PhD candidates must complete the equivalent of 16 courses (minimum), equaling 48 credits. All students in the PhD program take a common set of public policy courses that reflect the interdisciplinary and applied nature of the degree.
Curriculum Overview
Core courses
Complete a set of core public policy course requirements:
- Political Economy of Public Policy
- Social Choice and the Political Economy of Policy Making
- Microeconomics
Explore the core courses.
Required Courses
| Political Economy of Public Policy (PUBPOL 901) |
| Social Choice and the Political Economy of Policy Making (PUBPOL 902) |
| Microeconomics 1 |
| Microeconomics 2 |
| Disciplinary concentration 1 – Research Methods |
| Disciplinary concentration 2 – Research Methods |
| Disciplinary concentration 3 – Subfield Elective |
| Disciplinary concentration 4 – Subfield Elective |
| Disciplinary concentration 5 – Subfield Elective |
| Policy area elective 1 |
| Policy area elective 2 |
| Policy area elective 3 |
| Non-concentration social science 1 |
| Non-concentration social science 2 (for disciplinary concentration of Economics) OR Elective (for disciplinary concentration of Political Science, Psychology or Sociology) |
| Dissertation proposal seminar 1 |
| Dissertation proposal seminar 2 |
Concentration and research methodology
Complete disciplinary concentration and research methodology requirements, including sub-field requirements, in one of the following areas:
- Economics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
Complete at least one course in each of above four disciplines.
Weekly Seminar
Regularly participate in a weekly seminar in which faculty present their research as models of the kind of interdisciplinary work relevant to public policy.
POlicy Area
Complete a course of study focusing on a particular policy area. (Course of study must be approved by the PhD Director of Graduate Studies.)
Research seminar
Complete a yearlong (two-course) research seminar leading to the dissertation proposal.
Dissertation
Attain dissertation status by the end of the third year. (Includes meeting qualifying requirements and passing the preliminary exam.)
final exam
- The final examination consists of an oral defense of a dissertation to an approved supervisory committee.
- This is typically completed by the end of the fifth year.
More Opportunities
Sanford Seminars - Wednesdays, 11:45AM - 1PM: Presentation and discussion of current research projects (faculty and doctoral students)
Graduate Research Workshops - Select Fridays, 10:45AM- 11:45AM: A forum to present in-progress research and receive friendly, constructive comments.
Anrew Trexler PhD'25 - Media & Democracy
In an age awash with digital content and 24/7 news cycles, how well does the information we consume actually equip us for democratic life? This question lies at the heart of Andrew Trexler's research. During his studies, Andrew was a fellow at Sanford's DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy. Andrew is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.