Penn State's Master of Public Policy program has been accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), according to the university. The credential is good for seven years. It comes eight years into the school's existence, and it followed a self-study plus a site visit by NASPAA representatives earlier this year, per Penn State.
The timing matters for anyone tracking how public policy programs are built. The school welcomed its first cohort of MPP students in 2019. Those students graduated two years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Accreditation now arrives on that compressed timeline; the site visit committee wrote that growing the school so quickly in a short time, with such a demonstrated impact on students, is "phenomenal."
For readers weighing public service careers, the practical effect is straightforward. School Director Lilliard Richardson said accreditation will allow the program to continue expanding and attracting students and faculty from around the country. "It's nice to get that stamp of approval for the work we're doing," Richardson said. That expansion goal sits within a broader pipeline of programs that feed people into government and nonprofit work. We covered a connected angle in What the Weatherization Assistance Program covers, and how to apply. We covered a connected angle in What the Weatherization Assistance Program covers, and how to apply.
What the site visit committee found
The NASPAA committee that conducted the site visit commended the program's versatility, curriculum, programming, student outcomes and what it called "exceptional" leadership. The committee wrote that the school is "already positioning the Penn State campus as a leader in connecting talent of any major to government and nonprofit positions." For related coverage, see How Medicaid enrollment works, and why processing times vary by state. For related coverage, see How Medicaid enrollment works, and why processing times vary by state.
Richardson said the team was "very impressed" with the program's professional development initiatives, including trips to Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg. "When we heard from the site visit team that we're doing things the right way, it reinforced to the faculty and staff why we're doing this work," he said.
How the accreditation process worked
The process required the school to track a range of outcomes. Those included the types of internships and jobs students land and the overall rigor of the curriculum, per the university's account. NASPAA accreditation is, in Richardson's words, "mission-driven."
The mission in this case is pre-service. Most students arrive with little work experience, so the program concentrates on job skills. That shapes several hard requirements:
- Internships are required for students with no professional public policy experience.
- Students must complete a capstone project for a real-world client.
- Training covers economics and statistics alongside public policy itself.
- Annual Career Exploration Day trips to Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg let students network with Penn State alumni while exploring policy careers.
One concrete adjustment emerged from that tracking. Students from nontechnical majors were struggling in the statistics course, so the school built a voluntary lab outside of class. "You always need to be tracking the process to see if the students are encountering problems in terms of the competencies," Richardson said.
Where the program goes from here
With accreditation in hand, the school is focused on growing the MPP program and its more recently established undergraduate program, Richardson said. He credited Clarence Lang, the Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts, and the university for support during the process.
The arc is worth noting for what it says about institutional scaling. Richardson was recruited from Indiana University in July 2018 by Susan Welch, the late former dean, to establish the school. "I joke that when I first got here the school was me and my laptop," he said. Eight years into the school's existence, the program holds a seven-year credential. What remains unknown from the available record is how much the program will grow; no enrollment targets appear in the university's announcement.
This article is independent editorial coverage. SocialGov is not affiliated with Penn State or NASPAA and does not speak for either. Program details above come from the university's announcement, and readers should confirm current details with the school directly.
