Guide to Graduate Education in Science, Engineering and Public Policy
Guide to Graduate Education in Science, Engineering and Public Policy
http://www.aaas.org//spp/sepp/sepduke.shtml
Duke University
| Duke University
The Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy Graduate Program Office Box 90243 Duke University Durham, NC 27708-0243 Program Link:
|
 |
Helen F. Ladd, Director of Graduate Studies
OR Cynthia A. Peters, Graduate Program Coordinator (919) 613-7352 FAX (919) 681-8228 mpp@pps.duke.edu |
- Background
- Graduate Degrees Offered
- Admissions Requirements
- Degree Requirements
- Student Information
- Faculty Information
- Positions for Graduates
- Financial Information
Background
The Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy was created in 1971 and charged with a two-fold mission: to train leaders for professional roles in the public service and to discover workable solutions to short-, medium-, and long-range public problems. In fulfilling this mission, the Institute faculty includes scholars trained in a broad range of disciplines, such as economics, political science, public policy, history, and applied math, as well as experienced professionals from government, business and the media. The Institute benefits from being part of a major research university with an excellent engineering school and outstanding professional schools of medicine, environmental studies, law, and business.Graduate Degrees Offered
M.P.P. (Master of Public Policy)- The M.P.P. is a professional degree that requires two years of course work. Students also complete a summer internship between the two years and write a master's memo (the equivalent of a master's thesis) during the second year. Students may concentrate in variety of policy areas based on their interests. The resources available at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment make environmental policy a popular concentration.Joint degree programs- The Institute also offers an abbreviated version of the M.P.P. program for students who enroll in a joint degree program with another professional or Ph.D. program at Duke or elsewhere. This shorter version requires one year of course work at the Sanford Institute, a summer internship, and the master's memo, in addition to what is required for a student to complete the other degree program. For example, students in the joint degree program with the Nicholas School of the Environment attend the Sanford Institute for one academic year and then attend the Nicholas School for a year and a half. Other schools have different requirements.
Other degree programs- Through its Center for International Development Research, the Institute offers an MA degree in international development policy primarily oriented toward mid-career professionals from developing countries. The Institute does not offer a Ph.D. program.
Admissions Requirements
An application for the M.P.P. Program requires a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, official GRE scores, official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, a completed Graduate School application form (including a personal statement), and three letters of recommendation. Although there are no specific course prerequisites, the analytical focus of the program makes it useful for students to have some background in statistics and economics or to show clear evidence of analytical ability. Post-baccalaureate work experience is highly valued.Degree Requirements
The M.P.P. degree requires two years of course work (51 credit hours) plus a 12-week summer internship between the two academic years (or after the year of course work for joint-degree students). In addition, all students write a master's memo, a 25-50 page paper intended to help a client decide what to do about a policy problem. Students are encouraged to link their memoranda to their summer internships and to gain further background by taking appropriate elective courses.The first year includes five core courses in the fall and three in the spring plus one elective. The core courses are Politics of the Policy Process, Statistics and Data Analysis for Policymakers, Microeconomics and Public Policy Making, Ethics and Policy Making, Policy Analysis I and II, Quantitative Evaluation Methods, and Microeconomics: Policy Applications.
In the second year, requirements include two courses in public management and a two-course tutorial sequence connected with the master's memo. Students select electives from among courses offered by the Sanford Institute or by other schools or programs at Duke or at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Students are encouraged to take courses that fit with their overall career goals and policy interests.
Students may pursue joint degrees in law, business, environmental management, medicine or the Ph.D. Students must apply separately to the Duke Graduate School for the M.P.P. and to the school in which they wish to pursue the joint degree.
Student Information
Each fall, the Institute matriculates approximately 35 new graduate students. In any year, approximately 75 students are enrolled overall. About half the students are women and approximately 30% are students of color. Most M.P.P. students have a year or more of post-baccalaureate experience in a variety of work environments.The small size of this professional graduate program fosters a rare collegiality among the graduate students and with a nationally-recognized faculty. Collaborating in small groups is an integral part of most courses and duplicates real-world working environments. In the core courses, graduate students are instructed by full-time faculty who are readily available for consultation and who serve students as advisors on projects and their master's memos.
