The University's five-year Bachelor of Arts and master's of public policy (MPP) program was approved by the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia Tuesday.
The program will begin fall 2007 with the vision of preparing students for occupations in the field of public policy.
"Until now, students interested in public policy have not been able to get the opportunity for higher education in that field [at the University], which is ironic at Mr. Jefferson's University," said Eric Patashnik, associate director for the MPP program.
Modeled after the Curry School of Education's Bachelor of Arts and master's of teaching program, the MPP program will allow students to receive a master's degree in five years, with graduate work beginning in their fourth year of undergraduate study.
Students are eligible to apply for admission in the their third year and would spend half of their fourth year taking the graduate public policy courses and complete their remaining degree requirements with the other half, Patashnik said. Students will graduate with their undergraduate class and then participate in a required summer public service internship.
"It seems to me to be a nice compact study that allows students who have a lot of advanced standing to begin to move towards a professional degree," said Provost Gene Block.
Block said he was not concerned that interested students without Advanced Placement credit would be ineligible to even apply for the program because of requirements.
"I think a student can squeeze this in without a lot of advanced standing if they plan ahead. Most of our students come with significant advanced standing," Block said.
A brochure for the MPP program boasts that the University's proximity to Washington will serve as a benefit in providing students with internships in government agencies.
After completing the summer internship, students will return to Grounds for two semesters of public policy courses.
"Classes will be small and intensive, and the curriculum will combine a wide variety of skills," said Patashnik.
Students of all majors and interests will be able to apply to the program during their third year.
"We are limiting the number of slots for the first cohort to 30, but if we don't get 30 we will still start the program," said David Breneman, dean of the Curry School of Education and director of the MPP program.
For now, the program will remain small, but there is talk of future expansion.
"We talked about the possibility of moving this eventually to a new school at the University, and I think that there is an interest in it here, but it would entail significant fundraising," said Breneman.
However, the main goal now is creating a "first-rate" public policy program for undergraduates, according to Patashnik. The program in its current form will receive its funding from within the University.
Both Patashnik and Breneman believe that adding this program will fill an academic gap at the University.
"Every bit of evidence that we have come across shows that this just seems like a natural program for this University; it seems very Jeffersonian," Breneman said.
To learn more about the program, students can attend an information session Oct. 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the auditorium of the Special Collections Library.
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