Master of Science in Public Policy and Management: Fast Track
Back to Work, Faster and Better
This track is right for you if:
- You have three or more years of relevant work experience
- You don't want to put your policy career on hold
- You want to fill some gaps in your quantitative analysis and technological skill sets
Key Program Information
Everything you need to know about the Fast Track of the Master of Science in Public Policy and Management program.
Application Deadlines
- Round 1: December 1, 2026
- Round 2: January 10, 2027
- Round 3: February 1, 2027
Cost of Attendance
Please visit CMU's Student Financial Services website.
Explore the Program
My Heinz College Story: Emily
Emily Wazlak is from Queens, New York. She came to Heinz College after building experience in a Washington, DC policy office. Now, her platform helps female entrepreneurs.
Public Policy and Management: Fast Track Curriculum
For detailed curriculum information, please visit the Master of Science in Public Policy and Management Student Handbook.
- Policy and Politics: American Political Institutions (90-714) or An International Perspective (90-713)
- Applied Economic Analysis (90-710)
- Statistical Reasoning with R (90-711)
- Optimization and Decision Modeling for Policy (90-722)
- Database Management (90-728)
- Organizational Design and Implementation (94-700)
- Financial Statements and Analysis (90-723)
- Writing for Public Policy (90-717)
- Strategic Presentation Skills (90-718)
- Strategic Communication for Public Policy and Management (90-877)
- Public Policy Capstone Project
PLUS
- Optional Summer Internship
For class, syllabi, and faculty information, please visit the Heinz College course catalog.
- Systems Analysis: Environmental Policy (90-798)
- Resilient and Sustainable Communities (90-789)
- Technology, Humanity and Social Justice - Education (94-783)
- Poverty, Inequality and Social Policies: An International Comparison (90-471)
- International Crisis Negotiation Exercise (94-859)
- Telling Stories with Data (94-870)
- Programming R for Analytics (94-842)
- Policy Innovation Lab (90-783)
- Design Thinking (94-866)
- Behavioral Economics (90-880)
- Program Evaluation (90-823)
- Policy in a Global Economy (90-860)
- Elective Politics and Policy-Making (90-754)
- Health Economics (94-705)
- Organizational Change (91-809)
- Evidence-Based Management (94-814)
- Negotiation (94-800)
- Privacy in the Digital Age (94-806)
- Policies of Wireless Systems (95-824)
- Measuring Social (94-823)
- Public Finance (90-736)
- Managing Analytic Projects (94-881)
- Privacy Policy, Technology, and the Law (95-818)
- Cybersecurity Policy and Governance (95-744 and 95-743)
*Elective availability may differ by pathway/location; students may also enroll in graduate-level courses from other Heinz College programs as well as other departments across Carnegie Mellon University’s campus, with approval.
For class, syllabi, and faculty information, please visit the Heinz College course catalog.
For detailed curriculum information, please visit the MSPPM Student Handbook.
Students in the Fast Track can elect an optional concentration in one of the following policy areas:
- AI Management
- Energy and Environmental Policy
- Health Policy
- International Policy
- Nonprofit and Public Management
- Public Interest Technology
- Social Policy
- Technology Governance, Cybersecurity, and Privacy Policy
- Urban & Regional Economic Development
- U.S. Politics and Policy Making
Sample Public Policy and Management: Fast Track Class Schedule
- At Carnegie Mellon University, courses are counted in units instead of credits.
- Three units are roughly equivalent to one credit at many of our peer institutions.
- A semester-long course is 12 units, while a half-semester class (called a mini) is six units.
The following schedules are intended to be examples of the structure of the semester. Courses may not always be offered in this fashion.
Sample Schedule: Fall
| Fall, Mini 1 | Fall, Mini 2 |
| Statistical Reasoning with R | Statistical Reasoning with R |
| Applied Economic Analysis | Applied Economic Analysis |
| Organizational Design and Implementation | Writing for Public Policy |
| Strategic Presentation Skills | Strategic Presentation Skills |
| Total Units: 24 | Total Units: 24 |
Sample Schedule: Spring
| Optimization and Decision Modeling for Policy | Optimization and Decision Modeling for Policy |
| Policy and Politics: An American Perspective | Policy and Politics: An American Perspective |
| Financial Statements and Analysis | Intro to Database Management |
| U.S. Energy and Climate Policy | Affordable Housing Policy and Finance |
| Total Units: 24 | Total Units: 24 |
