Stanford’s Graduate School of Education and the Public Policy Program have launched an accelerated two-year program in education policy leading to both MA and MPP degrees.

The new joint degree program will allow students to simultaneously pursue an MA at the Graduate School of Education and an MPP at the Public Policy Program through the School of Humanities and Sciences. Aimed at students who have dual interests in education policy and leadership, the full-time program will equip students with the tools and perspectives of policy analysis and in-depth knowledge of education policy, organizations, and practice. The program was approved by the Faculty Senate on May 30.

“Combining a master’s degree in Education with the Public Policy master’s degree presents a unique opportunity for students who strive for careers that impact education in positive ways,” said David Brazer, director of Leadership Degree Programs and an associate professor (teaching) at GSE. “The connection between policymaking and policy implementation is fraught with challenges and misdirection. Students who understand public policy and school, district, and university leadership will be far better equipped to guide policy initiatives toward successful implementation than if they were to study either policy or leadership alone.”

Brazer, who joined the GSE faculty in June and previously directed the educational leadership program at George Mason University’s College of Education and Human Development, will oversee the new joint degree program.

The Joint MA/MPP degree program blends curriculum from two distinct programs at Stanford: 1) the nine-month Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies (POLS) master’s program, which trains students for effective leadership in a variety of educational settings; and 2) the two-year Master in Public Policy program, which draws from multiple academic disciplines — including economics, political science, social psychology, and law — to prepare students for careers as policy analysts. This year, 35 students graduated from the POLS program, and eight students earned MPP degrees.

While MA and MPP degrees can be completed independently in three years of study, the new two-year program sharply reduces the time and cost of pursuing dual degrees by eliminating the overlapping curricula between the two programs.

“My ambition and expectation is that students will find this program to be greater than the sum of its parts,” said Thomas Dee, a professor of education who serves on the Executive Committee for the Public Policy Program. “Stanford's integration of these programs will allow MPP students who are interested in education policy to extend meaningfully their understanding of educational institutions and practice while allowing MA students to deepen and diversify their analytical skills. I expect this to be a potent and compelling combination.”

Accepted students will spend most of their first year concentrating on the core curriculum in both education and public policy programs. The second year will include a combination of remaining program requirements, including an MPP practicum in which students from diverse disciplines team up and partner with a public sector client to tackle practical education policy problems.

“I suspect the graduates of this joint program will thrive both in leadership positions and in senior policy and operational positions that privilege the synthesis of skilled analysis and practical advice,” said Dee. “However, I think the promise of this joint program is that it will position graduates to have greater impact in whatever endeavors they choose—for example, as leaders who can critically interpret the relevant research or as analysts who can draw on a broad knowledge of education.”

Incoming students of the POLS program for the 2013-14 academic year will have the opportunity to apply in the fall quarter to complete the joint MA/MPP degree. Prospective joint MA/MPP candidates for the 2014-15 academic year must first apply to the POLS program through the Graduate School of Education, indicating on their application that they are interested in applying to the Joint MA/MPP degree. If an applicant interested in the joint degree is admitted to the POLS program, the GSE will then forward their application to the Public Policy Program for review. Guidelines for admission will be available in the coming weeks on the GSE website.

The new joint program joins other Graduate School of Education joint degree options: the MA/MBA program, in which students can apply their general management skills to the field of education, and the MA/JD in Law and Education, which combines study for the JD degree in law with an individualized program in education.

Amy Yuen writes frequently for the Graduate School of Education.