Employers & Partners

Partner With Us to Develop Tomorrow’s Talented Leaders

The Sanford School of Public Policy prepares students for careers that address today’s complex issues. We bridge the gap between their academic experience and the world of work through experiences that require them to use strong analytical skills to solve problems.

We need employers like you to successfully put this knowledge at the service of society. We invite you to sponsor an intern or hire our students. 

In return, our Career Services office will help you attract the best talent from our highly ranked public policy programs. Contact us to:

• Hire a Graduate and get top notch talent for your organization.
• Work With a Student Consultant to get fresh ideas from a team of first-year graduate students addressing a real-world policy question.
• Hire a Graduate or Undergraduate Summer Intern for hands-on help with a project or ongoing challenge. Be sure to include Duke on your Handshake posting. If you only want to recruit Public Policy students, then select “Civics & Government” in the major field when posting.
• Sponsor a Capstone Master’s Project if you need analysis that requires strategic thinking, statistical or financial acumen, and subject matter expertise.
• Engage a Practicum Consulting Team to provide in-depth research, analysis and recommendations on a specific policy issue.

About Our Students

Master of Public POlicy

The MPP degree provides a broad-based foundation in analytic and managerial methods with applications to real-world situations. Our graduates are trained to find creative and effective solutions to public problems. They are prepared to think strategically, analyze rigorously, communicate clearly, negotiate effectively and manage fairly. Most of our graduates have two to four years of work experience.

Some students are working towards joint degrees in law, business, environmental management, medicine or other disciplines. 

Students may also focus on one of these key themes:

• Development Policy
• Energy and Environment Policy
• Health Policy
• Security Policy
• Social Policy
• Technology Policy
• Media and Democracy

Master of International Development Policy

The MIDP degree is a rigorous interdisciplinary program that trains mid-career professionals who plan to dedicate their careers to policy-making and public service in and for developing, post-conflict and transition countries. Our graduates have an average of seven years of work experience – usually in the public or nonprofit sectors – in countries around the world.

In addition to their core curriculum in policy, economic and empirical analysis for development, MIDP fellows may pursue in-depth study in the International Tax and Public Financial Management (IT-PFM) specialization and six concentrations:

• Applied Economics
• Development Management and Governance
• Environmental Management and Policy
• Law and Development
• Peace and Conflict Resolution
• Social Policy

PUBLIC POLICY STUDIES (Undergraduates)

PPS majors are engaged, curious and self-directing. They want to apply their academic experiences to the real world of politics, policy analysis and business. They learn an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving through required coursework in economics, statistics, political science, ethics and history. Bringing these various disciplines to bear on today’s global issues, they learn to write clearly and concisely, to think analytically and to consider the ethical implications of their actions.

To gain depth of knowledge in a particular area, many choose to specialize in one of five areas: Global Policy, Social Policy, Economic Policy, Health Policy or Policy Journalism.