PPOL PhD candidate Liz Walker

PhD in Public Policy

The PhD in Public Policy (PPOL) Program provides exceptional scholars with advanced graduate training, to prepare them for positions in academia, government, and at research organizations. Candidates are trained to conduct policy analytic research, help shape and execute public policy, and teach the next generation of educators, researchers and practitioners.

The program abets scholarly research that empowers public policy practitioners to make informed decisions. Students' coursework reflects this approach by combining core requirements – in theory (economics, politics and management, and normative theory) and methods (advanced methodology, analytical and quantitative empirical) – with primary and secondary concentrations in areas including:

  • Economic Regulatory Policy
  • Environmental and Energy Policy
  • International Development
  • International Economic Policy
  • International Security Relations
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Science and Technology Policy


Where our PPOL PhD Graduates Go After HKS

Our recent PhD in Public Policy graduates have gone on to take academic positions at Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, New York University, Penn State University, Tufts University, University of California, San Diego, and Yale University.

Others have developed analyst or policy careers with the Inter-American Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, Millennium Challenge Corporation, United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, nongovernmental organizations, and in the private sector.

PhD in Public Policy Candidates on the Job Market

Learn about current PPOL PhD candidates on the job market. 

Public Policy Dissertations Archive

View a complete list of dissertations written by PPOL PhD candidates from 1973 to 2013.

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