Public Policy PhD
Program Code: G-PPS-PHD
Degree Designation: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: School of Public Policy
Website: sanford.duke.edu/academics/doctoral-program
PhD programs follow the policies outlined in The Graduate School Bulletin.
Program Summary
The PhD in public policy is a research-based, interdisciplinary social science degree. Graduates of the program are prepared for academic careers and professional positions in research, consulting firms, or public agencies.
Students designate a disciplinary concentration in economics, political science, psychology, or sociology and a policy focus, such as social policy, globalization and development, or health policy. The program requires a two-course sequence in theories of political economy and a theory and methods course working in the student's social science disciplinary concentration.
Financial Aid
Duke University and the Sanford School of Public Policy are committed to supporting public policy PhD students for five years through a combination of scholarships, fellowships, research or teaching assistantships, and stipends, provided that students maintain satisfactory progress in the program.
For more information about financial support for PhD students at Duke, visit gradschool.duke.edu/financial-support.
For more information about Duke University Graduate School Fellowships, visit gradschool.duke.edu/financial-support/find-funding.
In addition to those awards available through the university, applicants are urged to compete for national and foundation awards available for graduate study. A website maintained by Duke's Office of Research Support lists awards available from various federal and private sources, as well as awards funded by the university. External awards, which are prestigious and valuable acknowledgments of a student's intellectual project and promise, typically replace departmental or Graduate School awards. Visit the Office of Research Support website for detailed information about external financial awards: researchinitiatives.duke.edu/funding-search-tools.
Faculty
The Sanford School's Public Policy PhD faculty members represent diverse disciplinary backgrounds and numerous research interests. The Public Policy PhD Program faculty consists of all members of the graduate faculty of Duke University with primary or secondary appointments in the Sanford School of Public Policy as well as members of the graduate faculties in the departments of political science, economics, sociology, and psychology and neuroscience, and of the faculties of the Nicholas School of the Environment, The Fuqua School of Business, Duke Law School, and other professional schools.
Academic Requirements
The program requires a two-course sequence in theories of public policy, microeconomics, and research methods. Students also complete coursework in a designated disciplinary concentration such as economics, political science, psychology, or sociology, as well as a policy focus, such as social policy, globalization and development, or health policy.
Students in the program are expected to pass a comprehensive exam at the beginning of the third year and a preliminary exam that is a dissertation prospectus defense at the end of the third year.
The MA in Public Policy
PhD students in good standing become eligible to receive an MA degree upon successful completion of the comprehensive exam, typically administered at the beginning of a student’s third year in residence. Students who elect to exit the PhD program, or who fail one or more qualifying requirements up to and including the comprehensive exam, may be eligible to earn an MA in public policy, under conditions described below.
A. Coursework
Students must pass at least ten 3.0 credit graduate courses. These courses must include the following:
Public Policy 901
Public Policy 902
two courses in research methods
two courses in a disciplinary subfield within economics, political science or sociology
two public policy electives in a specific policy area (500 level or above)
B. Completion Exercise
Option 1: The Comprehensive Exam
Description: Students enrolled in the PhD program in public policy who have met all coursework requirements and successfully passed the Comprehensive Exam may apply for an MA in public policy as they continue to work toward the PhD degree. Students interested in obtaining the MA must apply to receive it and bring the necessary forms to be signed by the Comprehensive Exam Committee. Receipt of the MA in public policy precludes students from obtaining master’s degrees in any other area during the course of their doctoral studies.
The Comprehensive Exam is designed to assess a student’s mastery of existing scholarly work in an area delimited by traditional disciplinary subfield and policy area and is taken at the beginning of a student’s third year in the PhD program. The Comprehensive Exam will consist of three components: 1) a research paper to be initially submitted in advance of the exam, with a revision due on the date of the written exam, 2) the written exam itself, and 3) an oral follow-up with the three-member examination committee. The paper and written test collectively serve the role of a completion exercise, and the oral follow-up serves as the defense of this completion exercise. Literature Review Option (replaces the written exam): Instead of an eight-hour written test, students may opt to write a journal-length manuscript that reviews and synthesizes a literature and/or makes a theoretical contribution to a field. The manuscript should indicate mastery of literature, and the author should synthesize and critically examine a field of research. The intent is to help the student grow these research skills and add to their academic accomplishments/vita.
The standard for passing the comprehensive exam at the MA level is intended to be lower than the standard for passing at the PhD level, thus a comprehensive exam committee may simultaneously deliberate (a) whether a student has met the standard to continue in the PhD program in good standing and (b) conditional on failing to meet this threshold, whether the student has met the requirements to receive the MA degree.
Option 2: The MA Project
Rationale: The proposed “accelerated” master’s degree for PhD students in public policy draws heavily from similar degrees available to PhD students in the political science, economics, and sociology departments at Duke. The option is primarily intended for those students who have completed the majority of the coursework for the doctoral program but were unable to meet one or more specific qualifying requirements, or for those students who have elected to leave the program voluntarily.
Students interested in pursuing option two must obtain approval from the director of graduate studies of the Public Policy PhD Program prior to the oral defense of the MA project.
Students, who elect to leave the program before the administration of the comprehensive exam, or those who fail to complete an earlier qualifying requirement, complete an MA project in lieu of the comprehensive exam. The MA project should demonstrate the student’s ability to collect, interpret, and analyze pertinent material on a research problem. Ideally, the MA project will be a paper of approximately 20-30 pages, double-spaced. Students may choose to expand upon a term paper to fulfill this requirement. Student projects will be completed under the supervision of a faculty advisor. The project will be the principal topic of a final oral examination conducted by the advisor and two other public policy faculty members and scheduled to meet posted Graduate School deadlines for master’s examinations (gradschool.duke.edu/academics/preparing-graduate/graduation-deadlines).