An MPP degree at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy (2022)

The Ford School

Our Mission

The Ford School at the University of Michigan is a community dedicated to the public good. We inspire and prepare diverse leaders grounded in service, conduct transformational research, and collaborate on evidence-based policymaking to take on our communities’ and our world’s most pressing challenges.

Our Values

We value community, integrity, respect, service, inclusion, diversity, and equity. We aspire for our work to be excellent, relevant, rigorous, collaborative, engaged, and impactful.

Welcome

Warm greetings from the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy!

If you’re eager to lead, to find creative solutions, and to make a positive impact on our communities, the Ford School is the right place for you— at the right time.

We’re engaged in public policy at a critical time in our world’s history. Our challenges—climate change, pandemics, racism, threats to our democratic institutions, and so much more—are complex. And so, our opportunities to make meaningful change are endless.

With a Ford School education, you will be equipped to lead the institutions and organizations that will shape our communities for decades to come.

Our faculty are renowned teachers and experts who care deeply about the impact of their work. Our curriculum is rigorous, interdisciplinary, and hands-on. Our students are diverse changemakers who share a commit ment to the public good. Our University is one of the best in the world.

Thank you for your interest in the Ford School. Go Blue!

Interim Dean

Founding Director, Center for Racial Justice; Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy; University Diversity and Social Trans formation Professor; Professor of Sociology; Research and Community Impact Fellow, Anti-Racism Collaborative

c eles T e WaT kins- h ayes

Leaders grounded in service

Rigorous master’s degrees

Policy analysis: The Ford School is the nationally recognized leader in quantitative policy analysis, with a carefully sequenced core curriculum in microeconomics, statistics, and quantitative program evaluation.

Political and ethical analysis: Core courses teach a sophisticated understanding of public policy institutions and political processes, and explore the key role of values and ethics in public policy design.

Communication: Outstanding writing instruction and tutoring; skills modules in public presentation, social media, strategic communication, working with the press, data visualization and more.

Leadership: A growing strength of the school. Our innovative Leadership Initiative offers an array of tools, including coursework, leadership assessments, workshops, panels, and executive coaching for every graduate student.

MPA MPP Dual

Degree 9-month, mid-career Master of Public Affairs degree

Two-year Master of Public Policy degree

Dual-master’s degrees with other U-M schools and departments including law, business, and education

Core credits 18 24 Varies, based on program

Elective credits 12 24 Varies, based on program

Total credits 30 48 Varies, based on program Internship 5-credit capstone project

Required, between 1st and 2nd years

Required, summer following first year of MPP core coursework

Hillary Clinton, Ford School Leadership Initiative community conversation

El E ctiv E s

Ford School electives include courses on the history and future of Detroit, the economics of developing countries, strategic consulting, the psychology of climate change, smart cities and mobility, thinking about crime, poverty and inequality, cybersecurity policy, the economics of education, and more.

With low administrative barriers between schools, students can easily combine their policy courses with electives offered by the U-M’s outstanding professional schools—including law, business, education and urban planning—and top-ranked social science departments. One-quarter of Ford School credits can be taken outside of the school.

See page 22 for more on dual degrees

certificates

Policy c onc E ntrations

Students gain depth in an area of interest and passion through optional policy concentrations, which require 9-12 credits and are formally recognized on transcripts:

Public policy and analysis methods

Public and nonprofit management

Social policy

policy

core MPP courses

Relevance: an applied approach

ford School students apply what they’re learning in the classroom through hands-on, practical policy experiences.

at Work in th E World

Our required summer internship sends MPP students around the world to work on critical issues in their policy areas of interest. We help students find internships with an impressive range of domestic and international employers and we offer generous stipends when needed.

Established and fully-funded partnerships give Ford School students direct access to highly selective internships in key organizations. Recent internship partnerships include the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Asia Foundation, the World Bank, and the Michigan Governor’s Office.

c onsulting for cr E dit

The Ford School’s strategic public policy consulting course, offered each semester, gives students the chance to complete a commissioned policy project for a public sector client under the guidance of a faculty advisor and external leaders who serve as mentors. Teams of students work with the client to develop a project work plan, collect relevant materials and information, conduct research and analysis, prepare a written report, and present findings and recommendations.

The International Economic Development Program lets students learn about and travel to fascinating countries. Recent destinations include Puerto Rico (2022), Colombia (2020), Morocco (2019), Senegal (2018), Greece (2017), Cuba (2016), and Brazil (2015).

Engag E d lE arning

Other for-credit opportunities to actively engage with real-world policy issues include our annual China policy course and trip, policy-based community projects in Detroit, and our International Economic Development Program (IEDP). The IEDP allows students to study policy challenges faced by a particular developing economy, and then take a study trip there to meet with policymakers, mem bers of civil society, foreign development agencies, and university students.

After 35 years in public service, I consider career-related mentoring and advising of students to be one of the most important benefits I bring to the Ford School…and I spend many hours doing this in class, in office hours, and in my work with Graduate Career Services.”

A M b ASSAD or Melvyn l ev I t S ky ( retired ), Professor of International Policy and Practice Senior Advisor, Weiser Diplomacy Center

The

Prepared for immediate impact

d iv E rsity, E quity, and inclusion

In the classroom and beyond, we emphasize collaboration and listening across differences. Students at the Ford School represent great diversity—in race and ethnicity, political view points, life experiences, professional interests, socioeconomic status, and more. Faculty foster a collaborative spirit among students, emphasizing team-based projects and challenging students to examine, share, and articulate their views. Our graduates are equipped to lead in an increasingly diverse world.

s kills d E v E lo PME nt

Our community offers a huge array of opportuni ties for acquiring and building key professional skills. Workshops from our Program in Practical Engagement teach students how to be effective advocates, how to work with the media, how to engage effectively on social media, and more. And our Weiser Diplomacy Center offers simulations on topics such as countering violent extremism, interpreting intelligence data, water diplomacy, and conducting diplomacy across cultural barriers.

Individualized career coaching

and cover letter reviews

Professional development grants

Networking training

Information sessions with recruiters

interviews

and Detroit career exploration trips

career portal

programs

and job search groups

Stephanie Sanders, DEI officer and lecturer

Writing cE nt E r

The Ford School’s commitment to writing instruc tion is best in class. Our Writing Center’s four skilled professional instructors offer one-on-one tutorials and policy-writing modules designed to help students articulate public policy knowledge in writing that is accurate, logical, and concise.

g raduat E c ar EE r sE rvic E s

Our well-staffed, strategic Graduate Career Services team helps students identify their strengths, explore options, market their skills, negotiate with savvy, and build careers of impact. We continually evaluate and respond to the ever-changing landscape for policy professionals.

We cultivate our many established employer relationships within and outside of our highly engaged alumni body. And each year we grow our employer base to respond to changes in student interests and shifting workforce trends.

l e AD er S h IP co A ch I ng for A ll

ADUA te S t UD ent S

oaching truly empowers you to be the best version of yourself during your summer internship experience. By the end of the summer my confidence improved tremendously.”

The Ford School at the University of Michigan

Robert Hampshire, Associate Professor of Public Policy Expert in policies related to innovative mobility services such as smart parking, connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles, bike sharing, and car sharing.

Hampshire is currently on leave from the Ford School, serving as chief science officer for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Prominent, accessible faculty

Poverty and inequality. Trade and economic development. Health and human security. Energy and the environment. Alongside their critical work as teachers and mentors, Ford School faculty members are nationally and internationally recognized experts in vitally important policy areas.

They are deeply committed to strengthening the connections between rigorous academic research, real-world policy issues, and the student experience.

Our faculty

our faculty’s broad and interdisciplinary expertise is demonstrated by the wide range of units with which they hold joint appointments—including economics, political science, sociology, history, math, business, social work, education, environment and sustainability, information, public health, and urban planning.

tE ach E rs and ME ntors

While our faculty members are world-class scholars, they are also enthusiastic teachers and mentors who prize the school’s close-knit, collaborative community. Our student-faculty ratio is 8:1, and our faculty actively participate in studentorganized events and activities like our annual charity auction.

Morela Hernandez, Ligia Ramirez de Reynolds Collegiate Professor of Public Policy; Director, Leadership Initiative

Evid E nc E -bas E d P olicy M aking

Our faculty members do groundbreaking research—identifying new methods for fostering cooperation in the midst of intractable conflicts, slowing the spread of life-threatening diseases, and designing low-cost methods to reduce poverty in developing nations. And they’re deeply engaged in the world of practice. They include senior government advisors, current and former members of the Council of Economic Advisers, leaders of international nonprofits, and more.

d istinction

Our faculty are recognized as among the university’s best. Two of our faculty members hold the highest appointment at the University of Michigan, that of Distinguished University Professor. Twelve of our active faculty members hold named professorships. Many others have been recognized for outstanding mentoring, academic innovation, policy engagement, research, and teaching.

Policy talks @ th E f ord s chool

The Ford School makes Ann Arbor a destination for distinguished policymakers from around the world. Dozens of speakers visit the school each year to speak and meet with students. Recent: (clockwise, from upper left) Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Stephen Biegun, Condoleezza Rice, Elizabeth Warren

t o W sl E y f oundation

Policy M ak E r in rE sid E nc E

The Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence program brings national and international leaders to campus to join our faculty. They teach graduate-level courses ranging in length from six weeks to a full semester; deliver public lectures; and advise and mentor students on projects, papers, and career plans.

d i P lo M ats in rE sid E nc E

Our Weiser Diplomacy Center brings senior diplomats to the Ford School as professors of practice. They offer courses that include strong conceptual content and practi cal applications. And U-M is one of a very small group of U.S. colleges selected by the State Department to host a Diplomat in Residence (DIR)—a foreign service officer who spends one to two years on site, here at the Ford School.

Abdul El-Sayed

Congressman Sandy Levin

Centers: research, learning and impact

The Ford School is home to a growing number of active, multi-disciplinary research centers and initiatives leveraging the knowledge and expertise across the University of Michigan.

They serve as a resource for policymakers and practitioners, academics, students, the media, and the public. They offer numerous engaged learning opportunities for students. And they identify and solve complex challenges facing our communities.

the center for local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) provides local government leaders with trusted, nonpartisan research that helps them discover and adopt innova tive policy solutions.

the Program in Practi cal Policy engagement is a university-wide resource that advances public policy through engaged learning, policy research, and policy impact. P3E generates realworld learning opportunities for students.

the center for racial Justice (CRJ) brings together social/racial justice change makers and top scholars and students working at the in tersection of race and public policy to expand knowledge and pursue better policy solutions.

the International Policy center (IPC) fosters interdis ciplinary faculty research and engages students through study trips abroad, an interna tional speaker series, intern ships, and other activities. The Ford School and IPC was recognized by APSIA for in novation in international pro gramming and the wide range of opportunities that help graduate students develop professionally.

the kohn collaborative for Social Policy is a Ford School hub that will catalyze interdisciplinary research and policy impact to promote social equity and inclusion. The collaborative provides for five endowed professorships and two full-tuition graduate student fellowships.

Poverty Solutions is finding new ways to prevent and alleviate poverty through action-based research that informs policymakers, com munity organizations, and governments about what works.

the center on finance, law, and Policy works on a broad range of research projects focused on creat ing a financial system that is safer, fairer, and better harnessed to the real economy.

the education Policy Initia tive (EPI) engages in rigor ous, applied policy research designed to reduce educa tional disparities and improve student success. EPI houses the Michigan Education Data Center, which helps researchers answer important questions about early childhood education, school choice and mobility, literacy, P-20 pathways, and college success.

the Science, technology, and Public Policy Program (STPP) brings an interdisciplinary lens to producing more equitable and just science and technology policies. STPP offers a graduate certificate that combines techni cal knowledge with research insights and interdisciplinary experiences.

the youth Policy lab, a partnership with the Institute for Social Research, uses rigorous evaluation design and data analysis to help community and government agencies make better deci sions.

the Weiser Diplomacy center, our dynamic hub for the study and practice of diplomacy, trains students interested in international affairs and brings to campus a diverse cadre of seasoned diplomats.

Consider the possibilities

Whether you see yourself managing refugee programs at the United Nations or leading the City of Detroit’s riverfront redevelopment efforts, the Ford School is your first stop. The policy interests of our students and alumni are diverse—local and global, corporate and not-for-profit, educational and economic. What will you do with your Ford School degree?

Make an impact in DC . . .

the Riecker Michigan Delegation Fellowship sends two competi tively selected graduate students to Washington, DC each winter to complete a six-month assignment with a senator or representative from the state of Michigan. Fellows receive a living stipend for DC and tuition support for the semester that follows.

Grant Newsome (MPP ’20)

Internships by Location

Michigan 35%

Washington, DC 23%

International 19%

Other U.S. 9%

New York 6%

California 4%

Illinois 4%

Five-year average (2015–2019)

s u MME r int E rnshi P s

Many of our students gain practical experience through their required summer internship. Around 20 percent intern outside of the U.S. each year in organizations such as the World Trade Organization, International Civil Aviation Organization, the World Bank, and Innovations for Poverty Action; another 16 percent intern with U.S.-based organizations that deal with international issues.

Riecker Fellows Guy Packard (MPP ’20) and Iqra Nasir (MPP/MS ’21) with former dean Michael S. Barr

Make an impact in Detroit . . .

Stephanie, brian, and betsy were David bohnett foundation leadership and Public Service fellows. The Bohnett Fellowship is given each year to three incoming graduate students; it provides two years of in-state tuition support and a funded internship in the City of Detroit mayor’s office.

Bohnett internships are fast-paced and high-impact. Recent interns have worked on parcel imaging for analysis by the Detroit Land Bank Authority, gaps in early education and childcare networks in Detroit, expansion of career centers for people with disabilities, and community integration programs for recently resettled refugees.

Brian Garcia (MPP/MBA ’16) Betsy Palazzola (MPP ’12)

State Senator Stephanie Chang (MPP/MSW ’14)

.

. Or go to work on global challenges

Direct relief, a humanitarian aid organization, is active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries. Aprisal interned in his hometown of Sulawesi, Indonesia, managing Direct Relief’s efforts to rebuild from the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that devastated the region in fall 2018.

As an intern with the Research and Analysis team at DRI headquarters in Santa Barbara, hannah used GIS to equip stakeholders with data for critical aid and recovery decisions.

Aprisal Malale (MPP ‘20) Hannah Mesa (MPP/MPH ‘20)

D etro I t, M I ch I g A n

Stephanie Chang (MPP/MSW ‘14) Michigan State Senator

lA n SI ng, M I ch I g A n

Brandy Johnson (MPP ‘09)

President, Michigan Community College Association

n e W y ork, ne W york

Lisa Stowe (MPP ‘00)

Markets Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

A world of possibilities

Ford School graduates obtain

pursue their passions, whether close to home or far afield. Our alumni work all across the globe,

policy

in education, urban revitalization, economic development, foreign affairs, human rights, and many other fields.

l ong b e A ch, cA l I forn IA

Eric Lopez (PPIA, MPP ’06)

Director of Public Works, City of Long Beach

W AS h I ngton, D c

Farouk Ophaso (PPIA, MPP ’06)

Chief of Staff, Office of the Undersec retary of Defense (Comptroller), U.S. Department of Defense

bU eno S A I re S , A rgent I n A

Silvana Kostenbaum (MPP/MUP ‘04)

Public Sector Specialist, The World Bank

Stockhol M , S W e D en

Dh A k A , bA ngl AD e S h

Steven

Michael

n e W Delh I , In

Tannistha

Child

Yosuke

The leaders and best

We’re

Go Blue

Auniversity ranked among the best in the world. A city ranked among America’s best college towns. A diverse, dynamic, and friendly community to call your own. 1,600 student clubs and organizations, bringing vitality and energy to campus. And the University of Michigan’s 644,000 living alumni, transforming communities across the globe.

a cad EM ic r E sourc E s

The University of Michigan is home to nineteen graduate schools and colleges; 275+ degree programs; 6,700 faculty members; and dozens of world-class academic departments. Remarkably low barriers between schools make it easy for students to register for courses in any department, access ing the full range of the University of Michigan’s intellectual, cultural, and social resources.

d ual-d E gr EE s

About 30 percent of Ford School master’s students pursue dual-degrees while on campus. We offer dozens of dual degree options with business, law, public health, social work, urban planning, environment and sustainability, and more.

cE rtificat E s

U-M hosts an enormous variety of certifi cate programs that let students integrate high-quality interdisciplinary resources into their education. Rackham’s 55 certificate programs include specializations such as data science, complex systems, environmental justice, African studies, survey methodology, sustainability, spatial analysis, and healthy cities.

The Ford School itself offers a graduate certificate in science, technology, and public policy.

a l E ad E r in div E rsity, E quity, and inclusion

The University of Michigan and the Ford School have concluded a five-year strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion—a collective vision for change based on the conviction that excellence is not possible without diversity in the broadest sense of the word. We are proud of the work we have done, but there is still much to do and we’re keeping this important work moving forward, planning in earnest for DEI 2.0.

Michigan’s rankings

1 #1

u.s. public university

World University Rankings, 2023 in research volume among u.s. research universities

World reputation rankings

Times Higher Ed, 2021

graduate programs in the top 10

& World Report, 2021

g lobal Michigan African Studies Center, Center for European Studies, Center for Japanese Studies, Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies, Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, and many more. U-M hosts seventeen outstanding area studies centers and programs that offer classes, research funding, and degree programs.

Monserrate, outside Bogotá, Colombia (IEDP 2020)

More than 40 languages are taught at the University of Michigan, including an impressive array of less-commonly taught languages. Full-time Ford School students can take undergraduate language classes without charge. U-M’s English Language Institute offers language, academic, and intercultural instruction for international graduate students and scholars.

Join a powerful network

From the day our students set foot on campus, they’re part of a great community dedicated to the public good: close-knit and active while in school, connected and committed long after graduation.

just around 130 master’s

we offer a friendly, close-knit community in which every student matters. Our student body is diverse across a broad spectrum of dimensions. On average, international students make up 20 percent of our graduate student body, and 30 percent of our domestic students come from groups

underrepresented

a nn a rbor

Ann Arbor is one of the United States’ great college towns. Liveable, energetic and intellectual, attracting students from all over the country and the world, the city features outdoor concert series, farmers’ markets, and schools that have won national recognition for their excellence.

Downtown, you’ll find museums, restaurants, music venues, and independent bookstores, as well as comic shops and movie theaters. Just beyond downtown, students find recre ation options on the beautiful Huron River, along with dozens of miles of running trails in the Nichols Arboretum and in the city’s renowned park system.

Ann Arbor is within an hour drive of Detroit and less than five hours from Chicago and Toronto. New York City, Boston, and Washington D.C. are ninety minutes away by plane.

Our alumni

As a graduate of the Ford School—the nation’s first public administration graduate program and one of its most prominent—you’ll join a powerful and growing network of alumni engaged in public service and leadership positions around the world.

Ford School alumni are deeply involved with the school as volunteers. They help current students define their career interests and build their professional networks.

Because Ford School alumni are some of the best resources available to students, we coordinate dozens of alumni-engaged professional development activities each year:

• Our Alumni in Residence program brings accom plished alumni back to campus to hold office hours and support students through resume reviews, mock interviews, and career conversations.

• We organize annual career exploration trips to DC and Detroit, where alumni host panels at their workplaces to offer career context and advice

• Students and alumni network in more social settings, too, including our annual Worldwide Ford School Spirit Day, where alumni host events in cities around the globe.

A master’s or a PhD?

The MPP program prepares graduates for professional careers in policy advocacy and public affairs; program implementa tion; analysis and research; and evaluation in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. The MPA* is a 9-month degree designed to enhance the analytic abilities and communication and management skills of experienced professionals with at least five years of work experience.

Our highly competitive PhD program prepares graduates for careers as faculty members in a social science department or professional school or senior research analysts in think tanks, government or intergovernmental agencies. More at fordschool.umich.edu/phd.

a d M issions overvie W

The Ford School seeks master’s applicants from a diversity of academic and professional backgrounds. We emphasize the applicant’s academic performance as an undergraduate, dem onstrated commitment to public policy, potential for gradu ate studies, statement of purpose, relevant work experience, range of courses taken, and faculty and employer evaluations.

s peak W i T h us

We welcome your questions. Please chat with us this fall at an online graduate fair. you are also welcome to call or email us and we will respond to your inquiry promptly. Details: fordschool.umich.edu/ask-us

a pplicaT ion deadlines

January 15 for MPP master’s programs December 1 for PhD program

*The Ford School intends to pause MPA admissions for one cycle (fall 2022)—pending approval from Rackham Graduate School—so that we can devote significant time and resources throughout the fall to evaluating, optimizing, and potentially growing our MPA program. More information: fordschool.umich.edu/mpa-pause

c os T (per academic year)

Out-of-state

Tuition and fees $26,226 $52,456

Housing and food $17,780 $17,780 Books and supplies $1,242 $1,242 Personal and miscellaneous $6,850 $6,850 total cost $52,098 $78,328

f ello W ships and financial aid

The Ford School offers financial assistance through merit-based fellow ships. These fellowships—available to both domestic and international applicants—are awarded with admission.

In previous years, about 60 percent of each entering class received some level of fellowship support. With tremendous and growing sup port from donors who believe in our students’ potential, we are building our list of top-notch competitive fellowships, such as the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellowship, the Weiser Diplomacy Center Fellowship, and the David Bohnett Foundation Leadership and Public Service Fellowship. In addition, Ford School students have been successful seeking univer sity fellowships, graduate student instructor (GSI) positions (teaching assistantships), and graduate student research assistantships. Dozens of our students receive Ford School GSI positions each year. (University of Michigan GSI packages are generous, including not only tuition, but also a living stipend and health insurance coverage.)

The University of Michigan also provides need-based financial support in the form of subsidized loans and work-study funding. you are welcome to contact a Ford School advisor for more information.

Bilal Baydoun (BA ‘12, MPP ‘17) earned the school’s first Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellowship—a full graduate fellowship offered to the most exceptional in-state Ford School applicants. Baydoun is a first-generation college student from a working-class family in Dearborn, Michigan. At the Ford school, Baydoun focused on social policy, with an emphasis on inequality and barriers to upward mobility—interests he carried with him in state government, nonprofit work, and media. Today, he has proudly returned to his hometown to serve as the city’s director of communications.

“There may be no greater honor than to have a school bear your name. Such recognition means all the more when it comes from an institution that you love, and when it is dedicated—not to me personally—but to the cause of public service to which I have devoted most of my life.” gE rald r . f ord 1913–2006 On the occasion of the dedication of Joan and Sanford Weill Hall, October 13, 2006 38th President of the United States; AB ’35 and HLLD ’74, University of Michigan

c ontact info

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy University of Michigan Joan and Sanford Weill Hall 735 South State Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-3091 734-764-3490 734-763-9181 fax fordschool.umich.edu

Student and Academic Services: 734-764-0453

Graduate Career Services: 734-615-9557 Development: 734-615-3892

Alumni Relations: 734-615-5760

Communications and Outreach: 734-615-9691

Regents of the University of Michigan

Jordan B. Acker, Huntington Woods

Michael J. Behm, Grand Blanc

Mark J. Bernstein, Ann Arbor Paul W. Brown, Ann Arbor Sarah Hubbard, Okemos

Denise Ilitch, Bingham Farms

Ron Weiser, Ann Arbor katherine E. White, Ann Arbor Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio

© 2022 The Regents of the University of Michigan

A Non-discriminatory, Affirmative Action Employer