2-year, full-time program with 72 units of coursework (~18 courses)
Core in Global Problems, Policy, and Practice (4 courses)
Methods Training (4 courses)
Electives (at least 7 courses)
Summer Internship (1 course)
Capstone Project (2 courses)
What are the strategic dilemmas that generate global problems – climate change, labor exploitation, democratic erosion – and what institutional remedies exist?
How do global forces shape domestic politics, policy, and planning? How do local efforts account for global dynamics?
What political and ideational forces have produced paradigm shifts in how development and cooperation are understood and practiced? Which prevailing approaches are now vulnerable, and what could replace them?
The actors that shape global policy and practice: cities, national governments, nonprofits both international and local, firms, and multilateral institutions. What do these actors want, and what can they do about it?
Students graduate with an appreciation for how different kinds of data can guide decision-making.
An introduction to participant observation, focus groups, and interviewing, in service of designing programs that meet people’s needs.
An applied course in evaluating policy impacts credibly and weighing them against delivery costs.
Students take at least seven electives that relate to the program’s five areas of concentration (AoCs):
Climate change is the defining challenge of this century, and its impacts fall most heavily on the most vulnerable. Learn to develop policies and practices that address both the causes and consequences of climate disruption at every scale.
Authoritarianism and illiberal democracy are on the rise. Learn to strengthen democratic institutions, advance human rights, and learn about the governance practices that protect the foundations of open societies.
The 21st century is the most urban century in human history, and the great majority of urban growth is happening in the Global South. Learn to address the governance, inequality, and development challenges reshaping the world’s cities.
The pandemic revealed the fragility of health care, safety net programs, and social protection systems worldwide. Learn to design, evaluate, and implement effective social policies in a comparative global context.
From AI and data privacy to social media and biotechnology, rapid technological change is disrupting democratic norms, human rights, and global institutions. Learn to shape the policies governing these forces.
All students select an area of concentration and take four courses in their chosen area. Students’ capstone courses can count toward this requirement if their project is relevant to their chosen AoC.
Every MGPA student completes a professional internship in the summer between Year 1 and Year 2 – a minimum of 300 hours over at least eight weeks. Placements span the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, domestically and internationally. Staff and mentors help facilitate placements.
Mid-career applicants with substantial relevant professional experience may apply to waive the internship by submitting a 2,000-word reflective paper and resume documentation.
In Year 2, every student completes a capstone project to demonstrate mastery. Working closely with faculty and peers, students produce an original applied research project that involves unpacking a real-world problem, proposing solutions, and generating actionable recommendations.
YEAR 1
Fall
3 courses · 12 units
Winter
3 courses · 12 units
Spring
3 courses · 12 units
YEAR 2
Fall
3 courses · 12 units
Winter
3 courses · 12 units
Spring
3 courses · 12 units
The world needs new rules written by a new generation of global leaders.
UCLA’s MGPA gives you the ideas, the experience, and the network to be one of them.
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