Amplifying the Brown School's ability to make a significant and lasting impact by advancing social and health equity, students have the opportunity to earn a Master of Social Policy (MSP) degree in conjunction with previous or complementary graduate programs in related fields such as social work and public health. In addition, the MSP dual-degree program also attracts students enrolled with select global partners and students who pursue a JD/MSP joint degree with the Brown School and the School of Law.
The Brown School is a leader in translating research to inform policy in St. Louis, in the United States, and around the world. The MSP program combines knowledge and skill-building to prepare students for a variety of positions at local, regional, national, and international policy levels. An MSP degree provides students with training across statistics, economics, politics, analysis, and management to substantively engage with social issues and to effectively design, manage, and evaluate social policy.
Master of Social Policy
Course Requirements
Total credit hours: 31 new MSP credits offered by the Brown School, in addition to 12 credit units (four courses) applied from approved graduate degree programs, for a total of 43 credits. To fulfill the MSP degree requirements, students must complete the following:
- Five required courses (15 credit units)
- Three elective courses (9 credit units)
- Short intensive courses (4 credit units)
- One internship (3 credit units)
Program Requirements
Students take at least one course from each foundation area. The minimum core requirement for each area must have been taken before a student may enroll in another course option. Students may take additional core course options as their electives.
Statistics (3 credits)
Economics (3 credits)
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| SWSA 5011 | Economics of Social Welfare | 3 |
| SWSP 5650 | Benefit-Cost Analysis | 3 |
| MPH 5120 | Health Economics | 3 |
| SWHS 5018 | Economic Realities of the American Dream | 3 |
Politics (3 credits)
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| SWSP 5861 | Domestic Social & Economic Development | 3 |
| or SWSP 5862 | International Social & Economic Development Policy |
| or SWSP 5635 | Policy & Advocacy in the Three Branches of Government |
| or SWSP 5640 | Influencing Policy Implementation |
| MPH 5107 | Policy, Politics & Power in Global Health | 3 |
Policy Analysis (3 credits)
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| SWSP 5842 | Social Policy Analysis & Evaluation | 3 |
| SWSP 5620 | Advanced Policy Analysis: Policy Impact Assessment | 3 |
| SWSP 5830 | Policy Design Lab | 3 |
Management (3 credits)
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| SWSP 5610 | Public Administration, Finance & Government Budgeting | 3 |
| SWSA 5019 | Leading & Managing Employees, Volunteers & Teams | 3 |
| |
Elective Courses (9 credits)
Students can draw from more than 40 elective course options and 25 skill labs. Electives generally fall into the areas of skills and analysis, current issues and policy topics, program and policy development, and economics and business. Please note that some electives may require instructor approval or have prerequisites, corequisites, or sequencing that must be completed.
Short Intensive Courses (4 credits)
MSP short courses engage students in timely areas of policy practice across a broad range of topics and skills. To complement the foundation and elective course work that students complete, the short courses are led by Brown School faculty and completed in intensive formats, typically over one to two weeks ahead of the fall semester.
Internship (3 credits)
A key component of the MSP program is a culminating internship during which students apply their course work and prior field experience toward identifying and completing significant opportunities for policy analysis, implementation and/or practice. To ensure a substantive experience that provides students with a quality practice experience while meeting the needs of diverse policy partner organizations, students complete 3 credits (360 hours) in a full-time policy role, typically over the summer; this generally involves approximately 36 hours per week for 10 weeks or 30 hours per week for 12 weeks.
