简单来说，就是要你看相关大学的课程设置，不能单纯从名称来分别。事实上，由于美国大学的自主性很强，专业设置也是各家说了算，名称也各一，比如说，类似的专业名称包括Master of Public Administration，Master of Public Policy，Master of Public Affairs，Master of Public Policy Management，Master of Public Management等。下面以一些同时开设MPA和MPP的学校来举例，给大家一些insightful perspective。
首先，我们看看世界第一牛校哈佛大学肯尼迪政府学院的MPA和MPP项目区别,如下是官网提供的项目介绍：
Master in Public Administration, MPA
The two-year Master in Public Administration (MPA2) is a flexible program designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of established professionals and dual-degree students seeking further leadership responsibilities in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.
Prospective students interested in the MPA2 program are encouraged to review the prerequisites for academic and work experience prior to applying.
Students admitted to the MPA2 are invited, in consultation with their advisors, to design an individual 16-course plan of study, constrained only by the requirement to fulfill distribution requirements in the three Harvard Kennedy School foundational methodological areas: analytics, management, and leadership, as well as a two-course Policy Areas of Concentration.
Master in Public Policy, MPP
The two-year Master in Public Policy (MPP) program provides future public leaders with the conceptual framework and practical skills necessary to succeed in public service.
The MPP core requirements are built upon strong foundations in three methodological areas: analysis, management, and leadership. These requirements are designed to help students solve complicated and unfamiliar challenges — by asking the right questions, determining the nature and dimensions of the problem at hand, exploring the range of possible solutions, and assessing the capacity of public institutions to implement one or more of these solutions.
Through the MPP core, students sharpen their powers of analysis and their knowledge base. They build the confidence and judgment needed to weigh competing demands and choose the most appropriate action. They become skilled at shaping effective and practical solutions and building consensus and ownership in support of those solutions. They learn to marshal resources within and outside of an organization, monitor and fine tune innovative policy solutions, and provide the transformational leadership that generates success.
通过上述简明扼要的介绍，我们可以知道MPA和MPP有什么区别了：
由于哈佛肯尼迪的传统，培养目标是一致的，analytics, management, and leadership。
从课程计划的角度来讲，MPA更灵活(flexible)，而MPP的课程计划要严谨一些。
从招生群体来说，MPA面向的是有成就的专业人士与双学位高材生(established professionals and dual-degree students)，而MPP的招生群体则广泛得多。
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