Description of the video:
The Master of Public Policy program at the O'Neill School is perfect for anyone who is interested in using data and analytical tools to solve the most pressing issues that we're facing both globally and domestically.
I want to work in political opinion survey research. I gained a passion for statistics and the quantitative side of things, but I didn't have any academic background in that. So, I definitely wanted a program that was heavily quantitative focused.
I would ideally like to work in economic and environmental policy analysis. I got my undergraduate degree in economics and so the very quantitative heavy coursework was what I was used to and it was where I thought I would excel.
Because the Master of Public Policy is focused on data analysis and using evidence to make good decisions, graduates from our MPP program can work in any sector, whether it be nonprofit, government, or private sector, and in consulting firms.
Anywhere that they are required to understand public policy, data analysis, they're prime for those positions.
Indiana, O'Neill especially does a great job of combining the Big 10 resources with the sort of small campus feel that you get with smaller class sizes in the O'Neill program.
I really enjoy the small class sizes. You can really get to know your professors and your other classmates.
One of the things that really sets the O'Neill School apart is we're a top five ranked policy analysis program.
This ranking means that students have access to the top faculty and researchers in policy analysis. This includes scholars in social policy, health policy, energy and environmental policy, and even arts and cultural policy.
I think professors having such a wide range of interests and so much research that they are focused in on is fantastic for learning.
At the same time, they talk to you like you're on the same level as them. It feels like they really want to help you succeed past your time at O'Neill.
In the first year, our MPP and our MPA students take many of the same courses focused on statistics, economics, program evaluation, and benefit cost analysis, and they take the courses from the faculty that are teaching in our top ranked MPA programs.
It's in the second year where we really accelerate the quantitative coursework for our MPP students.
I would describe the MPP as a program that teaches you how to apply quantitative tools to qualitative situations. You're going to learn a lot about statistics and situations surrounding policy that you can apply statistical analysis to.
In addition to the core and our concentrations, they'll have a capstone experience where they will work in groups for a real world client and they will also have the internship where they can apply what they've learned in their classes.
One of the other great things about the Master of Public Policy is that it holds a STEM designation which has a number of benefits for students seeking this degree.
I think the O'Neill School provides a lot of very valuable opportunities.
IU has a huge alumni network, but so does O'Neill. And O'Neill has alumni come back all the time and talk to you about what they've done in their careers after leaving O'Neill. And they also look to hire a lot of O'Neill grads.
I think that studying and understanding public policy is extremely important because there are public policy decisions in everything around us.
Every policy, every bill that's passed in Congress, every executive order that's made, there's people behind that who crunch the numbers and inform the elected officials.
Our faculty and students from a variety of policy areas regularly collaborate with one another.
That's what makes the O'Neill School so special is that we're all together under one roof sharing and collaborating so that we provide the best information to solve the most pressing issues in society today.
