Department of Public Policy (GRAD)

Research and Faculty Expertise

UNC Public Policy faculty members have strengths in six broad areas of policy research:

Education and Labor Markets

Public policy research in the area of education policy includes evaluation of policies, programs, and schools in K–12 education, early childhood education, and post-secondary education. In addition, faculty interests include how educational policies affect inequality in student, teacher, and school outcomes. Other topics on labor markets in the United States include policies that impact working families, tax policies, self-employment, professional/occupational licensing, and the link between higher education and the labor market. (Related faculty: Alinor, Davis, Gitterman, Goldsmith, Handa, Hemelt, Lauen, Moulton, Najam)

Environment and Human Welfare

Public policy research in the area of environment and human welfare (including health) focuses on climate change, energy policy, and environmental and natural resource management policies in national, state, and developing country contexts. (Related faculty: Carnovale, Handa, Hsu, Rico-Straffon)

Social Policy and Inequality

Public policy research focuses on the ways that social policies ameliorate or exacerbate disparities within and between groups. Specific research expertise includes social safety-net policies, innovative policy incentives (such as cash transfer incentives in developing countries), marriage, and women’s reproductive health and rights. This area also includes the study of politically relevant identity groups, such as racial and ethnic minorities groups, low-income individuals, women, members of LGBTQ* communities, and immigrants. (Related faculty: Addo, Alinor, Davis, Gitterman, Goldsmith, Handa, Hemelt, Kim, Kreitzer, Krome-Lukens, Moulton, Preiss, Rico-Straffon, Rubalcaba, Schechtl)

Health Policy, Bioethics, and Human Rights

Public policy research in health policy — domestically and globally — includes a focus on mental health and substance abuse; maternal, reproductive, and infant health; AIDS and infectious disease control; environmental health; health insurance and managed care; and biomedical and behavioral research. Much of this research is focused on improving health behaviors and outcomes, reducing health inequalities, understanding the economic and institutional basis of effective policies, and exploring ethical and rights-based approaches to health. (Related faculty: Gitterman, Handa, Kreitzer, MacKay, Meier, Rubalcaba)

International Development Policy

Public policy research in this area explores the interplay between economics, politics, and human rights approaches in shaping development policy. Specific topics include the household and community determinants of human capital investment; the impact of social programs and policies on poverty, migration, and human development; household barriers to labor market participation; drivers of civil conflict; corruption; natural resource governance; poverty and environment trade-offs and synergies; energy poverty; aid accountability; public opinion regarding foreign direct investment; the human right to health. (Related faculty: Handa, Meier, Najam, Rico-Straffon, Sullivan)

Global Conflict and Cooperation

Public policy research in this area includes challenges where the causes and consequences extend beyond the borders of any one country. Faculty study how effectively national governments, transnational organizations, and the institutions of global governance respond to these global issues. Specific areas of expertise include the impact of international/regional economic integration on labor standards; the effects of foreign economic and military aid; external interventions into domestic armed conflicts; how international law affects public health, international accountability, and anti-corruption efforts; international migration; and international cooperation to address critical environmental issues. (Related faculty: Gitterman, Meier, Najam, Shadmehr, Sullivan)

M.P.P. Admission

To apply to the dual bachelor's-graduate degree (M.P.P.) applicants must be currently enrolled undergraduate students at UNC–Chapel Hill. Applications for admission open in the summer/fall of students senior year and applications must be received by the posted deadline. Admitted students will begin enrolling in graduate M.P.P. courses the spring of their senior year as they complete their undergraduate degree. For information on pre-requisites, curriculum, academic check-lists, financial aid, and internships, please see UNC M.P.P.

Ph.D. Admission

Students are admitted to the doctoral program in public policy from diverse backgrounds in both academic preparation and experience. Students who have completed coursework in calculus, introductory microeconomics, and introductory statistics will be best prepared for our core curriculum. However, exemplary applicants without this math and economics coursework may be admitted to the program with the expectation that they prepare themselves adequately for the math expectations prior to matriculation.

Applications for admission in the fall semester must be received no later than the posted deadlines for the following fall semester. Applications must be received by the deadline to receive full consideration for Graduate School competitive awards. Applicants from non-English-speaking countries who do not have a degree from a U.S. institution must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Factors considered in the application review include the academic transcripts, class rank, references, statements of interest, fit with faculty research clusters, and professional experience.

Financial Assistance

Students who apply by the deadline and who are admitted will be considered for a range of financial support, including Graduate School fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships. Many awards grant full tuition and health insurance coverage, substantially increasing their value to the student. Prospective students are encouraged to contact faculty members whose research is in areas of their potential interest and experience.

Research Centers and Institutes

A range of University of North Carolina research centers and institutes, many of which conduct nationally and internationally distinguished policy-related research, extend research opportunities for PhD students. Examples include the following:

Carolina Population Center

Conducts internationally distinguished research to benefit world populations; train the next generation of population scholars; build skills, capacity, and improved methodologies; and disseminate data and findings to population professionals, policymakers, and the public.

Data-Driven EnviroLab (DDL)

The Data-Driven EnviroLab is an interdisciplinary and international group of researchers, scientists, programmers, and visual designers. The DDL uses innovative data analytics to distill signals from large-scale and unconventional datasets and develop policy solutions to contemporary environmental problems. Working with scholars and policymakers across the globe, the DDL strives to strengthen environmental policy at all levels. The DDL is based at the Institute for Environment at UNC at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and is academically affiliated with the Department of Public Policy.

Education Policy Institute at Carolina (EPIC)

EPIC’s mission is to conduct rigorous, relevant education research and evaluation to expand opportunities for students, educators, schools, and communities. EPIC engages in this work in close partnership with practitioners and policymakers to promote high-quality and equitable learning opportunities for all our nation’s youth. EPIC is based in the Department of Public Policy.

Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute

Pursues research to create new knowledge to enhance the lives of children and their families.

Howard W. Odum Institute for Research in Social Science (IRSS)

The oldest institute in the United States for the cooperative study of problems in the general field of social sciences maintains extensive survey and census archives and assists in design and analysis of social research.

The Institute for the Environment

Organizes and supports interdisciplinary environmental science and decision-making research across and beyond the campus on global, national, and North Carolina environmental problems.

For more information, visit the Public Policy website, or contact Admissions, UNC Public Policy, CB #3435, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599-3435. Telephone: (919) 962-1600.

Courses

Numbered 400-999:

Public Policy (PLCY)

M.P.P.

UNC Public Policy offers an accelerated dual bachelor’s-graduate Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) degree. The M.P.P. degree requires 48 credits. Students take graduate M.P.P. courses in the spring semester of their senior year as they complete their undergraduate degree. They receive an M.P.P. in one additional academic year.

Degree Requirements

Program prerequisites: ECON 101, PLCY 210, PLCY 460, and PLCY 581.

The M.P.P. requires 48 credits:

(8) core M.P.P. courses (26 credits, inclusive of a Maymester seminar and capstone project)
(3) Track courses
- Track A—Policy Design and Innovation (9 credits)
- Track B—Policy Design and Impact Evaluation (9 credits)
(1) communication (strategic or visual) course (3 credits)
(1) management/leadership course (3 credits)
(2) elective/field courses (6 credits)
(1) M.P.P. professional development/internship seminar (1 credit)

The accelerated dual bachelor’s-graduate degree requires an internship and a Maymester seminar. Students should complete the required internship during the summer (preferably) or fall and spring semester (if necessary). The internship allows students to gain experience and apply their knowledge to significant problems in the public, private, or non-profit sectors. M.P.P. students also apply analytical and professional skills in a final capstone policy project.

Doctor of Philosophy

UNC Public Policy offers the Ph.D. degree to students who aim to contribute new knowledge and address major domestic and global policy challenges. The Ph.D. in public policy combines core foundations in theory, empirical and normative analysis, and a policy field area. The core curriculum is designed to help each doctoral student develop and use appropriate theoretical and analytical approaches to address problems in policy areas such as education and labor markets; environment and human welfare; social policy and inequality; health policy, bioethics, and human rights; international development policy; and global conflict and cooperation.

Degree Requirements

Core Courses

Once enrolled, each student completes a set of doctoral-level core courses in applications of interdisciplinary social science theory to public policy issues as well as research design, appropriate research methods (including econometrics), and a specialization in a particular substantive field of public policy. Doctoral students are required to complete 47 hours of coursework, including 29 hours in core courses common to all students and 18 hours in a self-defined policy field. Core courses include

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
PLCY 800	Mathematical Preparation for Public Policy and Economics	3
PLCY 801	Design of Policy-Oriented Research	3
PLCY 810	Public Policy Seminar (2 semesters)	2
PLCY 816	Politics and Public Policy Theory	3
PLCY 817	Institutional Analysis for Public Policy	3
PLCY 880	Normative Dimensions of Policy Analysis and Research: Theories, Methods, and Ethical Foundations	3
HPM 881	Introduction to Applied Methods in Health Services Research	3
PLCY 882	Advanced Panel Data Methodology for Public Policy	3
PLCY 888	Advanced Economic Analysis for Public Policy I	3
PLCY 889	Advanced Economic Analysis for Public Policy II	3
Total Hours		29

Students who have successfully completed graduate courses elsewhere that approximate these required courses may petition to have up to nine such hours counted toward the Ph.D. in public policy. Courses proposed for transfer must be approved as part of the student's program within the department, and material from those courses may be included as part of the comprehensive doctoral examinations. Students normally spend two years in full-time course work, and somewhat longer if they enter the program without key prerequisite courses or a master's degree in a related field. A dissertation is required.

Policy Field

Each student designs an individual course of study for a policy field. The 18-credit-hour requirement gives students rigorous training in the theory, methods, and subject matter within a substantive policy field. The field area course of study must include both doctoral-level understanding of the subject matter of the policy area and at least three hours of research methods, in addition to the econometrics sequence (HPM 881 and PLCY 882) and research design course (PLCY 801) required for the core. Students take no less than nine credit hours of courses related to the theory and subject matter of their policy field; up to six hours of credits may be taken as independent studies. The remaining six hours of the required policy field credits are normally completed as PLCY 992 and PLCY 994 during master's and dissertation research. The student's additional research methods course should provide them with the ability to design and carry out dissertation research and to continue making scholarly contributions in their chosen field.

Master's Requirements

The M.A. in public policy is available as an option for students who are opting to exit the Ph.D. program prior to completing all requirements for the PhD. In such cases, the student must meet departmental and Graduate School degree requirements for a master's degree, including 30 earned credit hours, two full semesters of residence credit, and completing a thesis (or thesis substitute) project.

For students choosing to exit with the M.A., the 30 credit hours will be earned through core and elective courses, generally completed in the student's first two years in the program.

Students nearing completion of their core courses and intending to exit the program without completing the Ph.D., may petition the director of graduate studies to write an approved thesis substitute with an oral exam defense. The oral defense will occur before at least three committee members and will cover appropriate core course material from the program in lieu of sitting for the written core exam. The thesis substitute format will be determined by agreement between the student and the faculty committee and may include a critical literature review or research paper.

Graduate Minor

Doctoral and master's students not enrolled in the Ph.D. program in public policy may elect to minor in public policy. Requirements for the minor include 15 hours of approved coursework in public policy for doctoral students, or nine credits for master's students, approved by the director of graduate studies in public policy and the student's major department. These credits may not be double-counted as courses required for the student's major degree.

Professors

Fenaba Addo, Debt and Wealth Inequality with a Focus on Family and Relationships and Higher Education, Union Formation and Economic Strain as a Social Determinant of Health and Well-Being
Daniel Gitterman, American Politics and Public Policy, Social and Health Policy, Labor Market
Sudhanshu Handa, Human Resource Economics, Poverty, Program Evaluation, International Development Policy
Steven Hemelt, Economics of Education, Education Policy, Labor Economics, Policy Design and Evaluation
Douglas L. Lauen, Education Policy, Organizational Theory, Stratification
Douglas MacKay, Ethics and Public Policy, Bioethics, Health Policy
Benjamin Mason Meier, Global Health Policy, Justice and Policy
Patricia L. Sullivan, International Security, Comparative Politics, National Security Policy

Associate Professors

Angel Hsu, Science and Public Policy, Environmental Policy, Climate Change, Data Science
Rebecca Kreitzer, American Politics and Public Policy, Public Opinion, State Institutions, Women and Politics, Interest Groups
Jeremy Moulton, Public Economics
Joaquin Rubalcaba, Labor and Health Economics, Applied Microeconomics, Public Economics, Environmental Economics
Mehdi Shadmehr, Political Economy, Populism, Revolution and Repression, Censorship, Authoritarian Regimes

Assistant Professors

Malissa Alinor, Racial and Gender Bias, Effects of Organizational Policies, Emotional and Behavioral Responses to Experiencing Bias
Cassandra Davis, Environmental Disruptions to Schooling Communities, Impact of Natural Disasters on Low-Income Communities of Color
Jae Yeon Kim, Policy Implementation, Civic Engagement, Social Policy, Urban and Local Politics, Computational Social Science
Rafiuddin Najam, Development, Economics of Education, Conflict and Fragility
Jimena Rico-Straffon, Environmental and Resource Economics, Development Economics, Labor Economics, Water Policy, Gender and Inequality
Manuel Schechtl, Social Stratification, Wealth Inequality

Teaching Professors

Anna Krome-Lukens, History and Public Policy, Welfare Policy, Higher Education, Food Policy

Teaching Associate Professors

William Goldsmith, History and Public Policy, Education Policy, Economic Development Policy
Joshua Preiss, Ethics and Public Policy, Social and Political Philosophy, Political Economy, Ethics and Economics