GSPP graduates enjoy an outstanding rate of employment and career advancement, working in government, in the private and nonprofit sectors, in research organizations, and as consultants. The curriculum includes core courses that provide a foundation in subjects ranging from political elements of the decision-making process and legal analysis to such specific analytic tools and concepts as microeconomic theory and statistical modeling. The curriculum also includes five electives, taken either at GSPP or elsewhere on the Berkeley campus, that allow students to focus on a particular policy area or a set of policy tools. Students work at a summer policy internship between their first and second years and complete an analysis, in groups and individually, during the spring semester of each year. Students also benefit from frequent visits by local and nationally known policy professionals, many of whom are GSPP alumni, who provide perspective and guidance to students both individually and in group talks.
Students enjoy a unique intimacy and camaraderie with one another and with the faculty.
GSPP also offers a Ph.D. program for a small number of students, drawn mostly from those in the MPP program, who seek careers in policy research with academic or research institutions. Doctoral students pursue highly individualized programs and work closely with several faculty members. As part of GSPP's multidisciplinary approach, the School's faculty are drawn from the fields of economics, political science, law, sociology, social psychology, demography, and public policy. Faculty members meet weekly and work to coordinate assignments so that students' course loads are well integrated and well paced. Most faculty members hold full-time appointments at the School and all share a commitment to maintain the quality of the overall program.