Master in Public Policy

The School of Public Affairs’ academic offering is structured around a choice between the Master in Public Policy and the Master in European Affairs, combined with a policy-stream.

Programme objectives 

The Master in Public Policy provides students with a multidisciplinary foundation in the key fields underpinning public policy, including public economics, public policy analysis and evaluation, and law and public policy. More broadly, the programme encourages students to explore the role of the state, its transformations and reforms, and its interactions with the non-state actors involved in public policy.

The programme enables students to:

• Apply analytical frameworks and policy evaluation methods to support societal transitions;
• Design appropriate policy instruments to address the transformations shaping contemporary societies;
• Support and implement public policies at multiple levels in a rapidly changing geopolitical environment;
• Act as ethical and responsible citizens in the context of digital and ecological transformations.

Programme structure

The standard Master in Public Policy programme (excluding dual-degree programmes) is completed over two years, comprising four semesters of study. The final semester is spent off campus, giving students the opportunity to undertake a full-time internship, write a Master’s thesis, develop a personal project or go on an exchange semester, depending on their professional goals.

Students may also choose to complete their second year (M2) through an apprenticeship track.

Students may take a gap year between their first and second years (M1 and M2), and may also undertake optional part-time internships during their studies.

Students enrolled in the Master in Public Policy complement this core curriculum with a policy stream.

The Master in Public Policy Core Curriculum

Over the three semesters of taught courses, all Master in Public Policy students take five core courses, regardless of their chosen specialisation.

Semester 1

Democracy and Public Policy

The Democracy and Public Policy module brings together courses taught primarily by academics specialising in political science, international relations, political theory and history. It explores the democratic challenges facing public policy today.

Designed in connection with the objectives of the different specialisations, the courses form a coherent curriculum around a fundamental question:

How do contemporary democratic societies produce legitimate decisions in a context of pluralism, declining trust and technological transformation?

Each course approaches this question from a different perspective - historical, analytical, normative or empirical - while engaging with the same underlying issue.

Public Economics

The Public Economics course examines the role of the state and government intervention in the economy. It aims to describe, understand and analyse public policies implemented by governments, as well as the problems these policies seek to address, drawing on descriptive, empirical and theoretical approaches.

As the course draws on economic, mathematical and statistical concepts, students complete a placement test before course registration to identify those who may benefit from additional preparation. Students receive recommendations based on their results to help them prepare for the start of the academic year.

Public Policy Analysis and Evaluation

The Public Policy Analysis and Evaluation course provides students with the tools needed to assess public interventions, examining in particular their relevance and effectiveness and using data as a foundation for evaluation.

Taught by a team of academic and professional experts, the course occupies a central place in the School’s mission to develop and promote a strong culture of public policy evaluation, both in theory and in practice.

Students can choose from three levels depending on their existing quantitative skills and their learning objectives.

Semester 2

Law and Public Policy

Students take a law course covering one of the major fields of legal studies. The course provides them with a foundation in legal reasoning, introduces the main sources of law, explores interactions between the different actors within the French, European and international legal systems, and enables them to follow current legal developments with a critical understanding.

Courses are offered in line with the objectives of the different specialisations and may focus on public law, local government law, constitutional law, European law or international law.

Semester 3

Case Studies

Under the current curriculum, which may evolve over time, students work on case studies designed to develop their ability to:

• Critically analyse complex real-world cases, taking into account the perspectives, interests and capacity for action of different stakeholders, decision-making processes, institutional and historical contexts, path dependencies and underlying issues;
• Move from specific cases to broader insights, by identifying relevant general principles and drawing on wider concepts and knowledge;
• Develop professional skills through practical application, immersing students in professional contexts and enabling them to apply the knowledge, skills and professional behaviours required in their future careers through purpose-built activities.

Policy streams

Language requirements

In order to register in French policy streams, a French language test is required. For policy streams taught in English, an English language test is mandatory. For more information about languages levels, please consult the Sciences Po admissions website. 

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