Master of Public Policy (MPP)
The Brandt School’s Master of Public Policy (MPP) is a two-year interdisciplinary degree program. It is designed for young academics and professionals who wish to pursue a career in public service, including government agencies, international organizations and the non-profit sector. The MPP program equips future decision makers with the knowledge and practical skills they will need to advance the public interest and make sound policy decisions. Based on our students' and faculty's learnings, the Brandt School initiated a project on the Internationalization and Digitalization of Education in 2021.
Drawn from political science, economics, sociology, public administration and law, the MPP curriculum builds the skills and knowledge base required of a professional policy analyst. It includes courses in political and economic analysis, statistics, public management and ethics. Throughout the coursework, research and field experience, students develop their understanding of the policy process and the institutions and actors involved in that process.
The MPP is a practice-oriented, non-consecutive Master degree with a standard duration of four semesters, or two years of full-time study, resulting in 120 credit points (ECTS). The degree corresponds to a second cycle/level 7 degree of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).
- MPP candidates study two years full-time in English, earning a total of 120 credit points (ECTS).
- 8 core modules focusing on Policy Analysis, Administration and Management, and Methods.
- 4 specialization modules to choose from: Non-Profit Management and Social Entrepreneurship, International and Global Public Policy, Development and Socio-Economic Policies, and Conflict Studies and Management.
- Practical Training Modules: internship and a capstone/project group with an external client.
- Language Module
- Distinguished international faculty
- Optional academic exchange semesters at distinguished partner universities such as Central European University Vienna, El Colegio de Mexico, INPUMA Kuala Lumpur, and Hebrew University Jerusalem
- Mentoring and counselling through faculty, staff, and senior students
Make the most of it
- Build your network during the program. Get in touch with academics and practitioners through courses, guest talks, and make friendships with fellow students to build up your professional network.
- Improve your soft skills. Benefit from expert trainings on topics such as leadership, diversity, communication, and other career offers.
- Learn outside the classroom. Boost your digital literacy through our Digital Learning Lab, join excursions, and work with partners to learn through experience.
- Make an impact. Turn your project ideas into practice through our Social Impact Campus, publish your findings on our blog, or advance policy solutions through your project group work.
- Have a say. Join the Brandt School’s student government or the University wide Student Council to represent your fellow students in relevant matters.
- See the world from another perspective. Learn to change perspective through our context-sensitive curriculum, the interaction with your international fellow students, or an exchange semester with one of our partner universities.
General facts about the student body
Brandt School students are strategic thinkers, go-getters and use their entrepreneurial skills to bring innovative change. In addition to selection criteria such as outstanding undergraduate grades, an interdisciplinary orientation, talent and high motivation, MPP students demonstrate excellent English language skills and professional experience in politics, diplomacy, administration, the non-governmental sector and similar fields and publish their own articles.
Where are our students coming from?
Mentoring and additional offers
- Mentoring and counseling through faculty, staff, and senior students:
To ensure high quality teaching, the Brandt School is committed to continuously improving its academic services for students and faculty. Students are closely supervised during their studies at the Brandt School and all courses offered are regularly evaluated to maintain the high quality of our MPP programme. These efforts result in a very high number of students successfully completing their studies at the Brandt School and subsequently embarking on a relevant career.
Students are supported in many ways by both faculty and administrative staff throughout their studies at the Brandt School, from application to post-graduation.
During their studies at the Brandt School, interested students can be assigned a teacher as an individual academic mentor. The mentor supports students in selecting suitable courses and advises them on academic matters. Based on each student's individual academic background and career interests, the academic mentor can also offer career counselling in the form of suggestions for internship applications, practice-oriented Master's thesis topics and suitable career opportunities.
In addition, students can also discuss their academic timetable with the academic programme coordinators. The MPP admin team ensures that students complete all compulsory courses and earn sufficient credits each semester. As part of our careers service, students will receive specialised advice from our staff on all matters relating to the internship. As the internship is a compulsory part of the curriculum and an important step towards professional life, it is important that students work in an organisation or institution that is related to public policy, matches their interests and raises their profile.
- Support regarding housing, visa, health insurance, etc.
- Preventive health offers
- University sports courses
- …and many more.
MPP Experiences
See what our alumni and students have to say about their experiences at the Brandt School and what made their time with us memorable!
Through the school’s interdisciplinary approach, we learn a lot from different fields and get the knowledge we need to solve the problems of tomorrow in an entrepreneurial way.
- Tassilo Scalera, MPP alumnus from Germany
With a class coming from over 20 countries, the Brandt School offers a truly international and diverse learning environment. I treasure every exchange with my fellows. It deepens my perspective and reminds me of my blind spots, making me a more understanding and humble person --- a better world citizen. Also, different specializations in the program open doors to different fields, and help me to discover my potential.
- Clara Tak Yan Law, MPP alumna from Hongkong
You can find more reviews at Google and at Studycheck.de.
About the MPP
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Do you need advice?
Ten Reasons for Joining the Brandt School
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Are you interested?
Find out more about requirements, deadlines and scholarships in the section
If you would like to learn more about life as a student at the Brandt School, feel free to check out our
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