Public Policy (Graduate Field)

Program Website

Field Description

The graduate field of public policy trains the next generation of scholars and professionals to address pressing U.S. and global public policy issues. We focus on substantive policy areas–ranging from education and health to environmental and social policy–with advanced training in social science disciplines, empirical methods, and multi-disciplinary approaches to the study and practice of public policy.

Doctoral Program

Building upon the academic strengths of the Brooks School of Public Policy, the core areas of focus in the Ph.D. program include data science and technology policy; education policy; environmental and sustainability policy; demography and family policy; human security; health policy; inequality and social policy; the politics and economics of development; race, racism, and public policy; and regulatory policy. Our program combines a focus on substantive policy areas with advanced training in a social science discipline, empirical methods, and expertise on substantive policy topics. Across these specializations, Public Policy Ph.D. students graduate with the skills to shape and evaluate policy in a range of careers, from faculty positions in academic institutions to leadership roles in the public and private sectors.

Professional Master's Degree Program

The Master of Health Administration program (Sloan Program) is a prescribed two-year program designed to prepare individuals for administrative careers in health care settings such as hospitals, management consulting firms, private industry, government agencies, health care delivery systems, long-term care, and mental health and social welfare agencies. Students complete requirements in health services administration and selected electives in functional areas such as finance, marketing, information systems, and human resource management.

M.H.A./M.B.A. Dual Degree Program

The Master in Health Administration/Master in Business Administration program is offered in conjunction with the Sloan Program in Health Administration and the Johnson Graduate School of Management. This dual degree provides students interested in health management and desiring in-depth training in the general field of business administration an opportunity to pursue both an M.H.A. and an M.B.A. simultaneously.

For further information, check the Sloan Program in Health Administration website.

Data and Statistics

Field Manual