Report Sections
One of the first
The school pioneered Duke’s signature strengths in interdisciplinarity, applied scholarship and experiential learning– hallmarks of the programs today.
First in the nation
One of the nation’s first programs in 1971, our public policy undergraduate program is one of the best in the nation and one of the largest majors at Duke.
Newest School
Sanford became Duke’s newest school in 2009.
10 & 50 Year Milestones
Sanford celebrated 10 years as a school in 2019, and 50 years of public policy at Duke in 2021.
Faculty
Sanford has 36 tenure-track; 24 research professors and professors of the practice; five lecturers; 19 professors emeriti and many Duke faculty with secondary appointments in the school.
Distinguished Chairs, National Academies
The Sanford School’s faculty includes 17 who hold distinguished chairs, as well as nine members of the National Academies and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Top 5 in Research
Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy is in the top five of the nation’s top public policy schools in research productivity. Sanford ranks fifth in research publication output by its faculty members according to the article “A research-based ranking of public policy schools” published in the journal Scientometrics in July 2020.
Top Rankings
Sanford regularly earns the top ranking of any public policy school in the Southeast of the U.S.
700+ Students
400+ graduate/professional students, 300+ undergraduate majors
60+ staff
60+ staff across units of Sanford
6 degree programs
6 degree programs ranging from bachelor’s programs to master’s programs to PhD programs
10,000 alumni | 100+ countries
Sanford has almost 10,000 alumni in more than 100 countries.
A top graduate school
Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy is among the nation’s top graduate schools in public affairs/public policy analysis, according to U.S. News and World Report’s list of “2024 Best Graduate Schools.”
4 Top 10 Rankings
Sanford has four top 10 rankings in the specialties of Public Policy Analysis (6), Environmental Policy and Management (2), Social Policy (6) and Health Policy and Management (7)
$10 Million
In 2020, The Duke Endowment awarded $10 million to Duke University to invest in the future of public policy by funding graduate fellowships, professorships and strategic investments in school priorities.
#1 for public policy
In 2023, Sanford earned the title of #1 college for public policy in the United States from Niche.
12 Centers and Programs
- Center for Child & Family Policy
- Center for Strategic Philanthropy
- Counterterrorism and Public Policy Fellows
- Duke Center for International Development
- DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy
- Hart Leadership program
- Heyman Center for Ethics
- North Carolina Leadership Forum
- Polis: Center for Politics
- Program in American Grand Strategy
- Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security
- World Food Policy Center