Graduate Programs – Concentrations
Public Policy and Administration
The Public Policy and Administration field reflects the distinct interests of public policy in the social sciences, namely an approach that seeks not only to understand how and why public policies are created and sustained, but in fostering research that will be both relevant and applicable to contemporary public policymaking. Faculty associated with this field study institutions, ideas, and processes in understanding public policy and public administration, and do so using multiple methodologies. Although the field of public policy is united in its intentions, the frames of reference that policy researchers bring to the field vary widely, and are drawn from political science, economics, sociology, history, psychology, and various natural sciences.
The Public Policy field is intended to capture both what makes public policy unique and what links public policy with other subfields in political science. A student preparing for the comprehensive examination in Public Policy will master a core reading list in public policy, and specify a particular area of specialization, subject to faculty expertise and approval. The object is to allow students the ability to concentrate on cross-cutting areas related to public policy; areas of specialization may include (but are not limited to) regulatory policy, social welfare policy, environmental policy, education policy, criminal justice policy, telecommunications policy, comparative public policy, law and public policy, quantitative methods for public policy, gender and public policy, and international law and policy. The candidate's area of specialization should meet several criteria: it should relate to the study of public policy, it should not substantially overlap with other departmental (sub)fields, and faculty should have sufficient expertise and interest in evaluating the candidate's knowledge of the field. The composition of the examining committee will naturally vary with the candidate's area of specialization.
The field also benefits from the close relationship with the Center for Public Policy and Administration, at www.masspolicy.org.
