Stanford offers excellent programs leading to an MA in Public Policy and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) <https://publicpolicy.stanford.edu/undergraduate/major>. Yet these programs do not attract as many students as might be expected. As the university becomes more interested in enhancing its impact on societal problem solving at scale, it is asking whether Stanford's current policy offerings are making full use of the breadth, creativity, and institutional capacity across the campus. With this in mind, Debra Satz and George Triantis, deans of the School of H&S and SLS respectively, have convened a group of faculty and senior fellows to discuss the possibilities for reinvigorating the MPP - not to create a new school at Stanford, but rather to serve as a key node that draws together existing hubs of policy-oriented teaching and research. The Policy Lab will play a role in this effort, asking questions such as: (1) Given recent developments in foundational social science, societal conditions, technology, and geopolitics, what is a sound core curriculum in public policy that is simultaneously attractive to a broad range of students and sufficiently rigorous to meet both Stanford's own standards and those of an external accrediting body? (2) For what careers should we prepare our MPP graduates? We should consider positions in state and local as well as national governments, the vast nonprofit sector, and also the growing need for policy and government-related expertise in the for-profit sector (e.g., corporations, law firms). What curricular changes do we need if we fully reflect the fact that people with expertise in public policy play important roles in a wide array of occupations? (3) Should the MPP program add concentrations that draw on the expertise of faculty in various departments? (4) What would be the demand for an enhanced MPP (a) among current undergraduates considering it as a co-term program and (b) among potential applicants from outside of Stanford? To address these questions we will examine enrollment trends and careers of graduates in Stanford's programs; examine peer institutions' MPP programs to learn what they treat as foundational courses, how they present themselves to applicants, and what career paths their students take; catalog Stanford University's many policy-oriented programs with an eye to involving them in this effort; identify core policy topics that would provide a foundational base of knowledge and level the field among students of different backgrounds; consider the opportunities for offering concentrations in fields ranging from data science to health policy to corporate governance. The Policy Lab invites students from other disciplines as well as Stanford Law students. Elements used in grading: Attendance, performance, class participation, research team participation, written assignments. CONSENT APPLICATION: Interested students should submit a Policy Lab application (go to link SLS Registrar https://registrar.law.stanford.edu/).
2 units · Law Honors/Pass/Restrd Cr/Fail
Stanford offers excellent programs leading to an MA in Public Policy and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) <https://publicpolicy.stanford.edu/undergraduate/major>. Yet these programs do not attract as many students as might be expected. As the university becomes more interested in enhancing its impact on societal problem solving at scale, it is asking whether Stanford's current policy offerings are making full use of the breadth, creativity, and institutional capacity across the campus. With this in mind, Debra Satz and George Triantis, deans of the School of H&S and SLS respectively, have convened a group of faculty and senior fellows to discuss the possibilities for reinvigorating the MPP - not to create a new school at Stanford, but rather to serve as a key node that draws together existing hubs of policy-oriented teaching and research. The Policy Lab will play a role in this effort, asking questions such as: (1) Given recent developments in foundational social science, societal conditions, technology, and geopolitics, what is a sound core curriculum in public policy that is simultaneously attractive to a broad range of students and sufficiently rigorous to meet both Stanford's own standards and those of an external accrediting body? (2) For what careers should we prepare our MPP graduates? We should consider positions in state and local as well as national governments, the vast nonprofit sector, and also the growing need for policy and government-related expertise in the for-profit sector (e.g., corporations, law firms). What curricular changes do we need if we fully reflect the fact that people with expertise in public policy play important roles in a wide array of occupations? (3) Should the MPP program add concentrations that draw on the expertise of faculty in various departments? (4) What would be the demand for an enhanced MPP (a) among current undergraduates considering it as a co-term program and (b) among potential applicants from outside of Stanford? To address these questions we will examine enrollment trends and careers of graduates in Stanford's programs; examine peer institutions' MPP programs to learn what they treat as foundational courses, how they present themselves to applicants, and what career paths their students take; catalog Stanford University's many policy-oriented programs with an eye to involving them in this effort; identify core policy topics that would provide a foundational base of knowledge and level the field among students of different backgrounds; consider the opportunities for offering concentrations in fields ranging from data science to health policy to corporate governance. The Policy Lab invites students from other disciplines as well as Stanford Law students. Elements used in grading: Attendance, performance, class participation, research team participation, written assignments. CONSENT APPLICATION: Interested students should submit a Policy Lab application (go to link SLS Registrar https://registrar.law.stanford.edu/).
Offered in Autumn 2026 at Stanford University.