Maryland School of Public Policy (MSPP) master's students may pursue joint degree programs with the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business in College Park (66 credit hours), the College of Life Sciences Conservation Biology program in College Park (60 credit hours), and the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore (114 credit hours). Applicants must apply to and be admitted independently to both MSPP and the other school. To facilitate application to these joint programs, MSPP accepts scores from the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

Joint MPP/MBA

To graduate with masters degrees from MSPP and the School of Business (M.B.A.), students typically follow a prescribed program earning a minimum of 33 credits from the curricula of both programs. Full-time students are able to complete the degree requirements of both programs in three years or less. Grade point averages in each program are computed separately, and students must maintain minimum standards in each area to continue in the program.

Joint MPP/JD

Students who complete the joint MPP/JD program can earn both degrees in less time and less expensively than it would take to earn them separately. This is made possible by the Maryland School of Public Policy (MSPP) (located in College Park, Maryland) and the University of Maryland Law School (located in Baltimore, Maryland) each counting 9 credits of courses taken at the other institution as electives towards their respective degrees, resulting in 18 fewer required credits. Thus students need only complete 75 credits at the law school and 39 credits at MSPP.

Due to the different program locations, different time schedules, and the usual financial aid requirement of full-time status at the campus awarding financial aid, students typically spend their first two semesters focusing exclusively on one program, their third and fourth semesters focusing exclusively on the second program, the fifth and sixth semesters focusing exclusively on the law program (due to its larger credit requirements), and their seventh semester focusing exclusively on their policy studies. The final semester is split between the two campuses to meet each campus's requirement that the student be registered on campus in the semester that they graduate. To ensure that they are able to take required courses as needed, students are advised at the start of the joint program to map out a specific course plan in consultation with their advisor.

Students in the joint program are strongly advised to spend at least one summer during their program in a law-oriented internship and at least one summer in a policy-oriented internship. Since internships often lead to permanent job offers, students should spend their last summer interning in the arena in which they wish to begin their careers.

Master's in Engineering and Public Policy (MEPP)

The joint Master's in Engineering and Public Policy (MEPP) offers a unique opportunity to integrate engineering and public policy. With nationally and internationally recognized expertise in engineering (A. James Clark School of Engineering) and public policy on its College Park campus and various locations in downtown Washington, DC, this program offers early and mid-career students, as well as executives, flexible course schedules to accommodate busy professionals.

Joint MPP/MS

The University of Maryland College of Life Sciences and the Maryland School of Public Policy have created the Joint Master's in Public Policy and Conservation Biology Program (MPP-MS) that enables graduate students to obtain both a Master of Science in Sustainable Development & Conservation Biology (MS) and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree (with a specialization in Environmental Policy) in an integrated, more attractive format.

Joint BA/MPP

The joint bachelor's/master's program enables qualified University of Maryland students to earn both their BA and their master's degree in public policy in as few as five years by counting some of their public policy graduate courses towards both degrees. Most students apply to the program at the end of their sophomore year to be part of the program as of their junior year. Initially the program will only be available to students with an undergraduate major offered through the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences .

To be admitted to the joint program, students must apply separately to each program, requesting in each case admission to the joint program. Each school then decides independently whether to admit an applicant and what financial support, if any, to offer. If admitted to both programs, the applicant is deemed to have been admitted into the joint program (though the student may still choose at any point to in fact only enter and/or complete one of the two programs). If admitted by only one school, the student may opt to enroll in that individual program.

Other than counting up to 9 credits from each program as electives in the other program, students in the joint program must fulfill the usual degree requirements of both programs within 5 years of beginning the joint program. Most students, however, are able to complete the joint program in 4 years, compared to the 5 years it would usually take to complete the programs separately.