Ph.D in Policy Studies at the University of Maryland

Thank you for your interest in the PhD program at the Maryland School of Public Policy. Like the School itself, the program is young, vibrant, and evolving. Our flexible, multidisciplinary curriculum gives students maximum opportunity to tailor the program to their specific needs, while providing firm grounding in the core competencies that are the hallmark of the School: quantitative, political, economic and normative analysis.

Small size allows close relations among students and faculty, but places the burden on each student to chart her/his own course. The Washington, D.C. area offers a unique setting for conducting advanced policy research. 

The program received a top ten ranking from the National Research Council when in 2010 it published its assessments of doctoral programs in American universities, for the first time including public policy programs. The program has had considerable success in placing graduates in academic positions.  Half of the roughly 50 who have received PhDs so far are faculty at universities or colleges, many in their home country.

We invite you to explore this website to learn more.

Peter Reuter, Director