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PhD in Public Policy
Learning to Build a More Equitable Society
John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies Public Policy Program
Simply stated, the faculty is
outstanding. I am confident that they are as dedicated to my learning as I am.
Jennifer Shea, PhD
A N U N C O M M O N , S T U D E N T- F O C U S E D E D U C AT I O N A L E X P E R I E N C E
The Public Policy PhD Program is a full-time day program for the first two years of study. The program combines a focus on applied research, an interdisciplinary curriculum, and a commitment to multicultural perspectives and social justice. Typically, students complete their coursework and dissertation research in five to eight years. The program offers students a solid grounding in a wide range of political and economic philosophies and theories of public policy and emphasizes a commitment to multicultural perspectives. In addition, students receive extensive experience in a range of research methods and in both quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques. Through elective coursework, internship, and practicum opportunities, students specialize in their own areas of interest. Under the direction of a distinguished faculty, students examine contemporary policy issues such as education, economic development, labor markets, health, housing, family, and the environment. The social, economic, and political intersections of these issues with age, race and ethnicity, gender, and class are a particular strength of our faculty in both scholarship and service activities. Faculty mentors partner with students for ongoing policy research projects, help them publish scholarly articles and prepare reports for community organizations, and support graduates seeking leadership positions in policy research, analysis, and implementation. Some other unique aspects of the program: challenging courses that provide a solid grounding in political theory, economics, policy analysis, and research methods appropriate attention to theory, applied principles, and technical skills interdisciplinary study drawing on diverse academic fields and faculty expertise connection to real-world issues through on-campus research and policy projects and internship and practicum opportunities multicultural approaches to public policy opportunities for personal and intellectual growth small classes and supportive academic environment generous financial aid and affordable tuition and fees
M E S S A G E F R O M T H E G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M D I R E C T O R
I am delighted you are considering the PhD Program in Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston. I am always pleased to welcome new students who bring intellectual curiosity, commitment to social change, and an experience-rich background to their academic pursuits. Here at UMass Boston, you will be among a diverse group of committed and accomplished faculty and students who are passionate about developing public policies that promote inclusion and equality across all sectors of society. Our program enjoys a reputation for providing a collegial and supportive learning environment. In core courses, students explore theories, think critically about actual and hypothetical approaches to policy formation, and apply their findings to real-world situations. Throughout their first year, students participate in monthly advising sessions, attend guest lectures and seminars that complement classroom instruction, and meet with alumni to explore internship and career opportunities. As they move on in the program, students participate in post-residency seminars that keep them connected to the campus and focused on dissertation research and writing. On and off campus, they engage in applied policy researchtraining that in many cases leads to rewarding employment in the public policy field. After receiving their degrees, many go on to hold tenuretrack teaching appointments or leadership positions in policy research centers, think tanks, and community and advocacy organizations. I invite you to look closely at what UMass Bostons PhD Program in Public Policy has to offer. As a student in the program, you will appreciate its rigorous conceptual framework, its multicultural focus, and its interdisciplinary curriculum. You will be challenged by a distinguished faculty who are in step with the universitys mission to address the socioeconomic, educational, and other developmental needs of greater Boston and the nation. And you will benefit from program staff who are experienced at helping students secure opportunities for graduate-level financial assistance. As you embark on your pursuit of a doctoral degree, I wish you every success in your studies and in meeting your professional goals. Connie Chan, PhD Chair, Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs
Faculty and Student Research Areas
Children, Youth, and Family Community and Regional Economic Development Disability Rights and Policy Dispute Resolution Education Reform Environmental Policy Financial Markets Health Care Policy Homelessness and Housing Immigration Policies Labor Policy Law and Public Policy Mental Health Policy Minority Issues Operations Research Pensions and Income Security Poverty Reduction Race and Ethnic Studies Welfare Reform Womens Issues
The most distinctive thing about the UMass Boston Public
Policy PhD Program is its multidisciplinary nature. The program equips one with an understanding of political theories, economics, and research methodsall of which are critical to understand and analyze public policies.
Charles Ndungu, post-residency student
Is there a typical career path
for graduates of the program? A
lthough many programs in public policy were created solely to provide professional training for government officials, today the field encompasses a wide variety of careers. Graduates of UMass Bostons PhD Program in Public Policy find employment in very different organizational settingsat all levels of government, in the private and nonprofit sectors, and in academia, here in the United States and abroad. Because the program provides a set of research, analytical, and management skills that are highly transferable, many of our graduates move among the public, private, nonprofit, and academic sectors, or between international and domestic appointments. Some graduates focus on specific issue areas, for example, whereas others apply their knowledge and skills more broadly. Others teach, conduct policy research, or help implement policy programs. Still others work to advocate positions on certain issues or lobby for specific legislation. About the only career objective common to all of our graduates is the desire to build effective policies that make a real difference in the lives of their fellow citizens.
I was over forty when I started this program and
thought I was settled in my way of thinking. However, I learned to look at issues through a different lens. I began to think about issues of race, gender, and ethnicity and began to come to different conclusions.
Kevin Murphy, PhD
STUDENT PROFILE
Heike Boeltzig
Disability Rights and Policies
Heike Boeltzigs statement of interest in the PhD Program in Public Policy described a young woman who was born behind the Berlin Wall, was educated in England, Scotland, and Japan, served as a volunteer at a kindergarten for children with disabilities, and is a self-directed and dedicated advocate/researcher. At her admissions interview, we saw enthusiasm, strength of character, and an unwavering commitment to work and learning behind a contagious smile and lively dialogue. Heike is a third-year student at UMass Boston. A graduate of the University of Stirling in Scotland, she has a bachelors degree in sociology and Japanese, a and master of science in applied social research. As a research associate at the Institute for Community Inclusion, she was eligible for the part-time doctoral program in public policy for state employees. Heikes dissertation is a natural outgrowth of her past and present scholarship, her primary interests being disability and employment issues as well as comparative research. Before joining ICI, she conducted cross-national research on disability and employment policy at the Center for Comparative Research in Social Welfare at the University of Stirling. She also participated, as a national reporter on German disability employment policy, in a thirteen-country research project funded by the European Commission.
Says Heike of the PhD Program in Public Policy, It has exceeded my expectations. Students develop a tool box to do with what they want, then apply these tools outside the classroom. She commends the programs part-time option, its interdisciplinary nature, the quality of the teaching, and the allowances made for adult students with families and other obligations. Above all, this program was a nice complement to my work at ICI. Since I was already in the field, I could immediately apply and build on the skills I learned in class.
More recently, she participated in a project, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy, that identified effective practices, barriers, and policy recommendations to better serve persons with psychiatric disabilities through the workforce development system. In addition, she is a lead researcher in a multiyear comparative policy study Heike commends the of One-Stop Career Centers programs part-time option, and Workforce Investment Boards identified as providing its interdisciplinary nature, exemplary services to customers, the quality of the teaching, including those with disabilities. The research is part of the and the allowances made National Center on Workforce for adult students. and Disability/Adult. We look forward to the day when Heike sets out with her new toolbox to change the face of public policy, improving services for individuals with disabilities and their families, promoting more cross-national policy research, and developing new tools and best practices for future policy analysts.
I came to the PhD program at UMass Boston looking for a firm
grounding in applied social science research techniques, policy analysis, and economics. Mission accomplished thats exactly what I received.
Tiffany Manuel, PhD Policy Researcher, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
ALUMNI PROFILE
Alix Cantave, PhD
Associate Director, William Trotter Institute, UMass Boston
When Alix Cantave applied to the Public Policy Program in 1989, the admissions committee did not have a difficult decision on their hands. Alix had an educational background in city and regional planning (MS, Pratt Institute in New York) and environmental design (BA, SUNY Buffalo) and years of experience as a demographer and an economic development planner. Alix also held a leadership position in the Boston Chapter of TransAfrica, an African-American lobby for Africa and the Caribbean working closely with policy makers in Washington, D.C. From 1983 to 1986, Alix recalls, my professional, intellectual, and extracurricular activities were focused on urban economic development policy, poverty, and urban decay. On February 7, 1986, Jean-Claude Duvalier, Presidentfor-Life of Haiti, was deposed by a popular uprising. That event brought hope to many Haitian expatriates, and promises of social and economic justice in Haiti. Like many young Haitian-Americans, I got involved in the pro-democracy movement in the Haitian Diaspora. Alix relocated to Boston in January 1988. The following year, he founded the Haitian Studies Association, an organization that promotes scientific research on Haiti and Haitians, and applied to the McCormack School. Fast-forward to June 2006, when Alix defended his dissertation, Non-Governmental Organizations and Local Economic Development in Haiti. He noted that Haiti is a non-developmental state that lacks the necessary public policy and bureaucratic infrastructure to
support and sustain local economic development and that NGOs function within that context and to a larger degree profit from it. In concluding, Alix proposed systemic changes in the structure of the Haitian state, the manner in which NGOs operate, and the allocation of foreign aid to create a climate conducive to local economic development. Professor Jemardi Kamara, a founding faculty member of the PhD Program in Public Policy and a member of Alixs dissertation committee, says of Alix: His dedication, leadership skills, and consistency distinguish him from many other young scholars. A concerned advocate for the Haitian plight, Alix is certainly a true pioneer in Haitian studies and affairs. Alix was awarded a PhD in Public Policy in 2007. He is now associate director of the William Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
ALUMNI PROFILE
Michelle Portman, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Marine Policy Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The program offers a part-time course of study for Commonwealth of Massachusetts senior managers and policy makers who wish to improve their understanding of theory and their proficiency in analytical techniques helpful in state policy making. Michelle Portman is the first student to complete the PhD in Public Policy Program part-time. While working and raising a family, she completed her degree in just six years. The programs part-time option gave me the opportunity to continue in my current job working for the state Department of Environmental The programs partProtection, she says. I was avidly supported by all the faculty and staff. time option gave me Michelle designed and conducted an ambitious study crossing international borders, using several languages, and relying on multiple datacollection methods. She concluded that marine and terrestrial resources face many of the same threats. Her dissertation contributes to knowledge about protected-area design and innovative institutional and regulatory arrangements for protectedarea management. She concludes that optimal management of the seas involves recognizing the similarities and differences between regulatory and management regimes on land and sea, learning from past mistakes, and expanding on successful models.
the opportunity to In the introduction to her dissertation, From Land to Sea: continue in my current The Application of Land Protection Tools to the Marine Environment, job.I was avidly Michelle writes, Environmental supported by all the policy analysts have frequently made comparisons between Professor David Terkla, Michelles faculty and staff. protection policies on land with advisor, calls Michelles work timely those at sea, often pointing out and a significant contribution the lag in the development and to the applied environmental implementation of marine conservation tools. While management literature. Her analysis of the Red Sea a disparity between land and marine protection is clear, Marine Peace Park has wide applicability as one of the in terms of area protected and knowledge and research, only studies involving the application of the multi-criteria work explicitly describing or attempting to explain this analysis technique to an internationally managed marine dichotomy is lacking. sanctuary.
for more information
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PHONE:
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MAIL: University of Massachusetts Boston Enrollment Services 100 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA 02125-3393 Public Policy John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies