Public Policy PhD

[pubpol22]

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.

[brlbrl]

Hey there,

Congrats on those terrific admits!

I'm in at Duke (econ track) as well and Berkeley. Waiting on Chicago and Princeton (WWS). Will you be visiting Duke on the 21st?

What are your specific interests? To me, Public Policy is sort of a made up field. -- an amalgamation of a number of fields and a ton of different substantive areas. As such, I don't think these programs can really be ranked in any traditional sense (unlike in major fields like Economics or Political Science where rankings are fairly well established). For me, it's all about the faculty match. Ideally you want to work with someone who is a big name in the field and is also very interested in working with you. Your job prospects will depend on how much effort these professors put into mentoring you.

In a very general sense, I would say that an advantage of Chicago is that it has been around a while. An advantage of Duke is that you get substantive training in Economics in a formal sense (the Economics track) which I believe is important if you want to deal in economics-oriented policy work afterwards (after all, we will be hired by and working with people trained as economists). But still -- I think the most important thig is faculty match.

My story: I have an MA in econ and have worked for several years as a researcher at a economic/social policy research institution. I am interested in going into academia and becoming a professor. I am specifically interested in the economics of crime as well as labor market and educational policy. I chose programs where I felt there were some top professors who were also interested in these topics. I am strongly considering Duke because a specific professor is there who I would love to work with (doesn't hurt that it's terrific funding for such a low cost-of-living area where I'd like to live!). Berkeley's program is small and individually tailored which is a big plus for me and there are also some very good people to work with there (though the funding is less well settled than at Duke). I'm not sure WWS would be such a good fit with my interests. I would very much like to get into Chicago, where there are probably the most faculty members whose interests match my own (plus my fiancee would like to move there).

In any case, congrats on the terrific options you have! Perhaps we'll have the chance to chat at Duke's admit day. I'm really looking forward to heading down there!

[pubpol22]

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.

[brlbrl]

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.

I agree completely -- these are the same reasons I am so interested in the 'field' of Public Policy. And I do think you're right that, in many ways, we'll have to make our own way. There is simply not the same level of structure as there is in the major substantive fields. I am OK with this -- but I do think it makes faculty match all the more important than it is in say Economics. My friends applying to doctoral programs in Econ are much less concerned with matching specific faculty as their subfield interests are less well formed and more likely to change over the course of the program.

I'll be sure to let you know my thoughts on Duke after my visit (I have also been very impressed by the friendly vibe there). I imagine we probably have quite a bit of overlap in our interests!

[Quarex]

I only ended up applying to two Public Policy Ph.D. programs, even though when I started this whole process I thought I would be applying to nothing but public policy programs. Maryland's program seems to be one of the top in the country for security/technology policy, which is basically where my interests lie if they do indeed lie with public policy. George Mason was the other program to which I applied, and as much because the faculty seemed to work in my field as that I had ever heard anything one way or another about the departmental reputation.

Ultimately, what you have both mentioned ended up being the problem with public policy for me -- every department seems considerably different from any other given department, which does not seem to be the case in most disciplines. There were dozens of public policy programs that did not even have any security/defense policy options, or even anyone on staff working in those areas. A lot of places called "public policy" sounded to me more like "social policy" departments that were misnamed (like I am an expert on the field and can just casually say that, but you know what I mean). Environmental policy, health care policy, transportation policy, education policy, they all abounded. But never my field!

[brlbrl]

I only ended up applying to two Public Policy Ph.D. programs, even though when I started this whole process I thought I would be applying to nothing but public policy programs. Maryland's program seems to be one of the top in the country for security/technology policy, which is basically where my interests lie if they do indeed lie with public policy. George Mason was the other program to which I applied, and as much because the faculty seemed to work in my field as that I had ever heard anything one way or another about the departmental reputation.

Ultimately, what you have both mentioned ended up being the problem with public policy for me -- every department seems considerably different from any other given department, which does not seem to be the case in most disciplines. There were dozens of public policy programs that did not even have any security/defense policy options, or even anyone on staff working in those areas. A lot of places called "public policy" sounded to me more like "social policy" departments that were misnamed (like I am an expert on the field and can just casually say that, but you know what I mean). Environmental policy, health care policy, transportation policy, education policy, they all abounded. But never my field!

Yea -- this is the thing. Public Policy is really just social science methods applied to issues of public relevance. Most public policy scholars publish in econ/polisci or sociology journals or in journals related to a particular topical area. It's not like a faculty scholarship index could be developed for 'public policy.' This is why applying to doctoral programs in Public Policy, unlike other disciplines, is so interest/faculty match oriented.

Good luck with Maryland and GMU. Maryland has a terrific faculty -- Thomas Schelling comes to mind!

[namrata]

I thought I could get some advice and your opinions on the International Development concentration at Maryland. I have secured admission for PhD at their School of Public Policy and would be under the tutelage of Carol Graham.

I am still waiting to hear from UT Austin LBJ, which I think is a great school. The only drawback, if at all, is its location. Is that really a deterrent? Has anyone applied to LBJ and heard from them?