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Public Policy Dissertations Collection

This collection contains open access and campus access dissertations, made possible through Graduate Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The full content of open access dissertations is available to all, although some files may have embargoes placed on them and will be made available as soon as possible. The full content of campus access dissertations is only available to those either on the UMass Boston campus or with a UMass Boston campus username and password. Click on the "Off-Campus UMass Boston Users" link on the record page to download Campus Access publications. Those not on campus and those without a UMass Boston campus username and password may gain access to this dissertation through resources like Proquest Dissertations & Theses Global or through Interlibrary Loan.

Dissertations from 2024 2024

Unheard Voices: Lady Health Workers in Lahore's Peripheral Communities , Samiya Khalid

Finding the Blind Sports: An Exploration of the Complexity and Diffusion of Police Body Camera Policies , Stephanie Lessing

Dissertations from 2023 2023

Public Transit Funding Through Real Estate: Opportunities for Agency Reform , George Chichirau

E-Quality: An Analysis of Digital Equity Discourse and Co-Production in the Era of COVID-19 , Kelsey E. Edmond

Dissertations from 2022 2022

Caged Animals: The Reproduction of Social and Educational Inequalities in Indian Secondary Schools , Vishakha Agarwal

Assessing Without Proficiency: The Impact of Standardized Testing on English Learners in Massachusetts , Michael Berardino

The Impact of ADHD Diagnosis on the Experiences of People Involved in the Justice System , Sarah Kuck Jalbert

Opening the Halls of Power: Implementing a Community Organizing Approach to Parent Engagement in New York City’s Community Schools , Andrew R. King

Essays on Race, Class, Hospital Cultural Competence and COVID-19 Disparities , Rumel Mahmood

Dissertations from 2021 2021

Sustainable Investing in U.S. Private Sector Workplace Retirement Plans: A New Institutionalist Perspective , Bridget Bearden

Assessment of Housing Mismatch: Learning from Slum Communities in Small Cities of India , Namesh Killemsetty

Stayers and Leavers: Using Care Work Theory and The Functional Taxonomy to Understand Turnover among Family Child Care Providers , Colleen Fay Manning

Dissertations from 2020 2020

Potty Politics: Investigating the Policymaking Processes of Sanitation Service to the Urban Poor in Delhi , Tanushree Bhan

Doctor-Patient Communication by Email: Trends, Determinants, and Effects of Digital Disparities on Email Use and the Association between Email Use and Quality of Communication in Health Care , Dragana Bolcic-Jankovic

Housing First: Defining and Analyzing a New Treatment Paradigm for Homelessness in the United States , Caitlin A. Carey

How Universal are Democratic Values? A Study of the Urban Middle Class’s Valuation of Core Democratic Ideals in a Hybrid Regime , Priyanka Kabir

How Does Grading Schools Impact Florida’s Teachers and Students? The Need for a New Approach to School Accountability , Luke Aubry Kupscznk

What does Social Agency have to do with it? Positive Pathways to Adulthood for Groups of Opportunity Youth and College Students in Rhode Island , Perri S. Leviss

Innovation Through Popular Diffusion: Seeking Social Equity Through Cannabis Legalization in Massachusetts , Jeffrey Moyer

Participate for Peace: The Impacts of Participatory Deliberative Democracy on Post-Conflict Peacebuilding in Central America , Marcia D. Mundt

Women’s Pathways to Political Leadership in Kenya: Institutional and Cultural Factors Impacting Women’s Political Leadership in County Level Government , Rose A. Nyaondo

Using Lenses to Understand Policy Failures: The Case of the 2012 Census in Chile , M. Angélica Pavez

Lost in Translation: Understanding Education Policy Implementation in Nepal , Sushmita Subedi

The Role of Massachusetts Cultural Council in State Cultural Policy: Institutionalism, Policy Goals, and Perceived Outcomes in the Arts and Culture , Hsin-Ching Wu

Dissertations from 2019 2019

Welfare Reform and the Health of Low-Income Single Mothers: The Impact of Policies Under the Personal Responsibility Work Opportunities and Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) , Allyson L. Baughman

To Adopt or Not to Adopt: Factors Impacting States’ Pursuit and Implementation of ACA’s Home and Community-Based Programs , Lisa Kalimon Beauregard

Place, Preferences, and Policy: An Analysis of Funding Education Along the Urban-Rural Divide , Kattalina Berriochoa

Crafting the Government Mobile Application: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Public Value Creation as it Relates to Citizen Engagement and Participation in the Development of Government Smart City Mobile Application , Sean M. Mossey

Dissertations from 2018 2018

Carbon Pricing in a Complex Adaptive System , Merritt Randall Hughes

Beyond the Tower of Babel: Finding a Better Path to Reconciling and Uniting Namibians, A Case Study of Windhoek Surburbs/Townships , Ndumba J. Kamwanyah

The Effect of Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansion on Disparities in Access to Care and Health Status , Hyunjung Lee

Tobacco Advertisements and Compliance at the Point of Sale: The Case of Massachusetts , Omobukola Usidame

Dissertations from 2017 2017

Understanding Romani Deprivation in Serbia: From Symbolic Inclusion Prescriptions to Meaningful Pathways to Economic Integration , Marija Bingulac

Regional P20 Councils: Addressing the Education Pipeline through Regional Learning and Cross-Sector Collaboration , Elaine K. Donnelly

Understanding How State Legislators Define Problems: The Case of High and Rising Healthcare Costs in Massachusetts , Monica C. Garlick

Civil Society Organization Practices to End Violence against Women and Girls with Disabilities in Mexico , Ana María Sánchez Rodríguez

Understanding University Graduates’ (Un) Employability in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study of Cameroon , Alvine Murielle Tchuathi Sangang

Performance Management and Decision-Making in State Agencies: The Case of Massachusetts , Ryan M. Whalen

Dissertations from 2016 2016

'Whose Goals Am I Meeting?' Policy and Practice Dilemmas in Adult Basic Education (ABE) in the Era of Accountability , Alma Hallulli Biba

Dissertations from 2015 2015

Frontline Youth Workers: Meaning-Making and Street-Level Policy , Sarah Hogue

Mind the Gap: The Integration of Physical and Mental Healthcare in Federally Qualified Health Centers , Karen R. Monaghan

The Politics of Official English: Exploring the Intentions and the Outcomes behind English-Only Policies in the United States , David Gonzalez Nieto

Dissertations from 2014 2014

Weighing the Benefits and Risks Associated with Proprietary School Attendance for Low-Income Single Mother Students , Carolyn L. Arcand

Constructing the American Dream: How Beliefs Influence Decisions about Homeownership , Rachel Bogardus Drew

A Longitudinal Look at Social Protection: Does Unequal Receipt of Employment-Based Benefits Lead to Health Disparities, thus Limiting Earnings Mobility? , Amy B. Helburn

Economic Development in the Massachusetts Life Sciences Cluster: Shared Prosperity or a Big Tradeoff? , Brandynn Holgate

An Analysis of the Influence of the Supervisory Agency in Determining Community Reinvestment Act Performance Evaluation Grades , Howard Payton

A Fresh Perspective: Public Choice Theory and the Massachusetts Legislator , John F. Quinn

Engaging Youth: Linking Design and Implementation Choices of Out-Of-School Time Programs in Boston to the Development of Political Engagement Attitudes in Youth Age 14 to 18 , Felicia M. Sullivan

Dissertations from 2013 2013

Producing Space: Block-By-Block Change in a Gentrifying Neighborhood , Jen Douglas

Microfinance: A Tool for Financial Access, Poverty Alleviation or Gender Empowerment ? - Empirical Findings from Pakistan , Ghazal Mir Zulfiqar

Dissertations from 2012 2012

The Economic Relationships Between Institutions of Higher Education and Municipalities , Dale H. Allen

Corruption, Democracy, Inequality and Economic Growth: Exploring the Theoretical and Empirical Relationship in South America, 1995-2008 , Danny García

Health Reform Challenges: Understanding Low-Income Massachusetts Residents Who Remain Uninsured , Michael Tutty

Dissertations from 2011 2011

Interpersonal Conflicts in Hospitals: Their Fingerprints, Consequences and Resolution , Talia Berman-Kishony

Knots of Knowledge: How Community-Based Organizations Advance Social Change , Jennifer Cohen

Youth Employment and Unemployment in Developing Countries: Macro Challenges with Micro Perspectives , Berna Kahraman

It's not so Simple: Understanding Participant Involvement in the Design, Implementation, and Improvement of Cash & Counseling Programs , Erin E. McGaffigan

Legal Experiences of Women Survivors of Domestic Violence: A Need for Policies that Address the Justice Gap , Kimberly Ann Puhala

The Value of Getting Out: The Impact of School Leaders' International Experiences , Shelley Tinkham

Dissertations from 2010 2010

Alignment of Community Preferences, Economic Development Goals, and Policy: Considering Economic Development Goals, Their Expression, and Their Execution in Economically Struggling Communities , Rebecca Lynn Moryl

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PhD dissertation archive

Dissertations.

Our students' dissertation titles are recorded below. Full-text versions of all the dissertations are available via the University's Deep Blue service .

Public Policy & Economics

Public Policy & Political Science

Public Policy & Sociology

To read dissertations in full, submitted in partial fulfillment of the doctoral program at the University of Michigan, visit the University's Deep Blue collection, which also includes dissertations written by U-M faculty.

Have any questions?

Kathryn Cardenas

Phd and fellowship coordinator, student & academic services.

Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration

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The PhD in Public Policy and Administration prepares students for research, administration and teaching positions in public policy.

The flexible curriculum allows students to customize coursework to their interests while developing sophisticated research skills. Students enter the PhD program with the intention of completing specialized research in one of the approved fields of study .

With about one-quarter of each cohort's students coming from countries outside of the United States, our interdisciplinary PhD program is diverse and progressive. Many PH.D. Students enroll in the program on a part-time basis while working at think tanks, research firms, international organizations, and the federal government.

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Program Benefits

Material customized to you.

Whether you want to pursue a career in academia, advise leaders in local government or develop breakthrough research, TSPPPA will prepare you for what lies ahead. Alumni of the PhD program have pursued careers in teaching, research and analysis in government and the private sector.

Flexible Timeframe

Most TSPPPA doctoral students already have a graduate degree and significant experience in a policy-related environment. Many of our students are mid-career professionals. As such, the PhD is open to both full-time and part-time students. The program is rigorous, but many students appreciate the opportunity to study alongside other pursuits.

Subject Matter Mastery

Doctoral students at TSPPPA master the competencies needed to undertake sophisticated research in public policy and public administration. The interdisciplinary curriculum tackles subjects including politics, economics and quantitative and/or qualitative methods in policy research.

“I really appreciated being able to earn a PhD in a quality, well-respected program part time while building my career in policy research."

Theresa Anderson PhD '20

Fields of Study

Students enter the PhD program with the intention of completing specialized research in one of the approved fields of study:

This field is designed for students who desire a greater depth and breadth of knowledge about those issues surrounding taxation, public expenditure, and the management of financial resources. The field generally draws on several intellectual traditions including economics, political science, accounting and public administration. As a student who successfully completes this field of study, you will be prepared to teach a wide variety of general courses in budgeting and public finance, and you will have a solid understanding of the research questions and methodologies that have defined this field.

Field Advisors

• Dr. Joseph Cordes
• Dr. Kate Yang

Students in the Public Budgeting and Finance Policy field must complete four courses; two required core courses, and two additional courses selected in consultation with the field advisor of which one course should be a doctoral-level course in accounting, economics, finance, public policy and public administration, or political science. Courses offered in the MBA Program, and in the MA in Applied Economics may be substituted for the required doctoral-level course with advisor approval.

Public Budgeting and Finance Core

PPPA 6005: Public Budgeting, Expenditure and Revenue Analysis (or equivalent)

PPPA 6051: Governmental Budgeting

Public Budgeting and Finance Accounting, Economics or Political Science Electives

*Nonexhaustive list; other courses may be selected with advisor approval.

ACCY 8001: Seminar in Accounting Theory

ACCY 6701: Government and Nonprofit Accounting and Auditing

ECON 8363: Public Finance I (Public Goods and Expenditures)

ECON 8364: Public Finance II (Tax Incidence)

ECON 6305: Applied Macroeconomic Theory 

ECON 6323: Applied Behavioral Economics

ECON 6330: Applied Macroeconomic and Monetary Policy

ECON 8363: Public Finance I

ECON 8364: Public Finance II

FINA 8324: Topics in Empirical Finance

PHIL 6231: Economic Justice

PPPA 6016: Public and Nonprofit Program Evaluation

PPPA 6015: Benefit-Cost Analysis

PPPA 6048: Financing State and Local Government

PPPA 6052: Tax Policy

PPPA 6053: Public and Nonprofit Financial Management

PPPA 6054: Federal Budget Policy

PPPA 6055 : Contracting Out and Privatization

Comprehensive Field Examination

The field examination in Public Budgeting and Finance is administered as a take-home exam (open book, open note) over a 48-hour period. The examination consists of two parts. One part is made up of questions based on a list of general topics and readings provided by the faculty examiners which is common to all students taking the examination. These general topics will include material from PPPA 8105 and PPPA 8174 in addition to material from the field core and selected field electives. The second part is based on a list of individualized topics and readings developed by each student being examined, which is approved by the examiners. Examples of possible individual topics are fiscal decentralization/federalism; state and local tax policy; performance budgeting, public-private partnerships, and uses of the tax system for social purposes.

Education and training policies play an important role in the economic and social wellbeing of local communities, states and nations. From preschool to graduate school, improving the quality of education is a priority for policymakers worldwide. The education policy track draws on multidisciplinary tools from economics, education, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology to train researchers and practitioners to: identify education policy problems and opportunities, develop policy alternatives, analyze their costs and benefits, influence policy decisions, plan and guide the implementation of new policies, and evaluate the impacts of education programs and policies.

• Dr. Stephanie Cellini
• Dr. Dylan Conger
• Dr. Yas Nakib

Students in the Education Policy field must complete two required core courses, plus two additional courses in methods and topics chosen in consultation with their advisor .

Education Policy Core

EDUC 8321 : Economics of Education

EDUC 8322 : Education Policy Implementation

Education Policy Topics

ECON 8341/42 : Labor Economics

ECON 8351/52: Development Economics I

ECON 8358 : Urban Economics

ECON 8363/64 : Public Finance I

EDUC 6555 : Higher Education Policy

EDUC 8320 : Politics of Education

EDUC 8323 : Policies of Education Equity

EDUC 8325 : Policy Design — Education Accountability

EDUC 8340 : Methods of Policy Analysis in Education

PPPA 6081 : Poverty & Social Policy

PPPA 6048 : Financing State & Local Government

PPPA 6049 : Urban and Regional Policy Analysis

PPPA 6054 : Issues in Federal Budgeting

PSC 8286 : U.S. Social Policy

Education Policy Methods

ECON 6291: Methods of Demographic Analysis

ECON 6300 : Mathematical Methods for Economics

ECON 8375 : Econometrics I

ECON 8379 : Applied Econometrics Lab (micro version)

PSC 8122 : Longitudinal Analysis

PSC 8124 : Multilevel Modeling

PSC 8130 : Game Theory I

PSC 8131 : Game Theory II

PPPA 6015 : Benefit-Cost Analysis

Upon completion of coursework in the field, students take a comprehensive field exam involving two parts:

• Content from the core education policy field courses
• Content from field electives that typically focus on one of the following areas (area is chosen in consultation with your advisor and will be based loosely on topics covered in your field electives):
• Early childhood education
• Elementary and secondary education
• Higher education
• Education finance
• Education inequality
• Economics of education

The Program Evaluation field is designed for Ph.D. students who wish to develop both quantitative and qualitative research skills that may be applied to analyze and assess the performance of public and nonprofit programs. As a student in this field, you will be exposed to research methods from multiple disciplines that will prepare you for program evaluation and performance auditing professions.

• Dr. Kathryn Newcomer
• Dr. Burt Barnow

Students in the Program Evaluation field must complete two required core courses, plus two additional courses in methods and topics chosen in consultation with their advisor.

Program Evaluation Core ( covered on field exam )

PPPA 6016: Public and Nonprofit Program Evaluation 

PPPA 8164: Seminar on Program Evaluation

Program Evaluation Electives (choose 2; courses approved by the field advisor may be substituted for the courses listed below)

ANTH 6331: Research Methods in Development Anthropology

DNSC 6275: Advanced Statistical Modeling and Analysis

HSML 6276: Exploratory and Multivariate Data Analysis

ECON 8375: Econometrics I

ECON 8376: Econometrics II

EDUC 8122: Qualitative Research Methods

PPPA 8023: Mixed Methods in Research Design

SOC 6232: Qualitative Methodology: Doing Field Research

STAT 6287: Modern Theory of Sample

STAT 6291: Methods of Demographic Analysis

STAT 8265: Multivariate Analysis

STAT 8266: Topics in Multivariate Analysis

STAT 8281: Advanced Time Series Analysis

STAT 8288: Surveys

This field is for Ph.D. students with a generalist’s orientation towards conducting research on complex problems in public policy and administration. Students specializing in this field may carry out research on a variety of themes such as public and nonprofit management, and issues that lie at the intersection of traditional fields such as social policy, program evaluation, public budgeting and finance, education policy, health policy, and public administration.

The purpose of completing the field coursework is two-fold:

• To develop an overarching and integrated perspective on public and nonprofit management.
• To develop theoretical knowledge and methodological competencies that will be useful in conducting scholarly research in public and nonprofit management.

Students who have not already completed a Master of Public Administration/Policy (MPA/MPP) degree, either at the George Washington University or at another university, will be expected to complete selected MPA/MPP core courses before taking more advanced coursework in this field. 

In the PNM field, the field advisors will work with you on an individual basis in identifying the appropriate coursework. Although most of your coursework will consist of public policy and administration courses, you may also include courses from other GW departments as well as courses at other universities participating in the Consortium of Washington Area Universities upon consultation with your advisor.

Although students may consult with any field advisor, we encourage PNM students to consult with the field advisor whose interests are closest to their dissertation research interests 

• Dr. Lori Brainard
• Dr. Jasmine McGiniss Johnson
• Dr. Sanjay K. Pandey

Students are required to take 4 field courses. The field has one required course and three elective courses. In addition to the listed field courses, students should follow the guidelines on choosing field courses provided below. Students are required to have an advising meeting with a field advisor to obtain approval for their choice of field courses.

The purpose of completing the field coursework is to develop competencies and knowledge that will be useful in conducting scholarly research in public and nonprofit management on dissertation and other relevant themes.

Students are required to take 4 field courses; 3 are electives and 1 is required of all students. The required course is: 

PPPA 8164: Seminar in Program Evaluation Doctoral seminar on theory and practice in public and nonprofit program evaluation. 

The choice of elective field courses should be guided by the field coursework purpose. Given the scope of Public and Nonprofit Management, both in academe and in practice, we do not offer a closed master-list for choosing field elective courses. Rather, students must abide by the following guidelines:

• Students should consult with an appropriate field advisor about field electives and communicate the agreement about field courses to all field advisors (e-mail is sufficient). If this plan gets updated, changes in the plan should be communicated as well.

The proposed list should be made of doctoral courses (review doctoral seminars offered by other fields in the doctoral program, doctoral courses offered at Washington Metropolitan Area Consortium schools/programs, as well as doctoral-level methods courses. Other departments and programs may also have relevant courses.)

If a Masters-level course is proposed, students need to propose and obtain prior approval, from the instructor of the course, for additional assignments/activities that will make it a worthwhile doctoral elective.  

Elective courses may be used to take methodologically-oriented courses that will prepare you to carry out dissertation research.  

Students may also take directed readings courses with faculty they want to request to serve as their dissertation director. Students are, of course, encouraged to consider doing directed readings with other TSPPPA faculty as well.

The purpose of the field examination is to assess student preparedness to undertake dissertation research in public and nonprofit management. Students are encouraged to seek faculty guidance and feedback on ways in which the field examination can advance their dissertation interests.

Students are expected to have a deep knowledge of material covered in core courses, field courses, and academic literature relevant to students’ dissertation research interests. Further, students are expected to stay current and be conversant with the scholarly peer-reviewed literature in their field of study.

Student Responsibilities:

Students may make a request for the field examination at the beginning of either the Fall semester or the Spring semester. The field examination will not be offered during the summer session.

Before a student can request to schedule the field examination, s/he needs to have a TSPPPA faculty member tentatively agree to serve as the student’s dissertation director. The field examination will be administered by the intended dissertation director in consultation and collaboration with one of the field advisors in accordance with the format and procedures laid out in this document.

Students should share this document, outlining the purpose, coverage, student responsibilities, format, and procedures, with the intended dissertation director so that s/he is familiar with faculty role and obligations in this process. 

Students should also become familiar with and follow the specific guidelines provided under sections titled format and procedures below.

Academic integrity is central to doctoral work at GW. Any indication that any part of a student’s field examination essay is not the original work of the student will result in a failing grade with no subsequent opportunity to revise and resubmit the field examination essay.

The intended dissertation director, in consultation and collaboration with one of the PNM field advisors, will administer the field examination.  The intended dissertation director should propose a second reader (either a PNM field advisor or another Trachtenberg School faculty member) to the PNM field advisor s/he is working with. 

The field examination requirement is for the student to submit an essay to the intended dissertation director and the second reader. The field examination essay should be relevant to the field and can be any combination of a quantitative study, a qualitative study, or a literature review.  

The field examination essay should be comparable in length, style, and quality to a journal manuscript. Specific formatting requirements (i.e. length, style, structure, etc.) for the field examination essay will be determined in a discussion with the intended dissertation director and the second reader (see point 3 under procedures).

The field examination essay may be an extension of work the student has done as part of an independent study or other coursework. The field examination essay must, however, be sole-authored original work.  

The possible grades for the field examination essay are: High pass, pass, bare pass, fail.

Procedures:

The intended dissertation director, in consultation with the student and a PNM field advisor, will schedule the exam and notify the PhD director.

The intended dissertation director will identify a second reader, typically one of the field advisors. In exceptional cases, the second reader can be another TSPPPA faculty member with relevant expertise.

Within two weeks of the notification to the PhD Director (as described in step 1 above) about scheduling of the field examination, the student should prepare a field examination essay proposal and request meetings with the intended dissertation director and the second reader to obtain feedback on the proposal. This can be a joint meeting or two individual meetings at the discretion of the faculty members. The field examination essay proposal should at a minimum have the following elements, title, abstract, outline, and identify a journal to which the essay may be submitted (e.g., PAR, JPART, JPAM, ARPA, A&S, PPMR, ROPPA etc.).

Following this meeting with the intended dissertation director and the second reader, the student will have 8 weeks to complete the field examination essay and submit it to the intended dissertation director and the reader.

The intended dissertation director and the second reader will review the field examination essay and provide written feedback. The feedback may be provided in the form of either written comments on the essay or a typical journal peer-review report. 

The intended dissertation director, in consultation with the second reader, may require revisions to the field examination essay. The student will submit: i) a revised field examination essay within 4 weeks of receiving the feedback from the intended dissertation director and the second reader; and ii) a document itemizing and detailing specific steps taken in response to the feedback provided.  

The student will have only one opportunity to revise and resubmit the field examination essay before receiving a final grade.

The intended dissertation director, in consultation with the second reader, will notify the student of the final grade, copying the PhD director, and TSPPPA Assistant Director for Graduate Studies.

• Dr. Nicholas Vonortas
• Dr. Nina Kelsey
• Dr. Scott Pace

The Science and Technology Policy field focuses on the interactions among scientific development, technological change, and governmental and private-sector activities at the domestic and international levels. This field of study trains students to understand and manage issues at the intersection of science, technology, industrial strategy and structure, and government policy. The field emphasizes a comparative approach to science and technology policy, founded on the twin poles of in-depth understanding of domestic policies and continuous coverage of policy developments around the world. Faculty from the Elliott School's Institute for International Science and Technology Policy and Space Policy Institute manage and advise this field of study. As a student, you will have frequent opportunities for involvement in the activities of these institutes and for collaboration with Elliott School students who are pursuing International Science and Technology Policy MA and certificate programs. For more information, please visit the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy's  Academics  page.

Students in the Science and Technology Policy field are required to take 4 field courses — 2 are core requirements and 2 are electives.

Science and Technology Policy Core

IAFF 6141 : International Science and Technology Policy Cornerstone

IAFF 6158 : Science, Tech, and Policy Analysis OR

IAFF 6085: Seminar in Science and Technology Policy [ offered every 2-3 years ]

Science and Technology Policy Electives

Students may also propose other courses of relevance to their designated specialization. Such courses may be offered by the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (Economics, Political Science), the School of Business (Strategic Management and Public Policy, International Business), the School of Engineering (Engineering Management), and others. Proposed courses will be evaluated by the Program Director.

IAFF 6158/ECON 6255: Economics of Technological Change

IAFF 6145 : U.S. Space Policy

IAFF 6146/LAW 6548 : Space Law

IAFF 6148 : Space and National Security

IAFF 6151 : Environmental Policy

IAFF 6152 : Energy Policy

IAFF 6153 : Science, Technology & National Security

IAFF 6143 : Science and Technology Policy Analysis

IAFF 6158 : Special Topics in International Science and Technology Policy (Issues in Space Policy)

IAFF 6158 : Special Topics in International Science and Technology Policy (Space Economics)

IAFF 6158 : Special Topics in International Science and Technology Policy (Science Diplomacy)

IAFF 6158: Special Topics in International Science and Technology Policy (Artificial Intelligence and Nonproliferation)

PPPA 6006 : Policy Analysis

Upon completion of coursework in the field, students will take a comprehensive field exam. The exam is offered once or twice in an academic year, following a petition from students. The examination relies on the content of the science and technology policy field core courses (cornerstone, capstone, and seminar) and the field electives. In addition, the exam will reflect the specific courses taken by the student and their individual areas of interest. We write an exam that reflects the courses taken by the student and their individual areas of interest. Expectations for students during the examination include:

Staying current and being conversant with the scholarly peer-reviewed literature and important gray literature (i.e. literature produced by different governmental and non-governmental bodies such as relevant federal agencies, the World Bank, Brookings, Rand, EU, OECD, UN Agencies, etc.).

• Discussion should go beyond the readings covered in class.
• Mastery of course material, a demonstrated command of major concepts and literature in the field, and an ability to think beyond concepts directly covered in classes.

The format of the exam is as follows:

• Take home, open book, open notes exam.
• One on Science and Technology policy theory
• One on specific areas of interest
• Time frame – three days

Two graders read each answer and confer on a final grade. One of the two graders is related to the specific area of interest of the student.

The Social Policy field of study offers students the opportunity to study how the actions and decisions of government within the contexts of gender, ethnicity, or urban settings influence the wellbeing of individuals and of society, with a particular focus on poverty and income inequality. Most public policy discussions-local, national, or international-include explicit or implicit assumptions about gender, race and location. Scholarship across various disciplines has demonstrated the importance of studying the interconnections among gender, race, class, and other forms of social inequality. Conflicts associated with these topics affect all institutions and social interactions of every type, and frequently dominate a range of policy debates.

Drawing on interdisciplinary theories and methodologies, as a student in this field, you will gain a broad understanding of: historical trends in poverty and inequality, scholarship illuminating the causes of consequences of poverty and inequality, the current landscape of social welfare programs (defined broadly), and the politics of poverty and inequality in America. In addition, students choose an area of specialization from the following: (a) gender and social policy, (b) race, ethnicity, and public policy, or (c) urban policy.  This specialization provides a theoretical lens for examining social policy.

Students in the Social Policy field must complete one common field course, required courses in their area of specialization, and one or more additional courses selected from electives suggested for that specialization or other courses chosen with advisor approval, to equal a total of 12 credits in the field.

Social Policy Core Requirement

PPPA 8197 U.S. Social Policy

Gender and Social Policy Specialization

• Dr. Ivy Ken
• Dr. Sanjay Pandey

Along with the Social Policy field core course, students in the Gender and Social Policy specialization must complete two specialization core courses and one additional elective.

Gender and Social Policy Core

WGSS 6221: Research Issues in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies

WGSS 6240: Gender and Public Policy

Gender and Social Policy Electives

AMST/HIST/WGSS 6431: Gender, Sexuality and American Culture

ANTH 6501/WGSS 6257: Gender and Sexuality

PHIL/WGSS 6238: Feminist Ethics and Policy Implications

SOC/WGSS 6268: Race, Gender, and Class

SOC/WGSS 6271: Gender and Society

WGSS 6220: Fundamentals of Feminist Theory

WGSS 6225:  Contemporary Feminist Theory

WGSS 6230: Global Feminisms

WGSS 6241 : Gender, Law, and Politics

WGSS 6265: Women, Welfare, and Poverty

WGSS 6283: Practicum in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Comprehensive Field Exam

The Purpose of the field exam in Gender and Social Policy is for students to demonstrate proficiency in the major themes, methods, and debates in the field.  It provides an opportunity for students to confirm the breadth and depth of their knowledge and their readiness to make an original contribution to the field.

In consultation with the field advisors, each student develops 3 reading lists as follows:

• One list includes readings related to WSTU 6221: Research Issues in Women's/Gender Studies (a required field course) plus selected readings from other field courses that have influenced the student’s intellectual trajectory but do not appear on the other lists.
• The other two lists cover two substantive areas related to gender policy that best fit the student’s research interests and academic work in the field.  One of these lists could be closely related to the student's expected dissertation topic.  Both lists should include classic texts and current journal articles.  While students are encouraged to include relevant readings from field courses, they should also move beyond coursework in their selections.

The exam is a take-home, open-book, essay exam that usually takes three days to complete. The questions are based on the reading lists. Students answer a total of three essay questions. Typically, in Part A, the student is presented with two questions and must choose one to answer. In Part B, the student is presented with three or four questions and must choose two to answer.   

The student should write seven to 10 pages, double-spaced, for each essay.  The essays should draw on the reading lists and do not require the student to go beyond those lists (though other materials are allowed). 

Students may choose exam dates in consultation with the field advisors.

Race, Ethnicity and Public Policy Specialization

• Dr. Antwan Jones
• Dr. Steven Tuch

Along with the Social Policy field core course, students in the Race, Ethnicity and Public Policy specialization must complete 2 specialization core courses and one additional elective.

Race, Ethnicity and Public Policy Core

SOC 6245 : Race Relations

SOC 6248 : Race and Urban Redevelopment

Race, Ethnicity and Public Policy Electives*

AMST/HIST 3350 : U.S. Social History

HIST 3360 : African American History

LAW 6595 : Race, Racism and American Law

LAW 6596 : Law of Race and Slavery

PSC 8211 : Urban Politics

PSC 8212 : Urban Policy Problems

PSYC 8236 : Minorities and Mental Health

SOC 6250 : Urban Sociology

SOC 6252 : Special Topics (with approval)

SOC 6268 : Race, Gender, and Politics

The comprehensive exam is based on materials covered in the two required field courses and the one elective field course as well as associated scholarly literatures. An initial reading list compiled by the student is reviewed and supplemented by the field advisors. The reading list should be submitted a minimum of 3 months prior to the date of the exam. Students are also asked to provide field advisors with a list of faculty from whom they have taken their field courses so questions can be solicited from those faculty. Field advisors then compile the exam. The format of the exam is a five-day, open book take-home consisting of 3 or 4 questions, with some choice factored in. Students will be provided with the questions at noon on Wednesday and be required to submit their answers by noon the following Monday. Answers typically range from 10-15 pages per question. Two readers evaluate each question and submit a single grade for each question they grade. Field advisors then submit a single grade for the exam.

Poverty and Inequality Specialization

• Dr. Elizabeth Rigby
• Elizabeth Vaquera

Along with the Social Policy field core course, students in the Poverty and Inequality specialization must complete the specialization core course and two additional field electives.

Poverty and Inequality Core

PPPA 6081 : Poverty and Social Policy

Poverty and Inequality Electives ( choose 2 )

ECON 6330 : Applied Macroeconomics and Money

ECON 6340 : Applied Labor Economics and Public Policy

HIST 6011 : History and Public Policy

PHIL 6230 : Ethical Issues in Policy Arguments

PHIL 6231 : Economic Justice

PHIL 6238 : Feminist Ethics and Policy Implications

PHIL 6242 : Philosophy, Law and Social Policy

PPPA 6065 : Federalism and Public Policy

PPPA 6076 : Federal Government Regulation of Society

PPPA 6085 : Comparative Public Policy

PSC 8211 : State and Urban Politics

SOC/WGSS 6265 : Women, Welfare, and Poverty

SOC 6268 : Race, Gender, and Class

WGSS 6240 : Gender and Public Policy

No less than three months in advance of the desired date of the field examination, students should notify the field advisors of their intent to take the exam, as well as the relevant courses the student has taken. Exams are written take-home exams, tailored to student interest.

Urban Policy Specialization

• Dr. Leah Brooks
• Dr. Hilary Silver

Along with the Social Policy field core course, students in the Urban Policy specialization must complete two specialization core courses and one additional elective .

Urban Policy Core

Urban policy electives ( choose 2 ).

AMST 6495 : Historic Preservation — Principles & Methods I

AMST 6520 : Economics of Preservation

AMST 6525 : Politics of Historic Preservation

ECON 8341 : Labor Economics I

ECON 8342 : Labor Economics II

ECON 8357 : Regional Economics

ECON 8358 : Urban Economics 

ECON 8363 : Public Finance I

ECON 8364 : Public Finance II

GEOG 6243 : Urban Geography Seminar

GEOG 6244 : Seminar — Urban Sustainability

GEOG 6290 : Principles of Demography

PPPA 6042 : Managing State and Local Governments

PPPA 6043 : Land Use Planning, and Community Development

PPPA 6048 : Financing State and Local Government

PPPA 6051 : Governmental Budgeting

PPPA 6085 : Homelessness

PSC 8388 : Selected Topics in Comparative Politics

PSYC 8246 : Personnel Evaluation Technology

SOC 6259 : Criminology

SOC 6262 : Corrections

SOC 6263 : Race and Crime

Comprehensive Exam

No less than three months in advance of the desired date of the field examination, students should notify the field advisors of their intent to take the exam, as well as the relevant courses the student has taken. Exams are written take-home exams, tailored to student interests.

Comprehensive Exams

Students in each field of study are required to complete a comprehensive exam. See exam guidelines for each area .

PhD Course Requirements

The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate Programs .

The requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Program .

 *Course is covered by the core comprehensive examination.

**The social policy field has four subfields, each with specific requirements: gender and social policy, poverty and inequality, ethnicity and public policy, and urban policy.

Ph.D. in Public Policy

General info.

• Faculty working with students: 42 primary appointments, 19 secondary appointments, adjunct and visiting
• Students: 30
• Students receiving Financial Aid: 100%
• Part time study available: No
• Application terms: Fall
• Application deadline: December 2

Lisa Gennetian Director of Graduate Studies Attn: Ph.D. Program Sanford School of Public Policy Duke University, Box 90312 Durham, NC 27708-0243

Phone: (919) 613-9341

Email: [email protected]

Website:  https://sanford.duke.edu/academics/doctoral-program/

Program Description

The Ph.D. in Public Policy is an interdisciplinary social science degree. Graduates of the program are prepared for academic positions in public policy, public administration, policy-oriented schools, social science departments, and for professional positions in domestic and international public agencies and research organizations. The program aims to matriculate 6-8 students per year, enabling each student to receive individual faculty attention in courses and in research.

The core of the program is research mentoring with one or more faculty members, as the student becomes expert in an area of inquiry.  Initially, the student's research is closely tied to that of faculty members but, by the dissertation, the student becomes an independent scholar.  The program requires a two-course sequence in theories of public policy, and coursework in three other social science disciplines. Students designate both a disciplinary concentration such as political science, sociology, or psychology in which they take a minimum of five courses, and a policy focus, such as social policy, globalization and development, health policy, or other policy area. Students interested in environmental policy should apply directly to the University Program in Environmental Policy, but may enroll in Public Policy Ph.D. courses.

• Public Policy Studies: PhD Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
• Public Policy Studies: PhD Completion Rate Statistics
• Public Policy Studies: PhD Time to Degree Statistics
• Public Policy Studies: PhD Career Outcomes Statistics

Application Information

Application Terms Available:  Fall

Application Deadline: December 2

Graduate School Application Requirements See the Application Instructions page for important details about each Graduate School requirement.

• Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts required with application submission; official transcripts required upon admission
• Letters of Recommendation: 3 Required
• Statement of Purpose: Required (See departmental guidance below)
• Résumé: Required
• GRE Scores: GRE General Required (GMAT not accepted)
• English Language Exam: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test required* for applicants whose first language is not English *test waiver may apply for some applicants
• GPA: Undergraduate GPA calculated on 4.0 scale required

Department-Specific Application Requirements (submitted through online application)

Joint Degree Students will also have the option to apply to the joint degree program in each of our allied disciplines: political science, psychology and sociology. There are a limited number of spots for the joint degree program. You can find more information for this program here: Joint Degree .

Statement of Purpose Guidelines We carefully review each applicant’s essay. Please utilize this essay to discuss your goals in pursuing the PhD in Public Policy at Duke University. We are interested in your academic and professional experience, your intended course of study (including a disciplinary concentration and policy area focus) and your longer-term career objectives.

Writing Sample A writing sample is not required.

Allied Disciplines Applicants to the joint Ph.D. program in Public Policy and Allied Disciplines must submit an additional essay for admission to the program. Regardless of your selection of primary department, please respond to the following prompt:

In 500 words or less, please explain your interest in the joint Ph.D. program offered between Public Policy and an Allied Discipline. Highlight how your research interests and past experiences lie at the intersection between Public Policy and the Allied Discipline and how participation in the joint program will facilitate your professional goals after receiving your degree.

We strongly encourage you to review additional department-specific application guidance from the program to which you are applying: Departmental Application Guidance

List of Graduate School Programs and Degrees

School of Public Policy

College of arts, humanities, and social sciences, ph.d. in public policy.

The Ph.D curriculum for a student without a relevant master’s degree requires 48 hours of coursework and 18 hours of dissertation research. The curriculum is divided into core courses, disciplinary foundation courses and courses in a specific policy area or discipline. Students with a master’s degree will have fewer course requirements.

Core courses – 6 courses (18 credits):

• PUBL 600 Research Methodology
• PUBL 603 Theory and Practice of Policy Analysis
• PUBL 604 Statistical Analysis, plus two additional research method/quantitative analysis courses appropriate to student’s track such as: PUBL 607, 608, or 611; ECON 605 or 611; SOCY 619
• PUBL 609 Social Sciences Approaches to Policy Analysis

Additionally, Ph.D. students must sign up for 18 credits of PUBL 899 (Doctoral Dissertation Research).

Disciplinary foundation courses – 3 courses (9 credits):

• PUBL 602: Microeconomics for Public Policy (formerly ECON 600) or ECON 601 Microeconomic Analysis
• PUBL 601 Political and Social Context of the Policy Process
• SOCY 606 Social Inequality and Social Policy

Study specialization courses – 5 courses (15 credits). Ph.D. students in all specializations except economics and policy history, are required to take a relevant economics course as part of their 5 track courses or 2 electives.

• Educational Policy
• Emergency Services
• Evaluation and Analytical Methods
• Health Policy
• Policy History
• Public Management
• Urban Policy

Learn more about study specializations.

Specific course requirements for each area of specialization are listed in the Public Policy Graduate Student Handbook. Course descriptions are in the Graduate Catalog . Course syllabi are on the Public Blackboard site.

Electives Ph.D. students must take 2 additional elective courses (6 credits) that are related to their policy interests.

Doctoral Dissertation All Ph.D. candidates must register for a minimum of 18 semester hours of doctoral dissertation research, PUBL 899. Guidelines for writing and defending dissertations are available on the Public Policy Graduate Student Group site . Copies of proposals and dissertations are available for inspection in the Graduate Student Reading Room.

Browse a list of completed dissertations from previous students. For a full list of theses and dissertations, visit the database search on UMBC’s Library page (database search requires UMBC login).

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The Doctoral Program prepares scholars and scholar-practitioners for academic and professional careers. Our PhD students are educated to be versatile and, judging from the success of our graduates, can expect to thrive in whatever positions they choose — and in whatever positions choose them — over their full careers.

Public Policy doctoral programs have proliferated and prospered over the last half century. Why? Answers would vary, of course, but here’s one that’s usefully understood in dissertation context. In more traditional disciplines, especially in the social sciences, doctoral students choose methods and then look for ways to demonstrate mastery of those methods. In Public Policy, ideally, doctoral students choose problems and then master the methods needed to solve those problems. Choosing a problem takes a while. So does composing a research question leading to a problem-solving answer.

The doctoral program requires that students take 8 classes (24 course credits total).  Three are specifically required:

Normative Analysis (PLCY 698E)

Quantitative Analysis (PLCY 798R)

Qualitative Analysis (PLCY 798Z)

Five other courses are chosen in consultation with a student’s faculty advisor. Choices will reflect past coursework and current research interests but must also be chosen with qualifying examinations in mind.

Our PhD program does admit students intending to study part-time.  However, admission is competitive and we have to have a faculty member willing to serve as a research advisor.  Additionally, it is important that a student's job be closely aligned with the research topic.

Steps in advancement to candidacy for the PhD

• Passing all 5 qualifying examinations: Qualifying Exams (also known as Comprehensive Exams or General Exams) are taken right after 4 semesters of coursework or when a student feels prepared and whenever made available by the examining professor or professors. Many students take exams right after finishing the courses most likely to prepare them to pass. Areas examined (in alphabetical order) are: Microeconomic analysis; Normative analysis; Political analysis; Quantitative analysis; and Specialization(s) This is a single area (or combination of areas) chosen by the student as bearing directly on dissertation intentions. The specialization exam is planned jointly by the student, the student’s advisor and, often, one or more professors sharing aspects of the student’s research interest. Preparation is lengthy but instructive. The exam’s authors — always at least two professors — grade the exam.
• Assembling a faculty committee chaired by a student’s advisor: This committee, once fully formed and successfully nominated, will go on to function as a dissertation examining committee.
• Proposing a dissertation research plan (prospectus) to the faculty committee
• Defending the proposal at a scheduled public event

Note: Students are required to maintain continuous enrollment, i.e., be registered every semester. If the student has completed all coursework but not yet advanced to candidacy, the student should register for PLCY898-Pre-Candidacy Research in the research advisor's section number.

Steps in the dissertation phase

• A student who has advanced to candidacy is automatically enrolled by the UMD Registrar in 6 credits of PLCY 899, Doctoral Dissertation Research. The UMD Graduate School requires a minimum of 12 credits of PLCY 899 before a student is eligible to graduate.
• Nominating the fully formed dissertation examining committee, with the candidate’s advisor as the chair: The committee’s composition must observe Graduate School rules with approval needed for any exceptions. Note that all members of the dissertation examining committee should have earned the degree to be awarded (the PhD) or an equivalent terminal degree (such as the DSc or DPH).
• Writing the dissertation
• Defending the dissertation at a scheduled public event
• Submitting the committee form approved via signature by all members of the committee to the Office of the Registrar and electronically submitting the dissertation through the university's online system. The Registrar will verify the dissertation formatting and clear the student for graduation.

View our  frequently asked questions for more information about the PhD program.

Dissertations

Explore dissertations completed by candidates in the School of Public Policy.

View the Graduate School's policies related to the Doctor of Philosophy degree. 

Meet the Program Director

Angela bies.

Angela Bies, PhD is endowed associate professor of global philanthropy and nonprofit leadership at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. Previously, she was chair of the faculty, associate professor and director of international programs at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

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PhD Program

Business & Public Policy Dissertations & Placements

The dissertation titles and job placements for our graduates in business & public policy.

Petr Martynov, 2022 Uber Essays on Frictions in Financial Intermediation

Muhammad Yasir Khan, 2021 University of Pittsburgh Essays on the Incentives and Motivations of State Personnel

Thiago de Gouvea Scot de Arruda, 2021 World Bank Essays on Development Economics and State Capacity

Oren Reshef, 2020 Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis Essays in Competition, Digitization, and Innovation

Abhay Aneja, 2019 Berkeley Law Essays on Political and Economic Inequality

Laura Boudreau, 2019 Columbia Business School Economics Division Essays on Working Conditions, Labor Markets, and Multinational Buyers in Developing Countries

Hyoseok Kang, 2019 USC Essays on Competition, Public Policy, and Innovation

Sibo Lu, 2018 Upwork Search and Signaling on an Online Labor Market

Aisling Scott, 2018 Facebook Essays in Behavioral Economics

Yoonha Kim, 2017 Georgetown University Immigrant Assimilation and Labor Market Outcomes

Jeffrey Kuhn, 2017 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Measurement and Causal Inference in Patent Strategy

Santiago Truffa, 2017 Tulane University Essays on Urban Economics

Moshe Barach, 2016 Georgetown University Essays on Platform Markets

Yujin Kim, 2016 Shanghai Science and Technology University (Shanghai Tech) Essays on Innovation and Technology Commercialization

Bo Cowgill, 2015 Columbia University Essays on the Economics of Organizations, Productivity, and Labor

Tarek Ghani, 2015 Washington University in St. Louis – Olin Business School Essays on Markets and Institutions in Emerging Economies

Pablo Hernandez, 2013 New York University Abu Dhabi Essays on the Role of Leadership on Cooperation, Competition, and the Consolidation of Power

Amy Nguyen-Chyung, 2013 University of Michigan Essays on Entrepreneurial Choice and Non-Market Strategy

Orie Shelef, 2013 Stanford University; Postdoctoral Fellow Essays on Contracting: Explicit Managerial Contracts and Implicit Relational Influence Contracts

Edward Egan, 2012 The Economics of Patent Citations: Startup Commercialization Strategy, Value, and Success

Bryan Hong, 2012 University of Western Ontario Three Essays on Management and Organization

Sharat Raghavan, 2012 National University of Singapore; Research Fellow Essays in Entrepreneurial Finance and Strategy

Neil Thompson, 2012 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Business Academia’s Use of Intellectual Property and Its Impact on the Underlying Science

Dylan Minor, 2011 Northwestern University Essays on Competition: Contests, Personnel Economics, and Corporate Citizenship

Sharon Poczter, 2011 Cornell University Essays on Financial Crisis and Institutions

Justin Tumlinson, 2011 Ifo Institute for Economic Research, University of Munich Empirical Studies in the Economics of Organizations

Victor Bennett, 2010 University of Southern California Empirical Studies in the Economics of Organizations

Deepak Hegde, 2010 NYU Stern School of Business Essays on Institutions and Innovation

Sanny Xiao Yang Liao, 2010 M-Factor Three Essays in Political Economy and Public Policy

Richard Dick Wang, 2010 University of Minnesota Essays on Competitive Strategy and Innovation Management

Constanca Esteves-Sorenson, 2009 Yale School of Management Inertia and Earnings Gaps: Essays in Behavioral and Labor Economics

Brian Chen, 2009 Shorenstein Center at Stanford University Three Essays on the Impact of Cost Containment Policies on the Supply and Demand of Health Care Services and on Health Outcomes

Barak Richman, 2009 Duke Law School Essays in Private Ordering: Mechanisms, Efficiencies, and the Law

Robert Seamans, 2009 NYU Stern School of Business Strategic and Structural Barriers to Entry

Maria Andrea Martens Olivares, 2008 University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Three Essays in Empirical Organization

Ian Larkin, 2007 Harvard Business School Incentive and Contracting Problems in Enterprise Software

Siona Listokin, 2007 George Mason University Essays in Political Economy

Connson Chou Locke, 2008 London School of Economics The Downside of Looking Like a Leader: Examining the Effects for Leadership Demeanor on Follower Voice

Evan Rawley, 2007 Wharton School of Business Organization and Performance: Evidence from Microdata

Simon Wakeman, 2007 European School of Management & Technology ( Berlin) Contracting and Intellectual Property Issues in Biotech Commercialization Strategy

Oliver Beige, 2006 Mercedes-Benz Research Essays on Preference and Influence

Aaron Chatterji, 2006 Duke University Empirical Essays on Entrepreneurship and Corporate Social Responsibility

Helen (Feng) Liang, 2006 Rutgers Business School Three Essays of Firm Productivity, Technology Spillovers, and Foreign Direct Investment

Jason Alan Snyder, 2006 UCLA, Anderson School of Management Three Essays on Healthcare Markets and Political Economy

Kira Markiewicz, 2005 Emory University Knowledge Exploitation, Open Science, and Firm Strategy in a Changing Intellectual Property Rights Environment

John Lamar Pierce, 2005 Carnegie Mellon University Organizational Structure and Forecasting Capabilities in Consumer Automobile Leasing

Michael Toffel, 2005 Harvard Business School Voluntary Environmental Management Initiatives: Smoke Signals or Smoke Screens

Geoff Edwards, 2004 Lexecon, Ltd. The Political Economy of Telecommunications Regulation

Timothy Simcoe, 2004 University of Toronto Papers on Standards and Technology

Daniel Snow, 2004 Harvard University Technological Innovation and Firms

Stuart J.H. Graham, 2003 Georgia Institute of Technology Capturing Value with Secrecy: three Studies Exploring Firms’ Uses of Continuation Patenting in Appropriating Returns from Technological Innovation

Dov Rothman, 2003 Columbia University Organizational Form and Pricing of Medical Services

Garrick Blalock, 2002 Cornell University Technology Adoption from Foreign Direct Investment and Exporting Evidence from Indonesian Manufacturing

Bruce Heiman, 2002 San Francisco State University Knowledge and Governance on Collaboration

Robert Lowe, 2002 Carnegie Mellon University University Research Through New Firm Formation

Next: Business & Public Policy Curriculum

UKnowledge > Graduate School > Martin School of Public Policy and Administration > Theses & Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

ESSAYS ON THE DYNAMICS OF SUBNATIONAL PUBLIC FINANCE IN INDONESIA , Much Rosidi

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LOCAL REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE POLICIES AND URBAN HOUSING MARKETS , Lucas Taulbee

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

THREE ESSAYS ON CONSUMPTION TAXATION IN INDONESIA , Partomuan Transparenter Juniult

THREE ESSAYS ON RURAL EDUCATION: DESCRIPTIVE STUDIES FOCUSED ON FEDERAL RURAL DEFINITIONS AND POLICY CHANGES , Kyung Ha Oh

A Multilevel Jurisdictional Analysis of the Impact of Walmart on Host Communities , Matt Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

THREE ESSAYS ON GOVERNANCE, INEQUALITY, AND SOCIAL EQUITY , Sarah Ausmus Smith

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Two Essays on Governments Devolving Fiscal Authority to Lower-Level Actors , Jinsol Park

Three Essays on Tax Compliance in Indonesia , Himawan Saputro

ESSAYS ON EVASION AND ENFORCEMENT IN VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT) , Syed Jawad Ali Shah

COLLABORATIVE COMPETITION IN HOMELESS SERVICES: THREE ESSAYS ON FEDERAL-LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS , Andrew Alfred Sullivan

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Home Rule, Local Autonomy, And Municipal Government Behavior , Xin Chen

Move or Improve? Place, Policy, and Educator Labor Markets , Cory Curl

Essays on Economic Development Policies , Hakyeon Lee

EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH TO DRUG CRISIS , Jiebing Wen

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

THE EFFECTS OF NATURAL RESOURCE DEPENDENCE AND DEMOCRACY ON THE INCREMENTAL BUDGETING THEORY AND PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM WITHIN A BUDGETARY CONTEXT , Barrak Ghanim Algharabali

THE DECISION TO DECENTRALIZE GOOD PROVISION IN THE UNITED STATES: A STUDY IN CLEAN ENERGY POLICY , Whitney Michelle Davis

THREE ESSAYS ON WELFARE POLICIES IN AMERICAN STATES: EXPLAINING AMERICAN WELFARE STATES IN THE POST-WELFARE REFORM ERA , Hyokyung Kwak

THREE ESSAYS ON MUNICIPAL STRUCTURE AND GOVERNMENT FISCAL MANAGEMENT OUTCOMES , Wenchi Wei

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

THE ALLOCATION OF STATE APPROPRIATIONS AND STUDENTS ACROSS DIFFERENT TYPES OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION , Joshua L. Bush

STATE SUBSIDY COMPOSITION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: POLICY AND IMPACTS , Alex Eugene Combs

THREE ESSAYS ON FINANCIAL COLLABORATION IN THE GOVERNMENT AND NONPROFIT SECTORS , Saerim Kim

A MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY INDEX FOR THE UNITED STATES , Nate Kratzer

USING PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES TO UNDERSTAND CITIZEN ATTITUDES TOWARD GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE AND COLLABORATIVE BEHAVIORS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR , Jue Young Mok

THREE ESSAYS ON LOCAL PUBLIC FINANCE , Thomas Daniel Woodbury

THREE ESSAYS ON PUBLIC FINANCE AND PUBLIC POLICY: FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE AND POLICY REINVENTION IN U.S. STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS , Jinhai Yu

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• Graduate Theses and Dissertations - Public Policy

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The 2004 Moroccan Moudawana Reforms: Outcomes for Moroccan Women 

The 2008 Economic Stimulus Payments and Durable Consumption 

2012 LABOR REFORM IN MEXICO AND ITS IMPACT IN THE FORMAL AND INFORMAL LABOR MARKETS 

2015 District of Columbia Earned Income Tax Credit Expansions and Poverty Reduction for Adults Without Qualifying Children 

287(g) and public safety : determining the effects of local immigration enforcement on crime 

A Better Ticket Off the Streets: Ending Housing Voucher Discrimination and the Implications for the Unhoused 

A Comparison of Hospital Capacities between Single-Payer and Multi-Payer Healthcare Systems among OECD Nations 

A Hedonic Analysis of School Quality Valuation under the Universal Lottery System in Washington, D.C. 

A State Comparison to Understand Medicaid Delivery System Effects on Access and Use of Preventative Services 

A State Level Analysis of Variation in Healthcare Quality and Outcomes Across Veterans Health Administration Facilities 

A Tale To Tell? What Happened When Parts of the Voting Rights Act Were Repealed 

A Woman’s Place is in Journalism: An Analysis of What Shapes Female Media Representation 

Abortion Laws and Public Health: What are the Health Implications of Parental Involvement Laws on Birth Outcomes? 

Abortion Policy After Roe: How Legalization Impacted Income of Future Cohorts 

Abortion, Gay Rights, and Redistricting: How Midterm Voters Are Persuaded (Or Not) To Vote 

ABSTINENCE AND HIV/AIDS PREVENTION IN GHANA: HOW INFLUENTIAL IS THE MEDIA? 

Access to Care in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) 

Access to Finance: The Effect of Financial Constraints on Private Firms' Performances in China 

Access to Mainstream Financial Services: Does Being Banked Help Smooth Consumption Volatility? 

The Achievement Gap Between Government and Private Schools in Pakistan 

PEG PhD Dissertations and Job Placements

In this section.

• Degree Requirements
• Current Students
• Dissertations & Job Placements
• Faculty & Research

Learn about the dissertations of our PhD in Political Economy and Government graduates and their job placements directly following graduation.

2023-present

Salvador ascencio pastora (government track).

Dissertation Title: Essays in Environmental Economics Advisor:  Torben Iversen Job Placement: Adjunct Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School

Caterina Chiopris (government track)

Dissertation Title: Essays in Political Economy Advisor:  Jeffry Frieden Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies; Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Columbia University

Antonio Coran (Economics track)

Dissertation Title: Essays in Public Economics and Labor Economics Advisor:  Stefanie Stantcheva Job Placement: Economist, Bank of Italy

Francesca Miserocchi (Economics track)

Dissertation Title: Essays on Gender Inequality and Migration Advisor:  Amanda Pallais Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Harvard Business School; Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Tilburg University

Clara Sievert (Economics track)

Dissertation Title: Essays on the Economics of Culture and Health Advisor:  Nathan Nunn Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education-Economics Institute (CERGE-EI)

Kevin deluca (government track)

Dissertation Title: Newspaper Endorsements, Candidate Quality, and Election Outcomes in the United States Advisor:  James M. Snyder Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Yale University

josé Ramón Enríquez (government track)

Dissertation Title: Essays on the Political Economy of Development Advisor: Jeffry Frieden ,  Rema Hanna Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Digital Economy Lab & Golub Capital Social Impact Lab, Stanford Graduate School of Business

casey Kearney (government track)

Dissertation Title: Essays in International Finance and the Political Economy of Capital Flows Advisor: Jeffry Frieden Job Placement: Assistant Professor, London School of Economics and Political Science

casey Petroff  (government track)

Dissertation Title: Essays in Political Economy Advisor: Jeffry Frieden Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Rochester

Awa Ambra seck  (economics track)

Dissertation Title: Essays in Economic Development and Political Economy Advisor:  Nathan Nunn , Emily Breza Job Placement: 

• Assistant Professor, BGIE Unit, Harvard Business School
• Post-Doctoral Fellow, Harvard Academy

Sarah Armitage

Dissertation Title: Essays in Environmental Economics Advisor: Joseph Aldy Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Boston University

Kevin Connolly (economics track)

Dissertation Title: The Economic, Social and Health Effects of America's Two-Year Public College Advisor:  Edward Glaeser Job Placement: to be confirmed

alley Edlebi (economics track)

Dissertation Title: Essays in Applied Economics Advisor: Crystal Yang Job Placement: to be confirmed

Michael-David Mangini

Dissertation Title: How Commerce Becomes Compromised: Economic Coercion and Credibility in the Age of the Global Economy Advisor: Jeffry Frieden Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance

Hillary Stein

Dissertation Title: Essays on International Finance and Political Economy Advisor:  Kenneth Rogoff Job Placement: Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

Augustin Bergeron

Dissertation Title: Essays in Development and Public Economics Advisor:  Nathan Nunn Job Placement:

• Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of Southern California
• Post-Doctoral Fellow, Stanford King Center on Global Development

Enrico Di Gregorio

Dissertation Title: Essays in Public Finance and Political Economy Advisor:  Stefanie Stantcheva Job Placement: Economist, International Monetary Fund

Felipe Jordán

Dissertation Title: Essays on the Influence of Western Institutions on Indigenous Societies Advisor: Rema Hanna Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Brian Wheaton

Dissertation Title: Essays on Political Economy and Macroeconomics Advisor: Robert J. Barro Job Placement: 

• Assistant Professor, Anderson School of Management, University of California Los Angeles
• Hoover Fellow 2021-2022, Hoover Institution  

Andrea Passalacqua (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Banking and Corporate Finance Advisor: Jeremy Stein Job Placement: Economist, Federal Reserve Board  

Juan Sebastián Galán (government track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays on the Political Economy of Latin American Development Advisors: Melissa Dell ,  Nathan Nunn Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia

Siddharth George (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Development Economics Advisor: Rohini Pande Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics, Dartmouth College

Soeren J. Henn (government track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays on State Building and Economic Development Advisors:  Torben Iversen ,  Nathan Nunn Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Innovations for Poverty Action, University of Chicago  

Pamela Ban (government track)

Dissertation Title:  The Changing Influence of Committees in Congress Advisor:  James M. Snyder, Jr. Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of California San Diego

Laura Blattner (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Finance and Economic Policy Advisors:  Gita Gopinath ,  Jeremy Stein Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Finance, Finance Group, Stanford Graduate School of Business

John Coglianese (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays on the Macroeconomics of Labor Markets Advisor: Lawrence Katz Job Placement: Economist, Research Division, Labor Markets Group, Federal Reserve Board

Andrew Garin (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays on the Economics of Labor Demand and Policy Incidence Advisors:  Nathaniel Hendren ,  Lawrence Katz Job Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

Edoardo Teso (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Political Economy Advisor:  Alberto Alesina Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Department of Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences, Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management

Jonathan Weigel (Government track)

Dissertation Title:  Taxation, Corruption, and Engagement With the Formal State: Experimental Evidence From the D.R. Congo Advisor: James Robinson Job Placement: Assistant Professor of International Development, International Development Department, London School of Economics and Political Science  

Marek Hlavac (Government track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Political Economy Advisor:  Torben Iversen Job Placement: Economics Teacher, United World Colleges (UWC) Adriatic

Danial Lashkari (Economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Innovation and Growth Advisors:  Pol Antràs ,  Marc Melitz Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Boston College

Sara Lowes (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Understanding the Process of Economic Development: Essays on Culture and Institutions Advisor:  Nathan Nunn Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Bocconi University

MaliHeh Paryavi (economics track)

Dissertation Title: Essays on Gender and Decision Marking in Political Economy Advisor: Iris Bohnet Job Placement: Consultant, Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice, The World Bank

Guilherme Lichand

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Development Economics Advisor:  Nathan Nunn Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics University of Zurich

Mauricio Fernández Duque

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Social Influence in Political Economy: How Expectations and Identity Affect Pro-Social Leading and Following Advisor:  Michael Hiscox Track: Government

Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Harvard University

Angela Fonseca Galvis

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Political Economy Advisor:  James Robinson Track: Government

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Pontificia Universidad Javeriana 

Sabrina Howell

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Energy Economics and Entrepreneurial Finance Advisors: Josh Lerner ,  David S. Scharfstein Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Finance New York University Stern School of Business

Dissertation Title:  The Clash of Brothers: Wars to Avoid Diffusion in a Contagious World Advisors: James Robinson ,  Andrei Shleifer Track: Government

Job Placement: Economist Core Data Science Division Facebook

James Mahon

Dissertation Title:  Essays in U.S. Fiscal Policy Advisors:  Raj Chetty ,  Edward Glaeser Track: Economics

Job Placement: Manager Transfer Pricing Division Deloitte Tax

Jesse Schreger

Dissertation Title:  Essays in International Finance and Macroeconomics Advisors: Gita Gopinath ,  Kenneth Rogoff Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Harvard Business School (Post-Doc at Princeton University, Department of Economics)

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Economic Geography Advisors:  Edward Glaeser ,  Marc Melitz Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Michigan State University (Post-Doc at Dartmouth College)

Jessica Blankshain

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Interservice Rivalry and American Civil-Military Relations Advisor: Daniel Carpenter Track: Government

Job Placement: Assistant Professor United States Naval College

Joana Naritomi

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Public Finance and Development Economics Advisor:  Raj Chetty , Michael Kremer Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics London School of Economics and Political Science

Arash Nekoei

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Unemployment and Labor Supply Advisor:  Raj Chetty , Lawrence Katz Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics Institute for Economic Studies

Hye Young You

Dissertation Title: Three Essays on Lobbying Advisor:  James M. Snyder, Jr. Track: Government

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Vanderbilt University

Paul Novosad

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Local Economic Growth in India Advisor:  Asim Khwaja Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics Dartmouth College

Eliana Carranza

Dissertation Title: Economics Sources of Son Preference, Sex-Differential Treatment and Household Fertility Behavior Advisor:  Lawrence Katz Track: Economics

Job Placement: Economist The World Bank

Dissertation Title:  Politics and Policy: Essays in Economics Advisor:  Andrei Shleifer Track: Economics

Job Placement: Associate McKinsey & Company

Supreet Kaur

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Labor Markets in Developing Countries Advisor:  Sendhil Mullainathan Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics and International Affairs Columbia University

Dissertation Title: Essays in Institutional Economics Advisor:  Sendhil Mullainathan Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Law New York University School of Law

Martin Kanz

Dissertation Title: Essays in Finance and Development Economics Advisor:  Andrei Shleifer Track: Economics

Rodrigo Wagner

Dissertation Title: Macroeconomic Recovery, Export Innovation and the Coordination of Entrepreneurs in the Global Economy Advisor: Dani Rodrik Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Tufts University

Lucy Clare Barnes

Dissertation Title: Essays on the Political Economy of Redistribution Advisor:  Torben Iversen

Job Placement: Prize Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Nuffield College, University of Oxford

Magnus gustav Feldmann

Dissertation Title: Post Communist Capitalism: The Politics of Institutional Development Advisor:  Torben Iversen

Job Placement: Assistant Professor School of Sociology, Politics, and International Relations University of Bristol

Daniel Fetter

Dissertation Title: Federal Policy and the Mid-century Transformation in U.S. Housing Markets Advisor:  Edward Glaeser

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Wellesley College

Dilyan Donchev

Dissertation Title: Essays on Corruption Measurement, Trust, and Investors in Eastern Europe Advisor: Jeffry Frieden

Job Placement: Researcher International Finance Corporation The World Bank

Joseph Mazor

Dissertation Title: A Liberal Theory of Natural Resource Property Rights Advisor: Dennis F. Thompson

Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Center for Human Values Princeton University

Sandip Suktahnkar

Dissertation Title: Essays in Development Economics Advisor:  Sendhil Mullainathan

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Dartmouth College

Alexis J. Diamond

Dissertation Title: Essays on Causal Inference in Observational Studies Advisor: Rubin

Maria Petrova

Dissertation Title: Political Economy of Media Capture Advisor: Kenneth A. Shepsle

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics New Economic School, Moscow

Philipp Schnabl

Dissertation Title: Essays on Banking and Corporate Finance Advisor:  Sendhil Mullainathan

Gilles Serra

Dissertation Title: Why and When Do Political Parties Adopt Primary Elections? A Theoretical and Comparative Study Advisor:  Kenneth A. Shepsle

Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellow Nuffield College, Oxford University

Katharine Romaine Emans Sims

Dissertation Title: Balancing Land Conservation and Economic Development: Three Essays Advisor: Robert Stavins

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Amherst College

Gernot Wagner

Dissertation Title: Essays on Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Advisor:  Robert Stavins

Job Placement: Consultant Boston Consulting Group

Randall Kekoa Quinones Akee

Dissertation Title: Three Essays in Economic Development: Lessons from Three Small Indigenous Nations Advisor:  Sendhil Mullainathan

Job Placement: Research Associate Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) Bonn, Germany

Rebecca Thornton

Dissertation Title: Incentives and Information in Developing Countries Advisor:  Michael Kremer

Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellow Population Research Center University of Michigan

Shanna Rose

Dissertation Title: Essays in Institutions and Fiscal Policy in the American States Advisor: James Alt

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science State University of New York at Stony Brook

Alexander Wagner

Dissertation Title: Essays on Organizational Economics Advisor: Richard Zeckhauser

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Finance and Financial Markets University of Zurich

Shigeo Hirano

Dissertation Title: Party Labels, Institutions and Personal Politics in the United States and Japan Advisor:  James Alt

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science New York University

Dissertation Title: Essays on International Price Co-Movements Advisor: Dale Jorgenson

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Trent University

Martin Sandbu

Dissertation Title: Explorations in Process-Dependent Preference Theory Advisor: Amartya Sen

Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellow The Earth Institute Columbia University

Jeremy Weinstein

Dissertation Title: Inside Rebellion: The Political Economy of Rebel Organization Advisor: Robert H. Bates

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Stanford University

Rachel Deyette Werkema

Dissertation Title: Access, Choice, and Opportunity: Three Studies of Educational Inequality Advisor: Katherine S. Newman

Job Placement: Deputy Research Director MassINC

Etienne Yehoue

Dissertation Title: Currency Blocs and International Risk Sharing Advisor: Jeffrey Frankel

Amanda Friedenberg

Dissertation Title: Epistemic Analysis of Games Advisor: Adam Brandenburger

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics Olin Business School Washington University in St. Louis

Daniel Devroye

Dissertation Title: Essays on Inequality: Causes and Consequences of Income Differences in the American Political Economy Advisor: Richard B. Freeman

Lucy Goodhart

Dissertation Title: Moderating Passions? Coalition Government and Policy Cycles in Advanced, Industrialized Democracies Advisor:  Jeffrey Frankel

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Columbia University

Anne Joseph

Dissertation Title: Political Appointees and Auditors of Politics: Essays on Oversight of the American Bureaucracy Advisor: Christopher Avery

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Berkeley Law School

Ruben Lubowski

Dissertation Title: Determinant of Land-Use Transitions in the United States: Econometric Analysis of Changes Among the Major Land-Use Categories Advisor: Robert Stavins

Job Placement: Research Economist U.S. Department of Agriculture

Jian-li Yang

Dissertation Title: Strategic Ambiguity in Electoral Politics Advisor:  Richard Zeckhauser

Job Placement:

Mary Kay Gugerty

Dissertation Title: Savings, Sanctions, and Support: Essays on Collective Action and Community Organizations in Kenya Advisor: Merilee Grindle

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Public Affairs Evans School of Public Affairs University of Washington

Nathaniel owen Keohane

Dissertation Title: Essays in the Economics of Environmental Policy Advisor:  Robert Stavins

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Yale University School of Management

Raja Nazrin

Dissertation Title: Essays on Economic Growth in Malaysia in the Twentieth Century Advisor: C. Peter Timmer

Job Placement: Crown Prince Perak, Malaysia

Miriam Jorgensen

Dissertation Title: Bringing the Background Forward: Evidence from Indian Country on the Social and Cultural Determinants of Economic Development Advisor: Joseph Kalt

Job Placement: Senior Researcher Harvard Project on American Indian Development

Vladimir Klyuev

Dissertation Title: Essays on Monetary and Exchange Rate Policy in Transition Economies Advisor: Dani Rodrik

Job Placement: Economist International Monetary Fund

Kathleen O’Neill

Dissertation Title: Decentralization in the Andes: Power to the People or Party Politics? Advisor:  Robert H. Bates , Jorge I. Dominguez,  Dani Rodrik

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Cornell University

Dissertation Title: Distributional Trade-offs and Partisan Politics in the Post-Industrial Economy Advisor:  Robert H. Bates ,  Peter A. Hall ,  Torben Iversen ,  Paul Pierson

Sousan Abadian

Dissertation Title: From Wasteland to Homeland: Trauma and the Renewal of Indigenous Peoples and Their Communities Advisor:  Amartya Sen

Job Placement: Consultant Private Company

Alison Alter

Dissertation Title: The Allocation of Legislative Property Rights in Comparative Perspective: The German Bundesrat and the United States Senate Advisor:  Kenneth A. Shepsle

Dissertation Title: Investment Appraisal of Management Strategies for Addressing Uncertainties Advisor: Glenn P. Jenkins

Job Placement: Vice-Chairman Jyoti Group of Companies

Ishtiaq Pasha Mahmood

Dissertation Title: Technological Innovation in East Asia and the Role of Business Groups Advisor: F.M. Scherer

Job Placement: Assistant Professor National University of Singapore

Rosemary Fernholz

Dissertation Title: Sustained Farmer Participation in Social Forestry: Case Study in the Philippines Advisor:  C. Peter Timmer

Job Placement: Visiting Professor College of Business and Economy De La Salle University, Philippines

Scott c. Bradford

Dissertation Title: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of Trade Protection in Industrialized Democracies Advisor: Robert Lawrence

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Brigham Young University

Mihir A. Desai

Dissertation Title: Essays in Corporate and Public Finance Advisor: Christopher Avery

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Harvard Business School

Sven e. Feldmann

Dissertation Title: Electoral Competition, Interest Group Influence, and Direct Democracy: Three Essays in Positive Political Economy Advisor:  Kenneth A. Shepsle

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Harris School of Public Policy University of Chicago

David D. Kane

Dissertation Title: Disagreement Advisor:  Richard Zeckhauser

Job Placement: Consultant Private Investment Company

Melissa a. Thomas

Dissertation Title: Building the Rule of Law: Government Design for Legal Implementation Advisor: Robert H. Bates

Fausto Alzati

Dissertation Title: The Political Economy of Growth in Modern Mexico Advisor:  C. Peter Timmer

Job Placement: Private Law Practice

Mark S. Bonchek

Dissertation Title: From Broadcast to Netcast: The Internet and the Flow of Political Information Advisor: Sidney Verba

Job Placement: Consultant Private Software Company

Alan C. Hartford

Dissertation Title: Academic-Industry Relationships in the Biomedical Sciences: Academic Norms and Conflicts of Interest Advisor: David Blumenthal

Job Placement: Academic Researcher Beth Israel Hospital

Steven J. Kafka

Dissertation Title: Delegation and Institutional Design: Bureaucratic Structure and the Political Control of Agencies Advisor:  Kenneth A. Shepsle

Adam S. Posen

Dissertation Title: Monetary Realism: Central Banks and the Political Economy of Disinflation Advisor: Benjamin Friedman

Job Placement: Economist Federal Reserve Bank

Nicholas n. Eberstadt

Dissertation Title: Policy and Economic Performance in Divided Korea, 1945-1995 Advisor:  C. Peter Timmer

Job Placement: Consultant American Enterprise Institute

Lionel R. Ingram

Dissertation Title: Major Factors Influencing Allied Decisions Regarding the Allocation of Resources to Defense Advisor: Richard Neustadt

Lora L. Sabin

Dissertation Title: The Development of Urban Labor Markets in Contemporary China Advisor: Dwight H. Perkins

Job Placement: Researcher College of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Alexander Schuessler

Dissertation Title: Symbols, Intention and Mass Participation: The Political Economy of Non-Rational Motivation Advisor:  Kenneth A. Shepsle

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Politics New York University

Steven A. Block

Dissertation Title: Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa Advisor:  C. Peter Timmer

Job Placement: Research Associate Harvard Institute for International Development

Jeffrey R. Franks

Dissertation Title: Collective Action in the Informal Sector of Developing Countries: A Rational Choice Approach Advisor:  Kenneth A. Shepsle

G. Oliver Fratzscher

Dissertation Title: The Political Economy of Trade Integration: Welfare Implications in a Trading Block Model, Political Sustainability in a Pressure Group Model, and Effects of FDI in a Gravity Model Advisor:  Robert Lawrence

Janet C. Gornick

Dissertation Title: Women, Employment, and Part-Time Work: A Comparative Study of the United States, The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia Advisor: William Julius Wilson

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science City University of New York

Robert Lowry

Dissertation Title: The Political Economy of Environmental Citizen Groups Advisor: Joseph Kalt

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Michigan State University

Kalypso a. Nicolaidis

Dissertation Title: Mutual Recognition Among Nations: The European Communities and Trade in Services Advisor: Robert O. Keohane

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Public Policy Harvard Kennedy School

Subramanian Rangan

Dissertation Title: The Pricing and Sourcing Responses of United States Multinationals to Exchange Rate Changes Advisor:  Robert Lawrence

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Corporate Strategy and International Management Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD)

Francois DeGeorge

Dissertation Title: Essays on Initial Public Offerings of Stock Advisor:  Richard Zeckhauser

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Hautes Études Commerciales

Catherine A. Rielly

Dissertation Title: Do Households Pool Their Savings? An Empirical Investigation of Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (RoSCAs) in Cameroon Advisor:  C. Peter Timmer

Job Placement: Consultant Abt Associates

Gangadhar P. Shukla

Dissertation Title: Taxation of Exhaustible Natural Resources with Stochastic Prices Advisor: Glenn P. Jenkins

Job Placement: Research Associate Institute for International Development Harvard University

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PhD Public Administration and Policy

For 2024-2025 UK Full time: £4,778* Part time: £2,389 International students Full time: £21,360 More Fees and funding details.

• Visit an Open Day
• Request a prospectus
• Course details
• Entry Requirements
• Teaching and assessment
• Employability

This advanced degree is not just an academic pursuit; it's a transformative journey that equips you with the knowledge, skills, and influence to shape the future of governance and public affairs.

The Department of Public Administration and Policy has a vibrant and close-knit international research community of early-career and established researchers. Our engaged scholarship is theoretically-driven, and demonstrates a commitment to methodological pluralism, with particular strengths in qualitative, collaborative and participative approaches.

Undertaking a PhD in Public Administration and Policy, you will have the opportunity to conduct original research under the guidance of academic supervisors within an active research environment, leading to an 80,000 word thesis. You will take a number of research training modules in your first year and may attend further courses offered by the Department or the University that enhance your personal discipline-specific and transferable skills.

The Department of Public Administration and Policy is in the School of Government, one of the leading UK and international centres for governance, politics, international development, and public management. As one of the largest Schools of Government, in the United Kingdom, it is home to more than 80 full-time academic staff, more than 1,200 undergraduate and taught postgraduate students, and more than 70 doctoral researchers.

The School of Government offers much more than a degree. As a doctoral student here, you have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of research events with staff and other doctoral students, including a PGR Colloquium and departmental speaker series. In addition, an individual training plan is drawn up to meet the needs of each student, covering coursework and skills development. As such, completing this research degree will cultivate specialist knowledge in your field and professional skills for a range of career settings. 

We are particularly interested in receiving applications on the following themes:

• Governance, institutional design and leadership
• Co-production, democratic and social innovation, and inclusion
• Policy-making, implementation and service delivery
• Smart, sustainable and creative approaches to policy challenges

Applications to study for a research degree on either a full- or part-time basis are welcomed.

Further information

• Guidance on preparing a research proposal
• Doctoral Research Scholarships and funding

Doctoral Research Student Administration Tel: +44 (0)121 414 3497, Email:  [email protected]

Research degree fees 2024 - 2025

• Full time £4,778 (UK)
• Full time £21,360 (International students Band D)
• Part time £2,389 (UK)

*Research fees also apply to combined research and taught programmes unless otherwise indicated.

Learn more about fees

Scholarships and studentships

The Department of Public Administration and Policy occasional offers teaching assistantships for those enrolled on a full-time research degree. These provide bursaries to cover living costs, payment of the fee and the opportunity to gain additional income through a limited amount of tutorial work.

International students can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships or their home government.

Explore our  Postgraduate scholarship and funding database

How To Apply

• How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate research programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the research programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page . Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Our Standard Requirements

Applicants for degrees by research should have at least a good Honours degree or equivalent academic qualification. Our normal policy is to register PhD applicants for an MPhil, and transfer them to PhD if their work is of an acceptable standard. If you have registered for the MSc you may, after nine months full-time (18 months part-time), apply to transfer to an MPhil or PhD.

You will need to show evidence of satisfactory progress with your thesis, and have provided an acceptable programme of further research. MPhil students may apply to transfer to a PhD by meeting similar conditions.

Learn more about entry requirements and see our Guidance for applying for a PhD .

International Requirements

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 14/20 from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Argentinian university, with a promedio of at least 7.5, may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent

Applicants who hold a Masters degree will be considered for admission to PhD study.

Holders of a good four-year Diplomstudium/Magister or a Masters degree from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5 will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a good 5-year Specialist Diploma or 4-year Bachelor degree from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan, with a minimum GPA of 4/5 or 80% will be considered for entry to postgraduate taught programmes at the University of Birmingham.

For postgraduate research programmes applicants should have a good 5-year Specialist Diploma (completed after 1991), with a minimum grade point average of 4/5 or 80%, from a recognised higher education institution or a Masters or “Magistr Diplomu” or “Kandidat Nauk” from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 75% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a CGPA of 3.0-3.3/4.0 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students who hold a Masters degree from the University of Botswana with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (70%/B/'very good') will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Please note 4-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a Diploma of Higher Education. 5-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a British Bachelor (Ordinary) degree.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

A Licenciatura or Bacharelado degree from a recognised Brazilian university:

• A grade of 7.5/10 for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement
• A grade of 6.5/10for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement

Holders of a good Bachelors degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good post-2001 Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a minimum average of 14 out of 20 (or 70%) on a 4-year Licence, Bachelor degree or Diplôme d'Etudes Superieures de Commerce (DESC) or Diplôme d'Ingénieur or a Maîtrise will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Holders of a bachelor degree with honours from a recognised Canadian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A GPA of 3.0/4, 7.0/9 or 75% is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1.

Holders of the Licenciado or equivalent Professional Title from a recognised Chilean university will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD study will preferably hold a Magister degree or equivalent.

Students with a bachelor’s degree (4 years minimum) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. However please note that we will only consider students who meet the entry guidance below.  Please note: for the subject areas below we use the Shanghai Ranking 2022 (full table)  ,  Shanghai Ranking 2023 (full table) , and Shanghai Ranking of Chinese Art Universities 2023 .

需要具备学士学位（4年制）的申请人可申请研究生课程。请根据所申请的课程查看相应的入学要求。 请注意，中国院校名单参考 软科中国大学排名2022（总榜） ，  软科中国大学排名2023（总榜） ，以及 软科中国艺术类高校名单2023 。  

Business School    - MSc programmes (excluding MBA)  

商学院硕士课程（MBA除外）入学要求

School of Computer Science – all MSc programmes 计算机学院硕士课程入学要求

College of Social Sciences – courses listed below 社会科学 学院部分硕士课程入学要求 MA Education  (including all pathways) MSc TESOL Education MSc Public Management MA Global Public Policy MA Social Policy MA Sociology Department of Political Science and International Studies  全部硕士课程 International Development Department  全部硕士课程

  All other programmes (including MBA)   所有其他 硕士课程（包括 MBA）入学要求

Please note:

• Borderline cases: We may consider students with lower average score (within 5%) on a case-by-case basis if you have a relevant degree and very excellent grades in relevant subjects and/or relevant work experience. 如申请人均分低于相应录取要求（5%以内），但具有出色学术背景，优异的专业成绩，以及（或）相关的工作经验，部分课程将有可能单独酌情考虑。
• Please contact the China Recruitment Team for any questions on the above entry requirements. 如果您对录取要求有疑问，请联系伯明翰大学中国办公室   [email protected]

Holders of the Licenciado/Professional Title from a recognised Colombian university will be considered for our Postgraduate Diploma and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent.

Holders of a good bachelor degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Bacclaureus (Bachelors) from a recognised Croatian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 4.0 out of 5.0, vrlo dobar ‘very good’, or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree(from the University of the West Indies or the University of Technology) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A Class II Upper Division degree is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1. For further details on particular institutions please refer to the list below.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Masters degree or Mphil from the University of the West Indies.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10, or a GPA of 3 out of 4, and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bakalár from a recognised Czech Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, velmi dobre ‘very good’ (post-2004) or 2, velmi dobre ‘good’ (pre-2004), or a good post-2002 Magistr (Masters), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum overall grade of 7-10 out of 12 (or 8 out of 13) or higher for 2:1 equivalence and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters/ Magisterkonfereus/Magister Artium degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Ecuadorian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 70% or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Magister/Masterado or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Licenciado with excellent grades can be considered.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 75% from a recognised institution. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bakalaurusekraad from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 4/5 or B, or a good one- or two-year Magistrikraad from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with very good grades (grade B, 3.5/4 GPA or 85%) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

Holders of a good Kandidaatti / Kandidat (old system), a professional title such as Ekonomi, Diplomi-insinööri, Arkkitehti, Lisensiaatti (in Medicine, Dentistry and Vetinary Medicine), or a Maisteri / Magister (new system), Lisensiaatti / Licenciat, Oikeustieteen Kandidaatti / Juris Kandidat (new system) or Proviisori / Provisor from a recognised Finnish Higher Education institution, with a minimum overall grade of 2/3 or 4/5, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters/Maîtrise with a minimum overall grade of 13 out of 20, or a Magistère / Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondies / Diplôme d'Etudes Supérieures Specialisées / Mastère Specialis, from a recognised French university or Grande École to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Magister Artium, a Diplom or an Erstes Staatsexamen from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5, or a good two-year Lizentiat / Aufbaustudium / Zweites Staatsexamen or a Masters degree from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good four-year Ptychio (Bachelor degree) with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10, from a recognised Greek university (AEI), and will usually be required to have completed a good Metaptychiako Diploma Eidikefsis (Masters degree) from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

4-year Licenciado is deemed equivalent to a UK bachelors degree. A score of 75 or higher from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) can be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 60 is comparable to a UK 2.2.  Private universities have a higher pass mark, so 80 or higher should be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 70 is comparable to a UK 2.2

The Hong Kong Bachelor degree is considered comparable to British Bachelor degree standard. Students with bachelor degrees awarded by universities in Hong Kong may be considered for entry to one of our postgraduate degree programmes.

Students with Masters degrees may be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Alapfokozat / Alapképzés or Egyetemi Oklevel from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 3.5, or a good Mesterfokozat (Masters degree) or Egyetemi Doktor (university doctorate), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a 60% or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the 4 year Sarjana (S1) from a recognised Indonesian institution will be considered for postgraduate study. Entry requirements vary with a minimum requirement of a GPA of 2.8.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a score of 14/20 or 70% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution, with 100 out of 110 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students who hold the Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies, Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Students with a Bachelor degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for entry to a postgraduate Masters degree provided they achieve a sufficiently high overall score in their first (Bachelor) degree. A GPA of 3.0/4.0 or a B average from a good Japanese university is usually considered equivalent to a UK 2:1.

Students with a Masters degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for PhD study. A high overall grade will be necessary to be considered.

Students who have completed their Specialist Diploma Мамаң дипломы/Диплом специалиста) or "Magistr" (Магистр дипломы/Диплом магистра) degree (completed after 1991) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of 2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate Masters degrees and, occasionally, directly for PhD degrees.  Holders of a Bachelor "Bakalavr" degree (Бакалавр дипломы/Диплом бакалавра) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of  2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, may also be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/50

Holders of a good Postgraduate Diploma (professional programme) from a recognised university or institution of Higher Education, with a minimum overall grade of 7.5 out of 10, or a post-2000 Magistrs, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a score of 16/20 or 80% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Libya will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved score of 70% for 2:1 equivalency or 65% for 2:2 equivalency. Alternatively students will require a minimum of 3.0/4.0 or BB to be considered.

Holders of a good pre-2001 Magistras from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10, or a good post-2001 Magistras, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, or a Diplôme d'Études Supérieures Spécialisées (comparable to a UK PGDip) or Masters degree from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (70-74% or A or Marginal Distinction from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 60-69% or B or Bare Distinction/Credit is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Malaysian institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum of 3.0) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from the University of Malta with a minimum grade of 2:1 (Hons), and/or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (Honours) from a recognised institution (including the University of Mauritius) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2:1).

Students who hold the Licenciado/Professional Titulo from a recognised Mexican university with a promedio of at least 8 will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Students who have completed a Maestria from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree, licence or Maîtrise and a Masters degree, with a score of 14/20 or 70% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students with a good four year honours degree from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. PhD applications will be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 60-74% or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Doctoraal from a recognised Dutch university with a minimum overall grade of 7 out of 10, and/or a good Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (minimum 4 years and/or level 400) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of B/Very Good or 1.6-2.5 for a 2.1 equivalency, and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters, Mastergrad, Magister. Artium, Sivilingeniør, Candidatus realium or Candidatus philologiae degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a CGPA of 3.0/4 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in the Palestinian Territories will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3/4 or 80% for 2:1 equivalency or a GPA of 2.5/4 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.    

Holders of the Título de Licenciado /Título de (4-6 years) or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Paraguayan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 4/5 or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  The Título Intermedio is a 2-3 year degree and is equivalent to a HNC, it is not suitable for postgraduate entry but holders of this award could be considered for second year undergraduate entry or pre-Masters.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría / Magister or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Título/Grado de Licenciado/a with excellent grades can be considered.

Holders of the Licenciado, with at least 13/20 may be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent. The Grado de Bachiller is equivalent to an ordinary degree, so grades of 15+/20 are required.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría or equivalent qualification.

Holders of a good pre-2001 Magister from a recognised Polish university with a minimum overall grade of 4 out of 5, dobry ‘good’, and/or a good Swiadectwo Ukonczenia Studiów Podyplomowych (Certificate of Postgraduate Study) or post-2001 Magister from a recognised Polish university with a minimum overall grade of 4.5/4+ out of 5, dobry plus 'better than good', will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Licenciado from a recognised university, or a Diploma de Estudos Superiores Especializados (DESE) from a recognised Polytechnic Institution, with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, and/or a good Mestrado / Mestre (Masters) from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Romanian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10, and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree/Diploma de Master/Diploma de Studii Academice Postuniversitare (Postgraduate Diploma - Academic Studies) or Diploma de Studii Postuniversitare de Specializare (Postgraduate Diploma - Specialised Studies) to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Диплом Специалиста (Specialist Diploma) or Диплом Магистра (Magistr) degree from recognised universities in Russia (minimum GPA of 4.0) will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes/PhD study.

Students who hold a 4-year Bachelor degree with at least 16/20 or 70% will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies,Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. A score of 14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2

Students who hold a Bachelor (Honours) degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (or a score of 60-69% or B+) from a well ranked institution will be considered for most our Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees with a 2:1 requirement.

Students holding a good Bachelors Honours degree will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good three-year Bakalár or pre-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, Vel’mi dobrý ‘very good’, and/or a good Inžinier or a post-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Diploma o pridobljeni univerzitetni izobrazbi (Bachelors degree), Diplomant (Professionally oriented first degree), Univerzitetni diplomant (Academically oriented first degree) or Visoko Obrazovanja (until 1999) from a recognised Slovenian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8.0 out of 10, and/or a good Diploma specializacija (Postgraduate Diploma) or Magister (Masters) will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor Honours degree (also known as Baccalaureus Honores / Baccalaureus Cum Honoribus) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (70%) or a distinction (75%).

Holders of a Masters degree will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelor degree from a recognised South Korean institution (usually with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average 3.0/4.0 or 3.2/4.5) will be considered for Masters programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 7 out of 10 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 60-74% or a CGPA 3.30/4.0 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Kandidatexamen (Bachelors degree) or Yrkesexamen (Professional Bachelors degree) from a recognised Swedish Higher Education institution with the majority of subjects with a grade of VG (Val godkänd), and/or a good Magisterexamen (Masters degree), International Masters degree or Licentiatexamen (comparable to a UK Mphil), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good "PostGraduate Certificate" or "PostGraduate Diploma" or a Masters degree from a recognised Swiss higher education institution (with a minimum GPA of 5/6 or 8/10 or 2/5 (gut-bien-bene/good) for a 2.1 equivalence) may be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0, 3.5/5 or 75% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bachelor degree (from 75% to 85% depending upon the university in Taiwan) from a recognised institution will be considered for postgraduate Masters study. Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for entry to our postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree or Mphil from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a Bachelors degree from the following universities may be considered for entry to postgraduate programmes:

• Ateneo de Manila University - Quezon City
• De La Salle University - Manila
• University of Santo Tomas
• University of the Philippines - Diliman

Students from all other institutions with a Bachelors and a Masters degree or relevant work experience may be considered for postgraduate programmes.

Grading Schemes

1-5 where 1 is the highest 2.1 = 1.75 2.2 = 2.25 

Out of 4.0 where 4 is the highest 2.1 = 3.0 2.2 = 2.5

Letter grades and percentages 2.1 = B / 3.00 / 83% 2.2 = C+ / 2.5 / 77%

Holders of a postdoctoral qualification from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.  Students may be considered for PhD study if they have a Masters from one of the above listed universities.

Holders of a Lisans Diplomasi with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0/4.0 from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a Yuksek Diplomasi from a recognised university will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (2.1) or GPA of 3.5/5.0

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree / Диплом бакалавра (Dyplom Bakalavra), Диплом спеціаліста (Specialist Diploma) or a Dyplom Magistra from a recognised Ukrainian higher education institution with a minimum GPA of 4.0/5.0, 3.5/4, 8/12 or 80% or higher for 2:1 equivalence and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

The University will consider students who hold an Honours degree from a recognised institution in the USA with a GPA of:

• 2.8 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement 
• 3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement 

Please note that some subjects which are studied at postgraduate level in the USA, eg. Medicine and Law, are traditionally studied at undergraduate level in the UK.

Holders of the Magistr Diplomi (Master's degree) or Diplomi (Specialist Diploma), awarded by prestigious universities, who have attained high grades in their studies will be considered for postgraduate study.  Holders of the Fanlari Nomzodi (Candidate of Science), where appropriate, will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of the Licenciatura/Título or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Venezuelan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Scales of 1-5, 1-10 and 1-20 are used, an overall score of 70% or equivalent can be considered equivalent to a UK 2.1.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Maestria or equivalent qualification

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Vietnamese institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum GPA of 7.0 and above) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.  Holders of a Masters degree (thac si) will be considered for entry to PhD programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5.0 or a mark of 2.0/2.5 (A) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a good Bachelor Honours degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

International Students

You can satisfy our English language requirements in two ways:

• by holding an English language qualification to the right level - IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band
• by taking and successfully completing one of our English courses for international students

Research within the School of Government is aligned to one of three departments and Institutes:

The Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS)

Dr Columba Achilleos-Sarll Feminist and post/decolonial theory; the Women, Peace and Security agenda; civil society and advocacy; visual global politics.

Dr David Bailey Protest, critical political economy and contemporary capitalism

Dr Stephen Bates British politics; Parliamentary Studies (in comparative perspective or focused on the UK Parliament).

Dr Tendayi Bloom Noncitizenship; Statelessness; Migration governance. 

Dr Verena K. Brändle Digital democracy; social media and politics; European politics; border and migration studies; political communication

Dr Sarah Bufkin Racism and racialization; Black Atlantic political thought; Critical Theory; Cultural Studies.

Professor Peter Burnham Restructuring of the state in the global political economy; State theory and radical theories of IPE; Marx and contemporary Marxism; Economic policy and capitalist crisis.

Dr Mwita Chacha Regional integration; International cooperation; Politics of coups d’état; Public opinion.

Dr Licia Cianetti Democracy and institutional change; democratic regression; inclusion and exclusion from policymaking processes; cities and local democracy.

Dr Laurence Cooley Politics of deeply divided societies (especially Northern Ireland and Bosnia and Herzegovina); post-conflict power-sharing; politics of the census and identity categorisation.

Professor David Cutts Political and electoral behaviour; Party campaigning turnout; Civic engagement; Populist parties; Social media and politics. 

Dr May Darwich International Relations Theory and the Middle East; Foreign policies of Middle Eastern states; Identity politics in the Middle East; Security policies in the Middle East.

Professor David Dunn US foreign and security policy; Strategic and security studies, and diplomacy and statecraft.

Dr Rita Floyd Ethics of emergency politics, theories of security (especially securitization theory), the English school and environmental security.

Dr Guiditta Fontana Peace processes and war-to-peace transitions. The design of peace accords, Powersharing and Reform of cultural and educational institutions in conflict-affected societies. Multi-method research designs. Politics of Lebanon, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia.

Dr Emma Foster Environmental politics; gender/sexuality and international relations; gender/sexuality and international relations.

Dr Charlotte Galpin European and national identities; European public sphere and media; Euroscepticism, EU citizenship and social movements; The role of Germany or Britain in Europe; Brexit; Gender and feminist approaches to these topics.

Dr Julie Gilson Japanese foreign policy; East Asian regionalism and institutions; Asia-Europe and Japan-Europe relations; Civil society in Asia; Climate change and environmentalism in Asia.

Dr Ruben Gonzalez-Vicente South-South relations; Global China; the political economy of development, especially in Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean; critical political economy; political geography. 

Dr Tim Haughton Contemporary politics of Central and Eastern Europe; Political campaigning; Party politics; Electoral politics.

Dr Laura Jenkins Feminist political theory; Contemporary political theory and British politics.

Dr Deema Kaneff Resources and Social Change; Postsocialist transformations and global capitalism; Property relations; Markets and moralities; Transnational migration, Social exclusion and inequalities. (Europe, Eastern Europe, Bulgaria and Ukraine)

Dr Peter Kerr British politics; State theory and theories of social and political change; UK party politics and party modernisation; Political leadership and governing strategies in the UK; Citizenship and political participation and political sociology. 

Dr George Kyris International conflict, conflict management and resolution; International organisations, especially the European Union; State recognition; Statehood and sovereignty; Secession; unrecognised/ de facto states.

Professor René Lindstädt American Politics; Political Institutions; Accountability; Representation; Legislative politics and institutions; Elections; Political methodology

Dr Huw Macartney International or Comparative Political Economy; Banking and financial market governance; Globalisation, and historical materialism. 

Dr Cerwyn Moore Political violence; international relations theory; Post-Soviet and post-communist security; Interpretive approaches to global politics and Chechnya.

Dr Richard North Any area of contemporary political philosophy, but particularly on justice and liberal and democratic political philosophy.  

Dr Julian Panke European Union Politics; European Neighbourhood Policy; German foreign policy and Eastern European foreign policies (Poland, Slovakia).

Professor Patrick Porter The interaction of power and ideas in the making of foreign and defence policy in the U.S. and U.K, and in shaping their conflicts, classical realism, strategic thought and great power diplomacy.

Dr Adam Quinn US ‘grand strategy’; American national identity; American foreign and security policy; Ideological contest in American politics (contemporary and historical). 

Dr Robert Ralston International Security; Civil-Military Relations; Grand Strategy.

Dr Richard Shorten Political theory, ideology, and rhetoric; fascism, Marxism and totalitarianism; reactionaries and conservatives; the political thought of Hannah Arendt, Albert Camus and George Orwell; intellectual politics of the Cold War.

Dr Asaf Siniver International mediation and conflict resolution; The politics, diplomacy and history of the Arab-Israeli conflict; The Israeli-Palestinian peace process; Contemporary US foreign policy and Foreign Policy Analysis. 

Dr Nicola Smith Gender and sexuality; Feminist political economy; Queer theory; Biopolitics; Body politics; Sex Work; Obesity; Austerity.

Dr Graham Timmins Areas related to the external relations and foreign policy role of the European Union with specific reference to EU-Russia and German-Russian relations.

Dr Tsering Topgyal Chinese foreign and security policy; Tibet and China’s Nationality Policy; Asia-Pacific security and politics; US-China relations; Sino-Indian relations and Security studies. 

Dr Sevasti-Eleni Vezirgiannidou International Environmental Politics; Climate change politics; Environment and trade negotiations; Environmental Regime effectiveness and compliance and The trade-environment debate.

Dr Marco Vieira Rising powers and global order; South-South political cooperation/identity/institutions, South American/Latin American politics; Brazilian foreign policy and International relations theory. 

Dr Yi Wang Memory politics; Nationalism and national identity; Contemporary China; International relations of East Asia; Political communication 

Dr Robert Watt Military History, power and networks, Small Wars/Insurgencies; Native American History & Politics.

Professor Mark Webber NATO; transatlantic relations; European security; American, Russian and British foreign policy; Theories and practices of security

Dr Mark Wenman Continental philosophy; Contemporary political theory; The philosophy of the social sciences; The history of political thought.

Professor Nicholas Wheeler Trust-building between adversaries, especially nuclear armed states; Nuclear weapons and proliferation. 

Professor Kataryna Wolczuk Politics of Russia and post-Soviet countries; EU’s Eastern policy, Russia’s policy towards the post-Soviet states; Regional integration in the post-Soviet space; Nationalism and national identities (across Europe and Eurasia).

Professor Stefan Wolff -  Ethnic conflict, civil war, post-conflict state-building; Geopolitics and great-power rivalry; Central Asia, South Caucasus, Eastern Europe, Western Balkans, Middle East & North Africa.

Dr Christalla Yakinthou Conflict transformation, particularly post-settlement; Transitional justice both in theory and practice, and transitions in the MENA region; The relationship between constitutional design and transitional justice; Power sharing, Cypriot, Lebanese, and Tunisian politics and conflicts and the right to truth in international law and practice, and issues around enforced disappearance and missing people during conflict.

Dr Sotirios Zartaloudis European Union politics and policies; Migration in Europe; European politics; Discourse

The International Development Department (IDD)

Dr Sameen A. Mohsin Ali Bureaucratic politics; politics of development, donor engagement, and public sector reform; public health, especially with regard to vaccination; politics of South Asia (especially Pakistan)

Dr Philip Amis Urbanisation; Urban policy; Poverty and housing.

Not currently accepting new PhD supervision applications 

Dr Danielle Beswick UK development policy, including parliamentary scrutiny and public engagement in this; UK Africa relations; The UK Conservative Party and development; Politics, identity and security in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Rwanda; Knowledge exchange between universities and legislatures.

Dr Brock Bersaglio The political ecology of biodiversity conservation, wild meat (including food sovereignty), and zoonotic disease in eastern/southern Africa; anti-, post- and settler colonial development studies

Dr Adrian Campbell Public and local government reform, especially in transitional states. 

Professor Nic Cheeseman  Elections and democratization; The formation of a social contract in new democracies; Power-sharing and the politics of inclusion; Populism and strategies of political mobilization; African political thought. 

Dr David Cobley Disability-inclusive approaches to development, especially in the areas of poverty reduction, livelihood development, inclusive education and disaster risk reduction.

Dr Niheer Dasandi Politics of international development and foreign aid; development and human rights; politics of climate change and health; foreign policy and development  

Dr Jonathan Fisher Authoritarianism and authoritarian rule; (in)security and conflict; international politics of aid and peacekeeping; particular interest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Professor David Hudson Politics of leadership and coalitions; public opinion, survey analysis, and experiments; migration decision making; network analysis.

Professor Paul Jackson Conflict and post-conflict reconstruction; security sector reform and international intervention; combatants, politics and social reintegration; peacebuilding; economic development.

Dr Chris Lyon Politics of development; political theory; democracy, participation, decentralisation; social justice; development ethics

Professor Heather Marquette The politics of development and foreign policy; Corruption, kleptocracy and organised crime; Anti-corruption/counter-organised crime strategies and interventions

Dr Claire McLoughlin State legitimacy; The politics of public service delivery; The role of ideas in development.

Dr Emeka Njoku Critical security studies; Terrorism and counter-terrorism; Nonprofit organisations; conflict-related gender/sexual violence; State-civil society relations; peacebuilding.

Professor Fiona Nunan Renewable natural resource governance, management and livelihoods in low- and middle-income countries, especially fisheries and coastal ecosystems and community-based or collaborative governance.

Dr Martin Ottmann Political economy of civil war and development, including peace processes and negotiated settlements; Power-sharing, resource redistribution, elections, and political trust after war. PhD applications relying on advanced statistical research methods, mixed-methods designs, and modern methods of causal inference are particularly welcome. 

Dr Emily Scott Humanitarianism, health, and migration; international organisation (IOs) and international non-governmental organisations (INGOs); state-society relations, particularly in the Middle East; conflict and security; localization and the international politics of aid.

Dr Merisa Thompson Feminist political economy; food and agrarian studies; the politics of gender and development; histories of colonialism, particularly the Caribbean.

Dr Kailing Xie Contemporary Chinese society, Gender and reproductive politics, the politics of nation-building; Civil Society; governance beyond the state; collective memory and emotions; Chinese diaspora;feminist epistemologies and methodologies.

Department of Public Administration and Policy (DPAP)

Dr Koen Bartels Social innovation; Democratic innovation; Public encounters; Urban governance; Action research; Interpretive policy analysis; Communication; Practice theory; Relational public policy and administration.

Dr Karin Bottom   The role of small parties; Comparative politics; Policy analysis; Elections and quantitative methodologies.

Dr May Chu Risk regulation; Collaborative governance; Food safety and sustainability

Dr Abena Dadze-Arthur Transfer and brokering of knowledge across cultural and institutional boundaries. Decolonizing, transforming, and indigenising approaches to public management and governance. The scientific study of subjectivity (Q Methodology)

Dr Stephen Jeffares Projects that draw on social media data to understand change or controversies in public policy. 

Dr Timea Nochta Networks in governance and policy; Complexity; Smart cities, digitalisation and e-government; Climate change and net zero; Network analysis; Mixed methods

Dr Louise Reardon Multi-level governance; Policy networks; Agenda setting; Policy change; Policy implementation; Transport policy; Wellbeing and quality of life; Smart cities. 

Dr Philip Whiteman Policy implementation studies; Central and local government relations; Regulation of local government; Local authority corporate management scrutiny; Public sector performance, procurement and efficiency; Public consultation and participation; Organisation dynamics. 

You will meet your supervisor approximately fortnightly (monthly for part-time students) over the course of your study. Supervisors are experienced in managing the research process and are chosen to complement your area of interest. You will discuss your research with a panel every six months (part-time: every 12 months). The panel is chaired by an experienced researcher from the department, and includes your supervisor and another member of staff. It provides an important opportunity to present progress on your research and to have a wider discussion about your work.

Your supervisor will read and comment on drafts of your thesis before it is finally submitted. An external and an internal examiner (who will not be your supervisor) will then examine it, and will normally meet with you for a viva. They will judge whether your thesis demonstrates:

• Knowledge of the relevant academic literature
• Skill in use of research methods
• Independent investigation
• Clear presentation of information
• Arguments presented in a coherent and appropriate form

MPhil students must show original work of merit that is worthy of publication. The requirement for PhDs is that the work is an original contribution to knowledge that is worthy of publication.

Departments from across the School of Government are all based within the Muirhead Tower on the University of Birmingham campus. Muirhead Tower offers state-of-the-art teaching and research study facilities including free wifi throughout the building and dedicated study areas for postgraduate research students.

The space has been designed to create modern, attractive spaces for teaching and research accommodating 150 academic offices, 230 "hubs" for post graduate research students, teaching rooms for up to 100 people and a 200 seat lecture theatre.

If I gain a postgraduate research degree in Local Government Studies, what are my career prospects?

In addition to the academic knowledge gained through their course, postgraduates from the Department of Public Administration and Policy develop transferable skills that are useful in many occupations. These include familiarity with research methods; the ability to manage large and diverse quantities of information; the ability to organise information in a logical and coherent manner; judging and evaluating complex information; and making reasoned arguments, both orally and in written work.

Graduates are attracted to careers in both public and private sectors. These include local government, policing, health services, transport, legal services, prison services and housing. Some of these careers require further professional training, and/or building a portfolio of relevant work experience. Many PhD graduates also successfully gain academic research and teaching posts.

What type of career assistance is available to doctoral researchers in this department?

The College of Social Sciences, to which the Department of Public Administration and Policy belongs, has specially designated careers advisors and careers consultants who can provide guidance for doctoral researchers on career paths, CVs, training opportunities, application and interviews. The University’s central Careers’ Service also runs workshops and offers personally tailored advice and guidance including 1-1 careers advice, 1-1 CV advice. The Career’s Service also runs CV writing workshops especially for postgraduates in the College of Social Sciences, giving advice on how to compile CVs for both employment and for academic roles.

The University also has dedicated careers advisors for International students who run workshops and networking opportunities with potential employers. These are especially popular with International postgraduate researchers.

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