All M.P.P. students begin the M.P.P. degree program with a six-week summer program in economics, mathematics, statistics, and leadership and policy skills, designed to strengthen students’ skills in preparation for graduate-level courses. To qualify for the degree, all candidates must successfully complete eight courses during the academic year, or four courses per semester. M.P.P. candidates typically undertake programs of study that combine general courses in quantitative methods, policy analysis, and public management, with more specialized courses chosen from among the School’s four fields of concentration: International Relations, Development Studies, Domestic Policy, and Economics and Public Policy. A typical curriculum might include two courses each in economics and/or statistics, two courses that cover policy analysis, negotiation, or financial management, and three courses in one of the fields of concentration. Students with relevant academic and professional backgrounds also may take courses leading to the M.P.P. with a Certificate in Demography, offered through the Office of Population Research (OPR), in Health and Health Policy (HHP), in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP), or in Urban Policy (UP) or Urban Policy and Planning (UPP). Physicians and Ph.D. scientists enrolled in the M.P.P. program will be encouraged, but not required, to enroll in the HHP and STEP certificate programs, respectively. The School's flexible curriculum provides the unique opportunity for mid-career students to tailor their learning experience at Princeton to their individual needs and objectives.