The Concentration in Public Policy and Management offers University of Washington Ph.D. students in the social sciences and related applied fields an opportunity to broaden their backgrounds and credentials for the job market. This is valuable for students seeking positions in which public policy and management perspectives are pertinent, whether in the academic, government, or policy research sectors.

To earn the concentration, students take a series of four linked courses in the Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management program at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance:

  • Advanced Microeconomics for Policy Analysis (PPM 506): This course provides a doctoral-level introduction to microeconomic theory and the tools that are used to inform public policy analysis. The course covers individual and firm behavior, decisions under uncertainty, information, strategic behavior, property rights, transaction costs, externalities, public goods, and related topics. Offered autumn quarter. Prerequisites: Successful completion of courses in intermediate microeconomics and multivariate calculus.
  • Public Policy Processes (PPM 508): This course is concerned with research about policy processes. It is structured as a research seminar, combining theoretical framework for studying policy processes with discussion of student research. Options for this course include domestic and comparative institutional perspectives. Offered autumn quarter.
  • Institutional Perspectives on Management (PPM 504): This foundation course examines competing theories of institutional and organizational design and action that illuminate pressing challenges of policy, management, and leadership. Offered Winter Quarter. If the student has taken a similar class at the graduate level, PPM 514: Organizations, Management, and Theory can be substituted for PPM 504 with approval from the PPM 504 instructor in that year.
  • Public Policy Analysis (PPM 510): This course engages students in explicit consideration of the role of policy research and analysis in public decision-making as well as a review and synthesis of policy research, analysis, and evaluation literature. Students assess the contributions and limitations of seminal and recent research, gain exposure to cutting-edge techniques, and identify unresolved and emerging questions that offer opportunities for future research. Offered Spring Quarter. Prerequisites: Successful completion of PPM 506, or equivalent, and graduate-level multivariate statistics (e.g., Sociology 506—may be taken concurrently).

Students must achieve a minimum grade of 3.0 in each of the four courses to satisfactorily complete the concentration. After completing all four courses, students in the concentration must submit their transcript (including the GPA in each of the 4 classes) to evansphd@uw.edu. Once approved, a letter from the Ph.D. program director, designed to accompany student transcripts, certifies that the student has satisfactorily completed the required credits for the Concentration in Public Policy and Management.

Prerequisites

Eligible students should have completed (or be currently taking) graduate courses in microeconomics, statistics, and differential calculus. If you are missing a prerequisite, these classes can be taken at the UW in a variety of departments. For instanceCS&SS 505 provides comprehensive mathematical preparation sufficient for entering PPM 506 when combined with intermediate microeconomics.

Course Registration

As a concentration student, you are also eligible to receive add codes for PPM 512: Data Analysis Practicum, PPM 514 Organizations, Management and Theory, and PPM 502 Research Design. The courses can be taken in any sequence, simply email evansreg@uw.edu for an add code for each class. 

Apply

Interested students should submit the brief application at the button below. Applicants will receive an email within 14 days regarding their eligibility for the concentration.