r/PublicPolicy • u/PacNWBrah • 4d ago

Opinions on Oregon State’s MPP program?

Hi there! I’m a mid-career public servant with a BA in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development. Recently I’ve been considering going back to school for my Master’s degree and one program that has hit the top of my list is Oregon State’s MPP. The big pro for me is that it’s offered online, and since I live in WA state and a good distance from Corvallis, it seems like a good option.

Another couple of schools I’m considering are The Evergreen State College’s MPA and Eastern WA University’s MPA. Pros for these are proximity and connections in-state, also the potential for tuition waivers through my employer. OSU wins out for me from a reputation standpoint (larger school, more networking opportunities) and flexibility of online classes.

Anyone gone through OSU’s program or know someone who has?

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u/hurriedquantity1234 4d ago

The online MPP space is weirdly small, so I get why OSU stands out just by existing as a legit option. A friend did their environmental policy track a couple years back and the thing she kept mentioning was how much the program pushed quant skills, way more than she expected from a policy degree. She came out of it way more comfortable with R and cost-benefit analysis than when she started, which seemed to open doors she wasn't anticipating.

That said, if your employer can knock out a big chunk of tuition at Evergreen or Eastern WA, I'd at least sit with that for a minute. An MPA from a school with strong local ties isn't flashy, but the debt difference is real and you already know the landscape in WA. OSU's network is broader, but if you're planning to stay in the PNW, those in-state connections might actually carry more weight than a bigger name.

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u/PacNWBrah 4d ago

Thanks for sharing! Good to know about the focus on quant/analysis skills. I could definitely see that focus being helpful for advancement in my agency.

Also get that connections are huge. Evergreen’s program is big on that (proximity to the state capitol is a big benefit), but I’m struggling with their lack of accreditation from NASPAA.

Eastern seems to be the best of both worlds, appears to have shifted to 100% online/asynchronous classes, but would have some logistics to work out (in-person registration with a tuition waiver, so three/four trips a year to Spokane but free tuition 🤷🏻‍♂️).