Curriculum

The Public Policy PhD Program curriculum requires students to:

• Complete a set of core public policy course requirements: Political Economy of Public Policy, Ethics of Public Policy, Microeconomics
• Complete disciplinary concentration and research methodology requirements, including sub-field requirements, in one of the following areas: Economics, Political Science, Psychology or Sociology
• Complete at least one course in each of above disciplines.
• Complete a course of study focusing on a particular policy area (course of study must be approved by the PhD Director of Graduate Studies).
• Complete a yearlong (two-course) research seminar leading to the dissertation proposal.
• Complete the equivalent of 16 courses (minimum), equaling 48 credits. Please see the list below. 
• Attain dissertation status, including meeting qualifying requirements and passing the preliminary exam, by the end of the third year.
• Pass a final examination, which consists of an oral defense of a dissertation to an approved supervisory committee. This is typically completed by the end of the fifth year.
• Regularly attend and participate in a weekly seminar in which faculty present their research as models of the kind of interdisciplinary work relevant to public policy.