Master of Science in Public Policy
Rochester, USA
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2024
TUITION FEES
USD 41,424 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* applications are taken on a rolling basis
** $41,424 - $54,974 | based on credits taken
Introduction
The MS degree in Science, Technology, and Public Policy enables students to work at the intersection of engineering, science, technology, and public policy. The program builds on RIT’s strengths as a technological university, enabling students to interact with faculty and researchers who are working on scientific developments and technological innovations that drive new public policy considerations. The public policy master is interdisciplinary and draws significantly from disciplines and courses throughout RIT. It is geared toward producing graduates who will make significant contributions in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors.
All students in the MS degree in science, technology, and public policy take a set of policy core courses that emphasize analysis, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary approaches. Students work with an adviser to choose electives that focus their policy studies in a particular area, such as environmental policy, climate change policy, health care policy, STEM education policy, telecommunications policy, or energy policy. Typical students include those with science or engineering backgrounds seeking to broaden their career opportunities in government or business settings, as well as those with undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts (e.g., economics) who are interested in science, technology, and policy issues. Full-time students can typically finish the program in one to two years. The program prides itself on working one-on-one with students to ensure that their educational needs and academic goals are attained.
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
RIT awards more than $37 million in merit scholarships and assistantships to graduate students each year. Scholarship awards range from 5% of tuition all the way up to full tuition. Awards are based on an applicant's academic excellence. Many things are considered when awarding scholarships - undergraduate grades, graduate placement test scores, and your research and work experience all factor in.
Graduate assistantships are offered to full-time matriculated graduate students to serve as teaching, research, or administrative assistants. Graduate Assistants receive wages (determined by the department making the appointment) in exchange for work performed. Many graduate assistants also receive tuition remission (i.e., tuition support) in addition to receiving wages for assistantship duties.
Graduate students can be awarded both scholarships and assistantships. These funding opportunities are the same for both US and international applicants.
RIT awards more than $30 million in merit scholarships and assistantships to graduate students each year. Scholarship awards range from 10% - 40% of tuition. Our median scholarship amount is around 30% of tuition or $13,000. Awards are based on an applicant's academic excellence. Many things are considered when awarding scholarships - undergraduate grades, graduate placement test scores, and your research and work experience all factor in.
Graduate assistantships are offered to full-time matriculated graduate students to serve as teaching, research, or administrative assistants. Graduate Assistants receive wages (determined by the department making the appointment) in exchange for work performed. Many graduate assistants also receive tuition remission (i.e., tuition support) in addition to receiving wages for assistantship duties.
Graduate students can be awarded both scholarships and assistantships. These funding opportunities are the same for both US and international applicants.
Optional Co-Op: cooperative education is paid work assignments with corporations and organizations around the U.S. and abroad. Co-op allows students to spend one or more semesters employed in a full-time, paid position related to their academic program before they graduate. Many students use co-op earnings to help finance their education.
Work-Study: graduate students studying full-time may apply to work part-time on campus. RIT has more than 9,000 jobs available each year, and students typically work 10 – 20 hours per week. International students studying on an F-1 or J-1 visa may work up to 20 hours per week on campus and 40 hours during break periods.
Curriculum
The program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours and consists of five required core courses, three elective courses, and the completion of a thesis or comprehensive exam. The thesis option allows students to work with a faculty adviser on an independent research project in their area of interest.
Science, Technology and Public Policy, MS degree, typical course sequence
First Year
- PUBL-700 Readings in Public Policy
- PUBL-701 Graduate Policy Analysis
- STSO-710 Graduate Science and Technology Policy Seminar
- PUBL-702 Graduate Decision Analysis
- PUBL-703 Evaluation and Research Design
- Graduate Electives
Choose one of the following:
- PUBL-790 Public Policy Thesis
- PUBL-798 Comprehensive Exam plus 2 Graduate Electives
Electives
Students choose three elective courses based on their interests and career goals. Courses may be offered in various colleges throughout the university, including the colleges of Business, Engineering, Engineering Technology, and Science. Course selection is completed jointly with a faculty adviser and typically aims to develop a specialized area of interest for the student (e.g., biotechnology policy, environmental policy, energy policy, communications policy, etc.).
Career Opportunities
Industries
- Management Consulting
- Higher Education
- Politics
- Non-Profit
English Language Requirements
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