At the time of admission, each student is assigned a faculty mentor who assists in designing and developing the student's program. The Institute of Public Policy, within which the Ph.D. in Public Policy program is housed, has the investigation of alternative approaches to policy as a primary interest. This interest results from a view that the rapid changes resulting from modern technology require modifications both in the substance of public policy and in the way public policy is made. A goal of the program is to contribute to conceptual developments that will allow policy modifications to occur while protecting the fundamental, pluralistic, and democratic character of policy making in the United States. The program seeks students with exceptional potential for accumulating, sorting, analyzing, and communicating information and findings effectively.
Public policy is inherently complex and value laden.
In the end, high-quality policy analysis requires thoughtful and judicious management of complex and incommensurate information, both quantitative and qualitative. Thus, the program seeks students who can manage and integrate both kinds of information and produce convincing, well-organized, written syntheses. The ideal Ph.D. program applicant intends to be a full-time student and has demonstrated capabilities in research and writing, basic mathematical skills roughly equal to the first semester of calculus and a competence in statistics, some background in economics, and a theoretical and working knowledge of public policy processes. Applicants with strong records who are deficient in one or more of these areas may be admitted to the program and will receive assistance in making up deficiencies. Part-time study is also possible for those able to commit to a demanding program.