Christendom College is expanding its graduate offerings with the launch of a new Center for Public Policy, designed to equip leaders with the philosophical, ethical, and practical tools necessary for service in public life, nonprofit leadership, education, and policy-related professions. The Center’s flagship program will be the Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) degree, with classes slated to begin in the fall of 2026.
“For too long, public leaders and their supporters have led movements, crafted laws, and developed policies that assume presuppositions that are antithetical to human flourishing and the common good,” says College President George A. Harne, Ph.D. “By forming a new generation of leaders who understand classical Catholic social teaching and can apply it to the most pressing needs of today, Christendom College will lead in the restoration of the public square in a way that is deeply consistent with the college’s founding principles. This unique program—oriented to real political change through the development of wise public policies and the formation of the next generation of leaders—is the next logical step in the fulfillment of Christendom College’s founding mission.”
The new Center aims to prepare students to engage public life with intellectual clarity, moral conviction, and a deep commitment to the common good by integrating rigorous analytical training with Catholic social teaching and the enduring principles of political philosophy.
The Center for Public Policy’s M.P.P. program will be a 30-credit, online program. Students will study foundational topics such as Catholic social teaching, political philosophy, and the American constitutional order, while also developing technical skills necessary for policy work, including statistical analysis, policy design, political communication, and policy implementation.
Through this curriculum, students will learn to evaluate public problems, analyze policy proposals, and design practical solutions grounded both in sound moral reasoning and careful empirical analysis.
The new Center will be led by Dr. Matthew Post, who will serve as director of the Center for Public Policy and oversee the Master of Public Policy program. Post is a political philosopher and educational leader specializing in classical political thought, Catholic social teaching, and public leadership. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Dallas and has held senior academic roles in the United States and Europe, including at the University of Tulsa and the University of Dallas. An award-winning teacher and scholar, he brings deep experience in constitutional studies and institutional leadership to the Master of Public Policy program.
Dr. Matthew Post.
“The Master of Public Policy at Christendom College forms leaders to meet the challenges of public life through the Catholic intellectual tradition,” says Post. “Guided by expert faculty and practitioners, the program integrates rigorous liberal arts formation with hands-on policy training, preparing graduates to navigate complex policy environments, exercise practical wisdom, and advance the common good.”
The Master of Public Policy program promotes Christendom’s educational mission to restore all things in Christ by further extending its Catholic liberal arts tradition into graduate professional formation. By uniting philosophical reflection, Catholic social teaching, and practical policy analysis, the program seeks to form leaders capable of serving the common good with both wisdom and courage.
The M.P.P. degree was developed in close collaboration with leading policy institutes in the Washington, D.C., area that share the values central to Christendom College’s mission. In particular, the college is proud to announce a partnership with the Heritage Foundation, which will serve as a key collaborator in the Center. This partnership will strengthen the program’s mission, enhance its course offerings, and deepen its intellectual engagement.
The launch of the new Center for Public Policy comes on the heels of the launch of the Center for Educational Philosophy and Leadership last year, which is currently offering both master’s and doctorate level degrees to students interested in making an impact in education.
For students who feel called to work in public life while remaining grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition, the new Center for Public Policy offers a distinctive formation, one that prepares graduates to lead with integrity and conviction and truly take on the college’s mission to “restore all things in Christ” in the public square.