Graduate Field
Public Policy
Program Description
Situated in the Brooks School of Public Policy, the Ph.D. Program in Public Policy trains the next generation of scholars and professionals to address pressing national and international public policy issues.
Building upon the academic strengths of the Brooks School, 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; global 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 disciplinary area, empirical methods, and multiple disciplinary approaches. Our multi-disciplinary faculty and students also work closely with the Ph.D. programs in Economics, Sociology, Government, and other graduate fields at Cornell.
Across these specializations, Public Policy Ph.D. students graduate with the skills to shape and evaluate policy in a range of settings, from faculty positions in academic institutions to leadership roles in the public and private sectors
Concentrations
Program Information
- Instruction Mode: In Person
- Location: Ithaca, NY
- Minimum Credits for Degree: 72
Program Requirements
- Minimum Semesters for Degree: 6
Graduate School Milestones
- Responsible Conduct of Research Training: Required
- Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID): Required
- Student Progress Reviews (SPR) begin: Second Year
- Examination for admission to candidacy (A Exam): Spring of third year
- Defense of Dissertation (B Exam): Spring of seventh year
Course Requirements
- Course requirements are determined by the student’s Special Committee.
- Enrollment in a GRAD research course or the equivalent field specific research course is expected of all students.
University Graduation Requirements
Requirements for All Students
In order to receive a Cornell degree, a student must satisfy academic and non-academic requirements.
Academic Requirements
A student’s college determines degree requirements such as residency, number of credits, distribution of credits, and grade averages. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the specific major, degree, distribution, college, and graduation requirements for completing their chosen program of study. See the individual requirements listed by each college or school or contact the college registrar’s office for more information.
Non-academic Requirements
Conduct Matters. Students must satisfy any outstanding sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed or agreed to under the Student Code of Conduct (Code) or Policy 6.4. Where a formal complaint under the Code or Policy 6.4 is pending, the University will withhold awarding a degree otherwise earned until the adjudication process set forth in those procedures is complete, including the satisfaction of any sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed.
Financial Obligations. Outstanding financial obligations will not impact the awarding of a degree otherwise earned or a student’s ability to access their official transcript. However, the University may withhold issuing a diploma until any outstanding financial obligations owing to the University are satisfied.
