Social and Public Policy, Master of Arts
Admission Overview
Admission to the Master of Arts in Social and Public Policy program is selective. This program enrolls new students in the Fall and Spring terms.
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and demonstrate interest in the analysis, development, and evaluation of policies that shape social, economic, and political systems.
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit the following materials for admission consideration:
- Official transcripts from all previously attended colleges and universities
- Personal Statement
- Resume
- $50 nonrefundable orientation fee
Applications are reviewed only when all required materials have been received, including all official transcripts.
How Applications Are Evaluated
Admission decisions are based on a holistic review of:
- Academic history and GPA
- Quality and clarity of the Personal Statement
- Alignment with the program’s mission, including an interest in public problem‑solving
Start Terms
This program admits new students in the:
- Fall
- Spring
Deadlines
Applications are reviewed regularly throughout the year, but only when all required materials—including all previous college transcripts—have been received. To guarantee review for the term of your choice, all application materials must be submitted before the posted general deadline.
Applications submitted by the priority deadline will be reviewed first. Applicants who complete their materials early may receive an admission decision sooner and have a better chance of securing a seat in their preferred term.
If an application becomes complete but space is no longer available, the applicant will be considered for the next available term.
Application deadlines do change from term to term. For specific deadlines, please see the Graduate Admissions Deadline page.
How to Apply
To apply, visit the SUNY Empire application portal and select Graduate:
https://www.sunyempire.edu/application.html
Complete the online application, upload required documents and arrange for all official transcripts to be sent to SUNY Empire. Applications are reviewed only when all required materials have been received.
SUNY Empire alumni and current students do not need to request their Empire transcript.
International Applicants
This program is 100% online. International applicants are eligible to apply. In addition to the listed above, international applicants must submit:
- A NACES‑member course‑by‑course evaluation (e.g., WES) for all non‑U.S. transcripts
- Proof of English language proficiency (TOEFL or IELTS), unless exempt
Additional Information
Please see the Graduate Admission section of this catalog for a complete listing of materials required to complete a graduate application.
Program Curriculum
Students in the M.A. in Social and Public Policy program must take 5 core courses, 4 electives, and a capstone course. The required courses are as follows:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| PPOL 6007 | Policy Process | 3 |
| PPOL 6010 | History and Social Context of U.S. Policy | 3 |
| PPOL 6015 | Policy Implementation | 3 |
CHOOSE: | ||
| PPOL 6021 | Methods for Policy Research (preferred course) | 3 |
OR | ||
| Research Methods (if you intend to pursue doctoral studies) | ||
| PPOL 6030 | Public Policy Analysis | 3 |
| Electives, 3cr (4) | 12 | |
| Capstone Course | ||
| PPOL 7010 | Final Project - Professional Project: Social and Public Policy | 3 |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
* PPOL 6020/PPOL 6021 is a prerequisite for PPOL 7010
Electives
Students must complete 12 credits of electives. Examples of electives include but are not limited to:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PPOL 6070 | Race Class & Gender in U.S. Public Policy | 3 |
| PPOL 6075 | Family Policy | 3 |
| PPOL 6055 | Human Services Policy | 3 |
| PPOL 6035 | Advocacy in State & Community-level Government | 3 |
Transfer Credit
After admission, students should discuss the possibility of transfer credit with their academic advisor. To request transfer credit, students complete the Transfer Credit Request Form available through the Quicklinks box of the Graduate Student Center on MySUNYEmpire.
Typically, 9 credits are acceptable for transfer subject to the Transfer Credit Policy (located in the policy section of this catalog).
Final Project
The final project represents the capstone experience in the program. This shall take the form of a Policy Memorandum, which is designed to support students’ professional and personal goals. This is a challenging task which draws on and brings together the skills and concepts learned through the master’s program. It requires identification of a public policy issue, examination and interpretation of various sources of information relating to the issue including scholarly sources, analysis of possible approaches to the issue and the student’s recommendations regarding the issue. In some cases, students may choose to do a Practicum, a learning opportunity to develop skills and practical insights related to workplace development, analysis, and implementation.
Learning Activities and Course Goals
As the capstone project for the master’s program, the policy memo builds on prior coursework and provides the opportunity for the student to engage in a sustained examination of a major policy issue. The purpose is to reinforce the knowledge and skills required to analyze policy issues, develop defensible positions on policy issues, and clearly communicate a position in the form of a policy memo, which is standard fare in the work of legislators, elected officials, agency heads and other organizational leaders involved in the formation of policy.
The policy memo includes the exploration of a critical issue, the development of alternative approaches to the issue and a reasoned, evidence-based, defensible argument about how the issue should be addressed. It is important to keep in mind the distinction between a policy memo and other academic papers. Whereas academic papers build arguments by gradually introducing the least important ideas first, a policy memo uses an “inverted pyramid” of ideas, delivered as efficiently as possible, beginning with the most important. In a policy memo getting at the truth through the exploration and the interpretation of what is known about an issue is more important than developing new knowledge. As such, no thesis statement or theoretical framework underpins a policy memo.
Course goals:
- The ability to clearly identify a critical policy issue related to the student’s program;
- The ability to identify and access relevant information related to the problem;
- Demonstration of a nuanced comprehension, evaluation and interpretation of the body of knowledge surrounding the issue;
- Exhibition of a disciplined application of knowledge in the formulation of alternative, feasible approaches to the issue; and
- Presentation, in tightly-constructed prose, of a well-reasoned defensible approach to the issue that draws on relevant concepts from previously completed coursework.
The student will engage in the relevant readings for this project and prepare drafts of the policy memo. As opposed to preparing the entire memo all at once, the student will develop the memo in sections as follows: Executive Summary (while this appears first in a policy memo, its exact contents will change as the student progresses through this course); Argument, Counter Arguments, Analysis, Recommendations.
Following instructions in the online course, drafts will be submitted to the instructor for review and comments; the student will revise project drafts and return. This process will be repeated until the draft is accepted by the instructor. While there is no set number of pages for a policy memo, which can range from a page to a hundred pages, for the purposes of this program, 20-30 pages is the target. The specific task should dictate the length. The writer should use a direct, efficient style of writing that results in a “tight” memo that does not ramble or engage in needless repetition.
Practicum
A practicum must be a learning opportunity where you develop skills and practical insights related to the development, analysis, implementation or evaluation in the workplace. It involves considerable work at a specific site or in a fieldwork setting where you can try out the ideas you have developed in this program. A practicum is a very effective way to expand the program knowledge and provide an exciting and challenging culminating experience. It also allows you to use your coursework and gain experience in actual field settings.
In the final project term:
120 hours of unpaid work in the practicum during the term in which a student is registered for final project. The work must be substantive, meaning it cannot be something like routine production or administrative work. Students should consult with their final project instructor for approval of the work to be completed.
Field site supervision by an appropriate professional, or observations of the nature and quality of the work that you do or the projects that you undertake during the practicum. At the end of the practicum, your field supervisor will need to provide an evaluation of the work done in the practicum.
The practicum reflection paper should be 20 to 25 pages long, double-spaced, and in an appropriate font (Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial). It should include primary and secondary source references. The practicum paper should include:
- Analysis of the experience;
- Evaluation of self-identified goals;
- Recommendations for practice or research in the area.
Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Understand the policy process from formation to implementation.
- Create a paradigm for analyzing public policy.
- Intensively engage with specific policy issues.
- Engage in sustained, disciplined research effort.
- Develop competencies that they are likely to need as professionals in the public policy arena.