The Master’s in Public Policy at Chanakya University empowers future leaders to navigate and shape the policy landscape with purpose and insight. Offered by the School of Law, Governance and Public Policy, the program brings together legal thinking, ethical governance, and grounded public policy in an Indian and global context. Rooted in civilizational wisdom and driven by real-world engagement, it prepares students to lead transformative change in a world that demands both vision and action.
The Master’s in Public Policy at Chanakya University is an intensive 80-credit program designed to cultivate principled, skilled, and future-ready policy leaders.
The curriculum blends depth and breadth—40 credits of core discipline-specific courses build strong analytical foundations, while 14 credits of soft core subjects and 6 credits of open electives allow for specialization and strategic flexibility. University foundation courses (11 credits) strengthen life skills, ethics, and leadership capacity, creating well-rounded professionals.
Real-world immersion is central, with a 3-credit internship and a 6-credit capstone or dissertation that challenge students to apply their knowledge to complex policy problems. Every element of the program is designed to equip students not just with knowledge, but with the mindset to lead meaningful change in a rapidly evolving world.
What sets this program apart is who you learn from. Courses are taught by a distinguished faculty drawn from India and abroad bringing global expertise and local insight into every classroom.
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates who have passed any undergraduate degree with 60% aggregate marks from any recognized University in India or abroad recognized by UGC / AIU are eligible to apply.
Chanakya Edge
- A commitment to purpose-driven education rooted in India’s civilizational values
- Integration of Indian Knowledge Systems with contemporary global frameworks
- Bridging global policy thinking with grassroots realities
- Cultivating not just skilled professionals but ethical, visionary policy leaders
- Capstone projects solve live policy problems in partnership with government or civil society.
- Experiential pedagogy: real-world policy labs, case studies, simulations, fieldwork.
- Legal thinking, ethical governance, civilizational wisdom, global-local policy dynamics
Programme Highlights
Interdisciplinary Approach: Our program integrates multiple disciplines to provide you with a holistic understanding of complex policy issues.
Wide Range of Courses: Our programme offers 7 core courses strengthening the base for studying public policy. Our soft-core courses give a domain-specific outlook and offer insights into choosing specialisations. Alongside this, there are a set of open electives and university common courses that aim at delivering a holistic, well-rounded education experience.
Experiential Learning: From real-world case studies to policy simulations and internships, you’ll gain hands-on experience that prepares you for the challenges of the real world. Our programme is research-intensive, giving exposure to evidence-based public policy approaches.
Career Opportunities: Whether you aspire to work in government, nonprofit organizations, or the private sector, our program opens doors to a wide range of rewarding career paths.
Distinguished Advisory Committee: Benefit from the guidance of our esteemed advisory committee, comprised of experts from various fields who ensure that our program remains relevant and up to date.
Exposure to key tools – communication; data sciences and writing policy briefs.
Collaborations
University of Hamburg, Germany and Texas A&M, USA;
Career Opportunities
With a master’s in public policy, you can do many things that can make a difference in the world. You can:
- Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of existing and proposed policies and programs
- Identify and recommend innovative and evidence-based solutions to various policy problems and issues
- Conduct and disseminate policy research and analysis to inform and influence policy decisions and actions
- Communicate and collaborate with various stakeholders and actors involved in the Policy process, such as policymakers, practitioners, researchers, media, and the public