Master of Public Policy 4 Plus 1 Program
Application and Guidelines
The Master of Public Policy (MPP) 4 Plus 1 program allows promising undergraduate students to complete their undergraduate and MPP degrees in five years instead of the usual six years that it takes to complete both degrees separately. (For more information about the MPP, visit www.liberalarts.temple.edu/mpp)
How it Works. The MPP curriculum consists of a total of 36 credits. Students may enter the 4 Plus 1 program as juniors or seniors. Those who enter as juniors take four 3-credit courses (12 credits total) while they are undergraduates and take the remaining 24 credits as full-time MPP students in the summer following graduation and the Plus 1 year. The 12 MPP credits that students take towards the MPP degree as undergraduates count as credit for both their Bachelor’s and MPP degrees. Those who enter the 4 Plus 1 program as seniors take three 3-credit courses (9 credits total) while they are seniors. Students take the remaining 27 credits after they earn their undergraduate degrees as full-time MPP students during the summer following graduation and the Plus 1 year.
Where Classes are Held. Students take all of the required MPP courses and select electives at the Center City campus.
When to Apply. To enter the program as a junior, apply once you reach 45 or more credits towards your undergraduate degree and up to the start of your junior year. Take one MPP course in each of the last four semesters of your careers as undergraduate students. To enter the program as a senior, you should apply once you reach 75 or more credits towards your undergraduate degree and up to the start of your senior year. Take three MPP courses in the last two semesters of your career as an undergraduate student (see course schedule below).
Requirements and Procedures for Admissions. Students who apply for the MPP 4 Plus 1 program must complete the application form (see below) and submit it to
Requirements for admission:
* a completed application form (see page two below)
* a resume
* a personal statement that addresses the applicant’s goals in the program, followed by a meeting with the MPP Director to discuss the applicant’s suitability for the program
* three letters of recommendations from faculty who have taught the student in at least one course (one of the letters must come from a full-time Temple instructor in the student’s major)
* a 3.5 GPA or higher in all undergraduate courses
* approval to enter the program from the Director of the MPP program
* proof that the student is able to devote 9 credits as “free electives” if they enter as seniors (or 12 credits if they enter as juniors) outside of their undergraduate major or be permitted to count specific MPP courses towards their major requirements, or some combination. (PLCY 8118 and POLS 8001 qualify for the BA and MPP for Political Science majors; ECON 8122 qualifies for Economics majors.)
Students who have been accepted into the 4 Plus 1 program must apply formally to the Graduate School for admission in their last semester as undergraduates by completing the Temple University Graduate Application Form and paying the non-refundable application fee. Applicants will be officially admitted to the MPP Program effective in the Summer session after they graduate with their Bachelor’s degree
Applicants are not required to take the GRE exam or to take any particular courses or course of study as a perquisites for admission.
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Students should begin by submitting the application form (see below) and their resume to with “+1 Admissions” in the subject line. Next, they should make an appointment with Andriana Mylonas( ) in the College of Liberal Arts Academic Advising (Paley Library, suite 160). Students whose majors are in colleges other than CLA should seek advising from an adviser in their college. The adviser should notify the Director of the MPP Program as to whether it will be feasible for the student to complete their BA/BS degree in 4 years while being enrolled in the +1 program. Students should send in the completed documentation for the +1 program only after they have heard from the MPP Director or Assistant Director.Program of Study. Students who enroll in their junior year would take the following sequence of courses (4 courses @ 3 credits each = 12 credits):
Junior Year
Fall Semester Spring Semester
The Policymaking Process (PLCY 8118) / Political Statistics (POLS 8001)Senior Year
Fall Semester Spring Semester
Economics of the Public Sector (ECON 8122) / Policy Analysis (PLCY 8119)Students who enroll in the 4 Plus One program in their senior year would take the following sequence of courses (3 courses @ 3 credits each = 9 credits):
Fall Semester Spring Semester
The Policymaking Process (PLCY 8118)Economics of the Public Sector (ECON 8122) / Political Statistics (POLS 8001)
Students take the remaining courses (24 credits if they entered as juniors and 27 credits if they entered as seniors) in the summer following graduation and in the fall and spring semesters of their Plus 1 year.
The sequence of courses for students in the Capital Semester program in Harrisburg and the Washington Semester program is a bit different from the regular 4 Plus 1 students. In the semester in which they are in Harrisburg or Washington, students would fulfill the MPP internship requirement by registering for PLCY 5085. Students who go to Harrisburg or Washington during the fall or spring semesters would need to take the required MPP course that they missed that semester during their Plus 1 year or in the summer after they graduate.
Application
Please Print
Name______TU ID Number ______
Major______Minor ______
Email address ______Phone ______
Number of credits earned towards undergraduate degree______(count only courses completed)
Number of credits in progress (during current semester) ______
Semester and year that you plan to graduate with BA/BS degree:
_____Fall _____ Spring ______Year
Please submit to Jeff Antsen at or in his mailbox in room 410 Gladfelter Hall