simulate real-life situations, including the delivery of policy memos and briefs.

• Applied economic analysis

This course provides a clearer view of specific economic aspects of governance, as well as an analysis of governance on both the micro- and macroeconomic levels. The aim of the course is to acquaint students with the various economic tools and instruments used in economic analysis.

• States and markets

This course serves as an introduction to the fundamentals of national and international political economy. The main focus is on the interplay between the economy and regulatory policies and mechanisms.

• Public management

This course provides an introduction to central concepts in public management and practices their application to real-world cases. It deals with the role of public organisations in policymaking, different tools of governing public services, and managing bureaucracies from within. Topics include 'Control and Accountability', 'Peformance Management', and 'Organisational Choice'.

• Law and governance

Policymakers must be able to understand the legal regulations that govern their specific field. Only then can they operate and pursue their goals in arenas affected by law. This course sets out to convey the basic skills necessary to perform these tasks, while reflecting critically upon the role that law plays in today's societies.

• Applied quantitative methods

This course offers an introduction to quantitative research methods for public policy. Students will get acquainted with quantitative methods conducive to empirical policy research and they will be trained to understand and critique the techniques employed by others. The goal of this course is not only to produce sophisticated consumers of quantitative research but to provide the necessary skills for students to conduct their own research.

• Applied research design and qualitative methods

The research design course has two goals. The first is to review selected topics in research design. The second is to give students hands-on experience applying those topics. The course will introduce to basic and key issues in research design and to qualitative methods, thereby supplementing the quantitative methods course. This includes the consideration of how to do policy analysis which can be understood as research that is geared at offering ‘usable knowledge' for policy making.

Advanced Curriculum

Create a Focus and Solve Problems

To complete the advanced curriculum, students choose a total of seven elective courses. Courses offered in the advanced curriculum seek to disclose, analyse, and solve policy problems. They are taught by faculty, by guest lecturers with a strong research profile in the respective field, or by senior practitioners from relevant professional backgrounds. Elective courses can therefore have a strong research focus or combine state-of-the-art research with the application of practical skills.

Students are expected to specialise in one area of concentration by their choice of electives. The areas of concentrations currently offered in the MPP are:

• European and Global Governance

Courses in this concentration go beyond a state-based international relations perspective to the understanding of a multi-level system of governance. Students gain substantive knowledge about how international institutions such as the European Union, the UN, or the WTO work in practice.

• Economics, Welfare, and Public Goods

Traditionally, domestic actors have shaped policies on economic growth, social welfare, or environmental quality. However, policy instruments in these areas are changing in light of powerful new actors and unprecedented regulation. Courses offered in this concentration focus on these trends and instruments which students learn to analyse and apply.

• Public Management

Course offering in this concentration look at public policy decisions as the result of interaction between administration, politics, and society. Students compare and analyse different approaches to administrative reform. They also become familiar with instruments of successful public management such as contracting for results, budgeting, or public-private partnerships.

• Governance of Democratic Systems

Democratic governance is challenged by processes of globalisation and internationalisation on the one hand and the emergence of new actors in the private and civic spheres on the other. These challenges have different implications, depending on different types of nation states, different cultural or regional settings, and different levels of socioeconomic development. Courses offered in this concentration encourage students to compare and critically assess different forms of democratic governance against this background.
Master's Thesis

Combine

Theory and Practice

The Master's Thesis is the capstone of the two-year programme. MPP students work on their thesis in the third and fourth semester. The thesis is not a purely academic paper. Rather, students are expected to use the insight they have gained in their MPP studies for a practical institutional purpose.

The Master's Thesis is thus a piece of policy analysis focused on developing a proposal for a concrete policy challenge. The topics chosen by the students depend on their area of concentration with topics in the fields of International or European governance, economics, social policy, public management or decmocratic development.

Accreditation

The Hertie School of Governance is an accredited and state-recognised institution of higher education in Germany.

Funding details

There are two main financing possibilities available to Hertie students.

The first is the internal assistance granted by the Hertie School of Governance itself. The Hertie School is currently able to offer financial assistance to approximately 30% of incoming students, this assistance is both need and merit based. The financial assistance is given in the form of scholarships and tuition waivers but does not include an additional stipend for living costs.

The second option is external financing: Students can apply to a number of fellowships from foundations in Germany and their home countries. Student loans and student jobs are other ways to finance your studies. We are in the process of applying for "Initial Certification" at the U.S. Department of Education. In the case of approval, the Hertie School of Governance may participate in the U.S. Federal Student Aid programmes. The Student Services team offers assistance in finding the right financial assistance mix in the form of fellowships, loans, and student jobs.