MPP students explored the city of Maastricht during Introduction Days.
Last week, we welcomed a new cohort of students, who have come from across the globe to join our Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development (MPP) programme.
Before diving into their studies, more than 80 students from 29 countries stepped into student life at UNU-MERIT through two introduction days filled with workshops, informational fairs, and group activities exploring their new home in the city of Maastricht. Here, we captured the first moments of their academic journey.
The beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year also marks the first of Elaine Lebon-McGregor serving as the academic programme director of the MPP. “This is a programme that will help you develop skills to analyse and design policy, but it is also an opportunity to grow as a person and bond with other brilliant minds”, said Lebon-McGregor in her opening remarks.
Elaine Lebon-McGregor, the MPP’s new academic programme director, speaks to the new cohort.
MPP students uniquely earn a double diploma from United Nations University (UNU) and its partner Maastricht University (UM).
The MPP programme is an unquestionable challenge, as it equips students to address policy challenges through advanced quantitative and qualitative skillsets in just one year. In this short time, they learn how to design, monitor and evaluate policy and become prepared for an international career in the field.
MPP student Shuddha Srimoyee Das from Bangladesh.
(Left to right) Irish students Daire O’Shea Brady, Rachel Hannah, Susan Higgins and Nell Fingleton enjoy a slice of vlaai, a typical pastry from Maastricht’s province of Limburg.
Students arrived with different intentions for their year and will later choose to specialise in one of five public policy focus areas.
One of the highlights of the introduction days was a scavenger hunt around Maastricht, which by some accounts is the oldest city in the Netherlands and the one with the most national heritage buildings.
Students familiarized themselves with the local landscape through a city-wide scavenger hunt.
Many of the students who join the MPP programme are not only seeking academic success but are also committed to being agents of change who make a positive impact on the world.
We’re proud to have our new 2023-2024 cohort here with us at UNU-MERIT!
All photos courtesy of UNU-MERIT.
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The opinions expressed here are the author’s own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of UNU.
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