University of Maryland - College Park Reviews of Master's in Public Policy

"A major in Public Policy enables students to understand how to make a positive difference in the most challenging problems facing our world today. Public policy focuses especially on analysis, to integrate the approaches of different disciplines in an effort to produce the best policy decisions and the most effective policy implementation. Rather than focusing on theories or institutions, Public Policy focuses on the problem and generating policies in response to that problem. Public policy is also interdisciplinary by nature. Mastering it requires the integration of knowledge from many disciplines to fully understand the problems at stake and offer viable solutions. The Public Policy major at Maryland draws upon the knowledge and experience usually gained through studying separate disciplines, such as business, philosophy, history, information studies, economics, sociology, and government and politics. Only through a coordinated exposure to these fields can a student understand how they interact in the world of Public Policy."

"University of Maryland School of Public Policy is spectacular. The proximity to DC offers students a great opportunity to succeed via internship and professional opportunities. Furthermore, the professors and staff at University of Maryland are always happy to help students with their needs."

"My school give financial aid to almost everybody. We are all paying less than 15% of the full cost. Moreover professors have a great professional experience since they provide research to the best institutions in the DC area. I really recommend it. Its only problem is that being an public school sometimes have bureaucratic issues."

"Pros: Program is particularly strong in security studies. Low cost for the DC area. Good availability of graduate assistantships. cons: many required core courses. Not many courses on particular regions (beyond the study abroad programs). Students can take "consortium" courses for this though."

"It is an excellent, well-rounded program -- one of the best in the country for energy and environmental policy. The class sizes are small, affording students unique access to faculty."