Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development

Are you interested in addressing society’s most complex public policy challenges?

Curious about how we can develop and change the policy landscape to create a better world?

Looking for an international career, committed to realising the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals?

In this rigorous, fast-paced one-year Master’s programme, you’ll be trained in designing, monitoring and evaluating policy, equipping you to change the status quo. Gaining a variety of quantitative and qualitative skills, tools and knowledge, you’ll be able to work in policy-related fields in public, private and non-profit organisations the world over.

Unique partnership: the MSc in Public Policy and Human Development (known as MPP for short) is an innovative collaboration between United Nations University (UNU) and Maastricht University (UM)
Duration of programme: 1 year – resulting in two diplomas, one from UM and the other from UNU
Location: Maastricht, The Netherlands
Intensity: full-time (10-14 contact hours and 30-40 hours independent study per week)
Next start date: September 2026

Tuition fees for 2026/27 are: statutory fee €2,695; institutional fee €21,500. Find out the tuition fee that applies in your specific situation, and learn more about your financial aid and scholarship options including the CSC Scholarship Programme.
One MPP Scholarship is awarded annually to an outstanding non-EU applicant and covers the full institutional tuition fee (€21,500). For full eligibility and application details.
Student profile: various academic backgrounds and ages, ranging from recently graduated bachelor’s students to mid-career professionals
Personalised teaching: you can expect training in small international groups, personal guidance and access to 1-on-1 sessions with our MPP Study Advisor
Learning method: Problem-Based Learning, an innovative, active way of learning that improves knowledge retention and encourages critical thinking
4 specialisation options:Social Protection Policy
Migration Studies

Governance of Innovation

Global Governance for Development
Student association: DEMOS UNU-MERIT aims to facilitate student bonding, professional capacity enhancement and network development
Autumn semester focus: strongly quantitative – you’ll learn how to use tools and software that are essential for policy analysis (e.g. statistics, regression analysis and STATA)
Spring semester focus: your chosen specialisation and writing your thesis