PhD in Public Policy

Sustainability and Resilience

The Sustainability and Resilience concentration of the PhD in Public Policy engages doctoral students to conduct cutting-edge, impactful research pertaining to climate resilience and climate policy at multiple scales. Examples of topical areas include energy systems, food systems, community resilience, green innovation, resilient infrastructure, environmental justice and equity, and urban sustainability. This concentration will connect students with the breadth of faculty expertise in sustainability and resilience at Northeastern and will provide students with opportunities for engaged policy research experiences.

“The Sustainability and Resilience concentration offers exciting opportunities to get involved in PhD research on critical and increasingly urgent issues facing society. We train students to conduct research relevant to decision-makers in government, nonprofits and the private sector.”

Jennie Stephens, Dean’s Professor of Sustainability Science and Policy; Associate Director of Strategic Research Collaborations, Global Resilience Institute

Urban and Regional Policy

The Urban and Regional Policy concentration of the PhD in Public Policy prepares doctoral students for careers as academics in policy schools, consultants for industry and municipal groups, or research analysts working in the public and non-profit sectors. To prepare students, the curriculum draws primarily from the major contributions of social, political, economic, and planning theory including foundations of social organization across cities and regions, state and local political economy, metropolitan economic growth, and urban spatial change. The coursework applies these theories to policy issues such as growing city and regional social movements for collective action; changing governmental structures and functions; improving efficiency of labor, housing and transportation markets; addressing segregation, gentrification, and inequality; responding to globalization and neoliberalization; and ensuring representation in urban policy and planning across race, gender, and socioeconomic status. After their first year of coursework, students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge firsthand to a real-world policy problem through their residency experience conducting research for a government, policy, or nonprofit organization. This unique blend of coursework and practical experience equips graduates with both an interdisciplinary perspective and set of methodological tools to address a wide range of policy issues tailored to their interests.

“In the current political environment, most of the meaningful action for policy change is happening at the state and municipal levels with governors and mayors tackling global issues such as inequality and climate change through regional solutions such as workforce development, affordable housing, economic development, and urban planning and resiliency. Graduates of the Urban and Regional Policy PhD concentration will be able to synthesize and integrate planning, social, and economic approaches to craft innovative answers needed to address the complex set of problems facing cities across the nation today.” 

Alicia Sasser Modestino, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Economics; Associate Director, Dukakis Center

Health Care Policy and Management

The Health Care Policy and Management concentration of the PhD in Public Policy prepares doctoral students for careers as health care academics, consultants, or research analysts working in universities, the public sector, or industry. This preparation includes a deep immersion in the specific aspects of health care organization, financing, and delivery; learning about current health policy and management issues such as Affordable Care Act implementation and payment reform; studying health innovation; and acquiring the methodological tools to do high-level research on a variety of health policy and management questions. This concentration includes a dynamic mix of high-level coursework and a residency experience working in a health care organization that allows the student to conduct research around a real world health care issue. The coursework for this concentration is interdisciplinary and gives students the flexibility to tailor training to their interests. It blends the fields of policy, business, sociology, economics, methods, law, and public health to give students different conceptual and methodological tools for doing health care research.

“The policy and management issues facing health care systems across the world are profound, and health care is a major component of the economies of most industrialized countries. Students focusing on health policy and management in our PhD program will have an opportunity to gain important knowledge and real world research experience that can help turn them into high-level researchers able to ply their skills in a variety of different settings.” 

Timothy Hoff, Professor of Management, Healthcare Systems, and Public Policy