The McCourt School of Public Policy is one of eleven constituent schools of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The McCourt School offers master's degrees in public policy, international development policy, policy management, data science for public policy, and policy leadership as well as administers several professional certificate programs and houses fifteen affiliated research centers. The McCourt School has twenty-one full-time faculty members, ten visiting faculty members, more than one-hundred adjunct faculty members and approximately 450 enrolled students across the various degree and executive education programs. The school is based in Old North, the oldest academic building on Georgetown University's main campus. Formerly known as the Georgetown Public Policy Institute (GPPI), the McCourt School became Georgetown University's ninth school in October 2013 as a result of a $100 million gift from Georgetown University alumnus Frank McCourt.

History

Establishing a public policy school in Washington, D.C. originated as an idea in the Georgetown University Department of Government and Economics in the late 1970s. In 1980, the Government Department instituted a certificate program and in 1982 hired two junior faculty members to teach courses in public policy. For the next five years, the Public Policy Program expanded, granting a master's degree program in government with a concentration in public policy to approximately 15 students. In 1985, the Government Department hired the first part-time director to help establish the framework for the Public Policy Program. By the late 1980s, enrollment in the program had grown to about 75 students. In 1990, the new president of Georgetown University, Father Leo O'Donovan, S.J., prioritized the expansion of the Public Policy Program under the direction of the program's first full-time director, Colin Campbell S.J., a Georgetown professor of philosophy and politics. Dr. Campbell was charged with the task of significantly expanding the program's faculty, students, and facilities. In 1996 the Public Policy Program was renamed the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. Dr. Judy Feder was appointed dean in 2001. Faculty, applications, enrollment, staff, and facilities all grew under Dr. Feder's tenure. Most notably, three master's degree programs were added to the school: Master of Policy Management degree for mid-career students in 2001, MPM-Public Service (MPM-PS) for students from government agencies in 2004, and an evening program to supplement the traditional Masters of Public Policy (MPP). In 2013, the university announced a $100 million gift—the largest single gift in Georgetown University history—from alumnus Frank McCourt (C’75) for the establishment of the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown's ninth school, and their first new one since the McDonough School of Business was formed in 1957. Under the leadership of Dean Edward B. Montgomery, the McCourt School launched its first year in October 2013 and enrolled its first students in the Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) program in the fall of 2012. The McCourt School launched the Executive Master in Public Policy Leadership in 2014. In 2021, Frank McCourt donated an additional $100 million to the school, half of which is to be used to fund faculty and research and the other half of which will support financial aid.

Academics

Master of Public Policy Degree

The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is a 48 credit hour program offered as both a two-year full-time and three year evening program. The program's focus is designed to meet the needs of individuals desiring a strong analytical background, particularly those planning careers in public or private sector policy analysis and management.

Dual degrees

For the MPP degree, MSPP offers dual degree programs with Georgetown Law Center, McDonough School of Business, Walsh School of Foreign Service, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, as well as with the University of Geneva, and HEC Paris:

Master of International Development Policy

The Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) is a 48-credit degree program. The curriculum of the program teaches the quantitative skills needed to formulate policy solutions with a focus on politics, management, and ethics of development.

Master of Policy Management Degree

The Master of Policy Management (MPM) is a 36-credit hour mid-career degree program focused on analytics, management, and substance within specific policy areas. The Program is designed for policy professionals with five to seven years of substantial policy and/or management experience.

Executive Master in Policy Leadership

The 30-credit Executive Master of Policy Leadership (EMPL) equips policy professionals with the knowledge and leadership skills necessary to advance to senior leadership and executive level positions. The curriculum is designed with special attention to the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) for the Senior Executive Service (SES). The EMPL is delivered in a 5-day executive format.

Non-credit certificates

Certificate in Educational Leadership and Management is a non-credit professional development certificate designed to help local and state education officials support and lead improvement efforts.

Customized executive education

These are customized training programs in a variety of topics: international and domestic public policy issue areas; Congress and the executive branch; leadership and management; program evaluation and quantitative methods; writing for public policy; political organizing and influence; as well as other topics.

International programs

MSPP offers a number of global learning opportunities including a dual degree with the University of Geneva, five study abroad options, a Spring Break immersion experience, and a sustainable development project.

Faculty

The McCourt School consists of twenty core faculty members, ten visiting faculty members, and more than one hundred adjunct faculty members. A 2010 report by the Women in Public Policy group at the Goldman School of Public Policy found that of ten leading public policy schools, that MSPP ranked #1 in the overall percent of tenured and tenure track faculty that are women (about forty percent).

Rankings

The McCourt School is a top ranked public policy graduate school in the United States. The 2023 U.S. News & World Report ranked the school 10th best among graduate public affairs programs and 5th best in international global policy and administration. The McCourt School, ranked first in the Washington, D.C. area, was also rated 9th best in health policy and management, 10th in public policy analysis, and 10th in social policy. The McCourt School is not ranked by the National Research Council because it does not have a doctoral program.

Student organizations

Research centers, projects and organizations

The McCourt School's affiliated centers are engaged in research, professional training, and sharing of information on Congress, health policies, and social policies.

List of deans

Notable faculty

Notable Alumni