Each Public Policy PhD student is required to participate in a summer research residency that in most instances will be paid for by and based in local Boston-area public, private, and nonprofit organizations whose missions and activities are aligned with a student’s concentration (Sustainability and Resilience, Urban and Regional Policy, Health Policy and Management). These residencies occur no earlier than the summer after the student’s second year in the program. They are designed to help develop dissertation proposal ideas, or to fulfill a concentration’s secondary academic requirement (e.g. a systematic literature review or research paper). Most important, they help students gain valuable applied research experience working with relevant organizations on issues and problems within their areas of interest.
This partnership model of research, in which the student-researcher is embedded in an organization focused on specific policy domains, is unique to our program. It also reflects the Northeastern University commitment to experiential education, in which the university is a global leader. As such, PhD students benefit from being part of “real world” research programs whatever their planned career directions. While concentration faculty advise students on obtaining residency experiences, individuals within the organization in which students work serve as formal mentors during the residency experience.
Recent research residency partners:
- The Institute for Healthcare Improvement
- Partners Healthcare
- Massachusetts Department of Housing and Economic Development
- The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
- The Urban Land Institute
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Type of Program
- PhD Program
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Program Director
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PhD Program Administrator
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