Prospective Students
The University of Utah Master of Public Policy program will help you build a solid foundation of practical skills and knowledge you can apply to real policy challenges.
We seek a diverse pool of applicants who aspire to learn, practice and interact in a supportive, yet rigorous, graduate program designed to help you succeed. The students we admit have diverse professional backgrounds and represent a variety of undergraduate majors, including political science, economics, history, city & metropolitan planning, sociology, psychology, and more.
Interested in shadowing a current MPP student for a day? Email Prince, our Graduate Assistant, to set up a time to join him in his classes, and get a better idea of what being an MPP student is all about! Here are the courses during Fall 2023 available for you to shadow:
| PUBPL 6563 | Program and Policy Evaluation | Mondays 6-9pm | Core |
| PUBPL 6900 | Public Policy Research | Thursdays 6-9pm | Core |
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your interest in the program by filling out this short form. A program staff member will follow up with you shortly!
Admission Requirements
Students are admitted to the MPP program for fall semester only.
- Priority deadline for domestic and international students is January 15.
- International applicant final deadline is March 31.
- Domestic applicant final deadline is April 1.
To be eligible applicants must:
- Hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university (as determined by The University of Utah Graduate Admissions Office).
- Establish eligibility for admission to graduate standing at The University of Utah.
- Obtain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) in undergraduate courses.
- Submit all MPP application materials.
The MPP Admissions Committee carefully considers an applicant's combined academic background and work experience in determining admission to the program. All portions of the application are considered equally. Interviews are not required for admission. There is no minimum entrance exam score.
Information Regarding the Admissions Process
- Admission is selective.
- No specific background or undergraduate major is required.
- Decisions are based on evaluation of the applicant's overall academic record including undergraduate transcripts, optional GRE or other standardized test scores, three letters of recommendation, a personal statement of purpose, and resume describing relevant work, community, and extracurricular experiences. For more information visit the Apply Now page.
- International students may also be required to submit proof of English proficiency. You can learn more about the English proficiency requirements by reviewing the International Graduate Admissions webpage.
- Applicants are required to complete prerequisite coursework in:
- Applied statistics (sample courses at The University of Utah are FCS 3210, SOC 3112, ECON 3640, POLS 3001 and PSYCH 3000 - we cannot count 1000 level math classes for the statistics prerequisite)
- Introductory microeconomics (sample course at The University of Utah are ECON 2010)
- U.S. national government
The University of Utah course listings and descriptions are available in the Course Catalog. Prerequisites must be completed in the last 10 years with a grade of "C" or better from an accredited college or university. If you are accepted into a joint program (e.g. MPP/JD) some prerequisites may automatically be waived. Please consult the program manager for more information.
In addition to the prerequisites, students are strongly encouraged to complete intermediate microeconomics before entering the program. Due to the rigorous analytic component of the MPP, it is assumed that applicants will have a strong quantitative background. Applicants lacking a solid background in economics and statistics are encouraged to strengthen their understanding of these areas prior to applying.
We are here to help you successfully complete your application. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact us.