pubpol22

From my (admittedly limited) experience, it depends on the program. I just started a PhD program in public policy this fall, and I don't have an MPP. I wanted to go directly to the PhD partially to save money. At the schools that I applied to that did not require an MPP, funding was much more generous for the PhD than for the MPP program. As far as getting in to a good program, again that depends. Some programs require an MPP, but for those that don't, I don't think getting an MPP actually gives you that much of an edge. Of my entering class, a few have master's degrees, but none of them are in public policy. I think in general it depends on the focus of the PhD and the MPP; a more professionally-focused MPP probably won't help you get into a more academically-focused PhD (although it certainly won't hurt you either). I'd say focus on what schools you are interested in, and look at their requirements and recommendations.

Hi! Unfortunately I can't visit Duke on their admit day; instead I've scheduled a separate visit for early April. I'd love to hear your impressions of Duke though, either here or through PM. I think we might be interested in some of the same professors. Duke's been very accommodating, and the overall friendly vibe I've gotten from them is one of the reasons I'm interested in going there, even though their program is quite new. My background is also in econ, although just at the undergrad level. I was an econ major, and have since worked for a few years in econ consulting. I agree that public policy, really all of public policy, not just the PhD, is an amalgamation. All of the programs are so different from each other, with different focuses. The multidisciplinary approach is really what attracted me to the field, but I think it does mean that you have to make your own way more than other fields.

Not wanting to hijack some of the other threads on MPPs, I thought a new thread just on public policy PhDs might be useful as decision time starts to come around. What do people think are the best public policy PhD programs in different areas (international, domestic, social policy, etc)? What factors motivated you to apply to where you did, or choose the program you chose? What do you want to do with a PhD in public policy? I'll start. I'm interested in domestic policy, particularly vice policy. I applied to Georgetown (MPP/Govt PhD), Duke (econ track), Chicago, and WWS (MPA--didn't have the math for the PhD). Still waiting to hear from WWS, but got in at the other programs. I think my decision will probably come down to Chicago and Duke, as I think that the Georgetown program is a bit more polisci oriented. Duke's program fits in well with my interests in vice policy, and the funding is great, but the program is quite new (first PhD class started in 2007) and somewhat less known. Chicago has a great name and good funding, but I'm not yet sure if the program is the best fit. Ultimately, I'd like to work in government in research.

I'm not questioning this, since I really don't know enough about Berkeley to comment, but I do find it amusing that I've heard four or five different programs, including Berkeley, Georgetown, Harris, and WWS, described as the strongest for quantitative work. It seems like something that all of the programs like to brag about Again just from word of mouth, WWS and KSG seem like probably the most selective schools. That, of course, doesn't mean that they're the best programs, since, as probably the most well-known programs, they can afford to be more selective as they receive more applications.

Hi! I got an email acceptance to the PhD program Friday evening. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about a waitlist or a second round. Good luck!

Did you get a letter detailing your Georgetown scholarship? I ask because I also qualified for a merit scholarship, submitted an essay, and received a call telling me that I'd gotten it. However, the professor who called me failed to mention how much the scholarship was for (and it seemed rude to ask at the time), and I haven't gotten any more info about it since. And this was all a few weeks ago (I got caught up waiting to hear from other schools). Anyway, I'm going to email them soon about it, but I wanted to know whether other people had received letters detailing their funding.

Sorry, I'm the other person who got accepted for the Duke public policy Ph.D.; I hadn't thought to specify. I am also Econ track.