Joint Degree Programs

Stanford land with Hoover in the distance

Students enrolled in or applying to certain degree programs in the Schools of Business, Education, Engineering, Humanities and Sciences, and Law are eligible to apply for Public Policy joint degrees. Applicants should refer to the application instructions for the home program on how to apply as a joint degree candidate in Public Policy. For further information, see the "Joint Degree Programs" section of the Stanford bulletin and the University Registrar's site.

 

Public Policy Joint Degree Requirements

  1. A joint degree is regarded by the University as distinct from either of its component degrees, and requirements for the joint degree differ from the sum of the requirements for the individual degrees.
  2. Up to a maximum of 45 units, or one year, of the University residency requirement can be credited toward both graduate degree programs (i.e., the joint degree requirements may contain up to 45 units less than the sum of the individual degree unit requirements). For example, a JD/MPP has a four-year residency requirement, one year less than the sum of the requirements for the separate degrees. This recognizes that there is a subject matter overlap between the fields comprising the joint degree.
  3. The Public Policy Program strives to encourage an intellectual, professional, and social community among its students. For this reason, joint degree students are strongly encouraged to devote one year of full-time study at Stanford entirely to the Public Policy Program, rather than spacing Public Policy courses throughout their graduate careers. For joint degree Ph.D. students, the core requirements of the M.P.P. should be completed over two contiguous years of study, during which students may also be enrolled in courses from their Ph.D. program. Exceptions to this structure must be approved in advance by petition.
  4. Joint degree students are expected to have and to consult regularly with an academic advisor. The advisor is generally a member of the faculty of both degree programs and must be a member of Academic Council. The program director and staff are available to make advisor recommendations.
  5. In order to take advantage of the reduced residency requirement, joint MPP students must define their area of concentration from among courses offered in their non-Public Policy program. Students wishing to concentrate in another field should apply for a dual, rather than a joint, MPP degree.