Public Policy Program Sees Rise in Matriculation

The number of students who will enter the Kennedy School of Government's two year Master of Public Policy program (MPP) next year increased slightly this year, with about half of those admitted accepting the K-School's offer.

But admissions officials anticipate a shift in the composition of the student body to include more women, more students from non-Ivy League schools and more from working class backgrounds.

From an applicant pool 12 percent larger than last year's, the K-School made 322 offers of admission. The number of students accepting an offer of admission to the MPP program climbed from 149 last year to 155 this year.

However, officials reported a decline in acceptances to the mid-career Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, down to 32 from last year's 37.

Thirty-four percent of the incoming students will be women, up from approximately 20 percent in previous years. Officials attribute this trend to increased recruiting, as they try to broaden the applicant base the admissions office now receives applications from at least 109 institutions, as opposed to the 45 schools it tapped previously, according to Assistant Dean and director of MPP admissions Calvin N. Mosley.

Minorities

The percentage of minority and foreign students coming to the K-School increased for the MPA program but decreased in the MPP program. Nearly half of the Black students accepted to the K-School come from a special minority program which trains college students who express an interest in public policy, then pays them tuition and a stipend.

"The program makes it easier for us to recruit, because it takes away the economic incentives," Mosley said, adding that many students who might go to the K-School instead choose law or other professional schools for the estimated economic returns.