Public Policy (PhD)

Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs | McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies

Program Requirements

Complete 67 credits from 20 courses including nine core interdisciplinary courses, four core research and quantitative methods courses, six electives, and one dissertation course. Plus 7 dissertation credits.

Up to twelve credits of coursework may be waived for students holding a master’s degree by petitioning the department’s Academic Affairs Committee.

Candidacy: Passage of two competency exams given at the end of the first and second years.
Dissertation: Compose and defend a dissertation based on original empirical research.

En Route Master’s Degree: Students may, with the approval of the program director, apply to receive a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) en route to the PhD. To qualify, students must complete all core courses and electives and pass both competency exams.

Statute of limitations: Eight years.

Course Requirements

Core Interdisciplinary Courses (27 Credits)

PPOL-G 602 - Political Economy of Class, Race and Gender 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 609L - Qualitative Methods and Field Research 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 611 - Public Policy Processes: Environments, Power and Outcomes 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 612 - Approaches to Policy Analysis: Epistemology, Theory and Institutions 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 621 - Microeconomics for Policy Analysis 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 622 - Public Finance and Budgeting 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 711 - Multi-Disciplinary Topics in Public Policy 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 716 - Public Policy ProSeminar 1 Credit(s) - complete three credits
PPOL-G 760 - Sociological Perspectives on Public Policy and Social Justice 3 Credit(s)

Core Research and Quantitative Methods Courses (12 Credits)

PPOL-G 604L - Statistical Methods in the analysis of Social Problems I 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 605L - Statistical Methods in the Analysis of Social Problems II 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 630 - Research Methods I for Policy 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 631 - Research Methods II for Policy 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 891 - Dissertation Workshop for Public Policy 3 Credit(s)

Electives (18 Credits)

Complete six courses from below.

Students may also elect to complete an internship working on a policy project.

PPOL-G 740 - Political Institutions 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 749L - Scientific & Political Change 3 Credit(s)
PPOL-G 753L - Epidemiological Thinking and Population Health 3 Credit(s)

Dissertation (7 Credits)

PPOL-G 899 - Dissertation 1-12 Credit(s)