What's it really like to be in the PhD program at Duke Sanford? Explore these sample tracks.
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Years 1 & 2
All Sanford School PhD students, regardless of disciplinary concentration or policy area focus, will generally spend their first two years of the program taking classes – a combination of public policy core courses and electives.
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Year 3
Students usually spend their third year writing and defending their dissertation proposal, supported by a Research Seminar in Public Policy.
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Years 4 & 5
The fourth and fifth years are typically devoted to writing and defending the dissertation.
Sample Student Paths
| Year | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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| 2 |
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| 3 |
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| 4 | Write dissertation | |
| 5 | Complete and defend dissertation |
| Year | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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| 2 |
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| 3 |
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| 4 | Write dissertation | |
| 5 | Complete and defend dissertation |
| Year | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
|
| 2 |
|
|
| 3 |
|
|
| 4 | Write dissertation | |
| 5 | Complete and defend dissertation |
| Year | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
|
| 2 |
|
|
| 3 |
|
|
| 4 | Write dissertation | |
| 5 | Complete and defend dissertation |