Public Affairs and Policy Ph.D.
The Ph.D. in Public Affairs and Policy is an interdisciplinary program designed to prepare individuals to pursue research, teaching, advocacy, public service, and/or consulting in a variety of settings ranging from universities to policy research organizations, public agencies, and private consulting firms. The degree may be pursued on a full- or part-time basis.
The degree program is administered by the Hatfield School of Government, but draws on faculty from the entire College of Urban and Public Affairs. Faculty members are drawn from public administration, political science, economics, policy sciences, and urban studies.
The curriculum focus is governance, the integrated study of political, administrative, and policy processes. This curriculum is taught against the backdrop of globalizing economies and political systems seeking to recognize governance in a modern world characterized by both cooperation and conflict among the public, private, and non-profit organizations.
The doctoral program in Public Affairs and Policy is designed to enable students to approach governance as an applied area of knowledge in which theory informs and is informed by real-world practice.