We are a community pursuing innovative policy solutions to create positive change
What I like best is the collaboration. Everyone wants you to succeed, everyone wants to work with you... The Sanford School is the best place to be.”
—Kyle Melatti PPS’22 Sanford Graduation Speaker
Do you want to gain the practical skills to make a difference in the world? Do you want to develop expertise in analysis and help address the most pressing problems of today?
If so, the top-ranked Sanford School of Public Policy is a great place for you. From environment and energy to health and education, whether locally or globally, today’s challenges are complex and interconnected. At Sanford, we apply creative, interdisciplinary approaches to identify and evaluate the options before us. We also draw strength from our different perspectives and personal backgrounds. All are welcome here.
Here, students enjoy a degree of mentorship and interpersonal relationships with our distinguished faculty who are dedicated to helping students succeed.
Our students develop strong skills in decision analysis, cost-benefit analysis, statistics and economics, as well as teamwork, communication and leadership. And, all our students complete a policy internship.
Sanford alumni are making federal policy, starting businesses, leading international aid agencies and much more. They also continue to support and inspire each other— because when you join Sanford, you join a community for life.
Judith Kelley Dean and ITT/Terry Sanford Professor of Public Policy; Professor of Political Science
Welcome to the Sanford undergraduate program and our community of faculty scholars, staff and students who make Sanford such an exciting place to be. Our public policy major teaches students how to apply policy knowledge to real-world problems. Incorporating elements of political science, economics, history, and ethics, our major is a liberal arts degree responsive to the challenges of our time.
Nathan Boucher Director of Undergraduate Studies, Associate Research Professor of Public Policy, Associate Professor of Medicine and Population Health Sciences
70 core faculty
I honestly didn’t know what I would major in my senior year of high school. But the summer before I came here, I watched all of the TV show Parks and Recreation. I saw so much of myself and my personality in the main character, Leslie Knope, who’s a civil servant who works for her community. I just thought to myself ‘Wow, I could actually really love a career like that in civil service!’”
—Betsy Broaddus PPS’20The public policy major is an interdisciplinary social science program designed to provide students with the skills, analytical perspectives and substantive knowledge needed to respond effectively and fairly to major social problems.
The core curriculum includes courses in economic and political analysis, statistics, political science, history and ethics. Electives offer a range of courses and seminars addressing complex policy issues such as health care, education, public finance, economic development, international trade, media regulation, racial politics and leadership. All students are required to participate in a 10-week practical internship to connect classroom learning to real-world experience.
If there is a common theme to the diverse set of courses taken by public policy students, it is the focus on analytical decision-making. How should a leader determine what to do? Answers will not be found in a single analytical tool, such as cost-benefit analysis or political strategizing. Our students are trained to find creative and effective solutions by combining the skills and perspectives of the social sciences and management.
The curriculum prepares our majors for careers in the public sector, nonprofit organizations, think tanks, consulting firms and private companies. It also provides great background for further training in management, law, journalism or business.
Professor Nick Carnes talks with students after class.Core Courses (5)
PUBPOL 155D Introduction to Policy Analysis
Prerequisite for all core courses except PUBPOL 303 and STA 199L
PUBPOL 301 Political Analysis for Public Policy
PUBPOL 302 Policy Choice as Value Conflict or PUBPOL 330/GLHLTH 210 Global Health Ethics
PUBPOL 303 Microeconomic Policy Tools or ECON 201D Intermediate Microecomomics I
STA 199L Intro to Data Science
ECON 104 may substitute for STA 199L
Required Courses (2)
PUBPOL 304 Economics of the Public Sector
History Elective: from list designated by the public policy department
Electives (4)
4 PUBPOL electives at the 160-699 level (one of which MUST be a 400-699 level)
PUBPOL 120 Internship (1)
The Sanford School requires that all public policy majors complete a relevant internship prior to graduation. As soon as you declare a public policy major, complete your profile in Handshake to stay informed of opportunities, workshops and requirements.
CNN films Professor Gunther Peck’s class.
The Career Services Office works with all public policy majors on fulfilling the internship requirement. The internship gives students an opportunity to apply concepts from the core courses in a real-world setting.
The Career Services staff was very open to helping me find internship options that related to my interests. They worked to make sure my internship would be fulfilling not only to my requirement but also to my expectations and passion. The key for me was to reach out to them early because that enabled them to help me with my resume, cover letters, applications and placement approval, all before my deadlines passed.”
—Kristen Wade PPS’15, now an academic advisor at UNC-Greensboro Suz Allen of the Career Services Office advises students on internships and career paths.The two-semester Honors Seminar provides students with additional support, feedback from seminar participants and training in the presentation of research results. The successful completion of the honors program permits the awarding of Distinction at one of three levels: Distinction, High Distinction and Highest Distinction.
Independent Study Course is for students who realize after they have produced significant seminar/independent study papers that they are interested in pursuing topics in more depth.
For entry into either of the two tracks, a student must have at least a 3.40 GPA in a subset of core courses taken to date (ie. PUBPOL 155D, 301, 302, and 303/substitute).
Professor Christina Gibson-Davis talks with an independent study student about her research.
· What Comes Next?: Student Mental Health Policy in North Carolina High Schools
Post-Pandemic
· At Home or on Campus? How Duke Students Decide Where to Register to Vote
· Street Policy and the Public Good in Durham, North Carolina
· Women as Agents in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism: A Comparison between Europe and the Middle East and North Africa
· Wasted Energy: Re-Directing Investment into Renewables Through Environmental Policy
Independent study enables a student to pursue individual interests for course credit under the supervision of a faculty member. The central goal is a substantive paper containing significant analysis and interpretation.
Liyu Woldemichael PPS’22 gives a poster presentation of her honors thesis research.
The Eads Family Undergraduate Research Endowment Fund provides funding to encourage undergraduate public policy majors to become involved in faculty research projects. Projects are available during the academic year and summer sessions.
Recent projects:
· On Guard for Peace and Socialism: The Warsaw Pact, 1955-1991
· Management of Environmental Infrastructure in the Middle East
· Low-Wage Working Families During the COVID Pandemic
· ESL and Classroom Teachers Working Together with Students and Families
· Why the Rich Govern: Cross-National Research on the Economic Backgrounds of Politicians
· Demographics of Hispanic Immigration and Mechanisms for Receiving Hispanic Immigrant Students in NC Public Schools
Professor Deondra Rose listens to a recording with her research assistant.
Sponsored by the Center for Child and Family Policy, this certificate program builds students’ knowledge of child and family issues, while also providing the necessary academic tools for students to engage in research that informs policy and practice.
Sponsored by the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy, this certificate is designed for students interested in preparing for careers in media policy, journalism or any of the associated professions.
Jointly sponsored by the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy and the Sanford School of Public Policy, this certificate combines real-world experiences and stimulating coursework in policy related to health and health care.
The faculty of the Sanford School of Public Policy lead or collaborate with a wide variety of on-campus interdisciplinary research centers that are exploring vital policy questions and bringing provocative and timely speakers to campus. These research hubs can offer students opportunities to work with faculty on ground-breaking research, and to engage with leaders in many fields. The following centers are housed in the Sanford School and provide opportunities for undergraduate students to get involved.
DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy is Duke University’s hub for the study of journalism. The center studies the interaction between news media and policy; supports watchdog and accountability reporting in the U.S. and around the world; and teaches about the media’s role in democracy.
Duke Center for Child and Family Policy brings scholars from many disciplines together with students, policymakers and practitioners to address problems facing children in contemporary society. As a national leader in addressing issues of childhood adversity, education policy reform, youth violence and problem behaviors, and adolescent substance abuse prevention, the center bridges the gap between research and policy by assisting policymakers in making informed decisions based on sound evidence and research.
Professor Frank Bruni teaches journalism.
Polis: Center for Politics seeks to inspire a new generation of political leaders and engaged citizens devoted to fixing the problems of contemporary politics. Polis promotes what politics could be through classes, a speakers’ series, trainings, podcasts, open and civil dialogue, and collaboration with students, faculty, staff, other North Carolinians, and reform-minded individuals throughout the country.
The Duke University Program in American Grand Strategy (AGS) is an interdisciplinary initiative spanning public policy and political science that creates and disseminates new knowledge in the grand strategy field. The program’s mission is to prepare the next generation of strategists by studying past generations and interacting with current strategic leaders.
The Hart Leadership Program is the first endowed, undergraduate program at a major university to emphasize ethics, service, social entrepreneurship and the responsibilities of leadership as part of its curriculum.
The World Food Policy Center (WFPC) seeks to bridge research, policy and practice to address issues of food security. The WFPC identifies critical multi-stakeholder problems and harnesses research, creates an evidence base, convenes change agents and collaborates with policymakers and institutions to improve practices and policies that affect our food system, with positive impacts on public health, the environment, economic development, and social/cultural traditions, with a focus on low-income, marginalized communities.
Ambassador Miriam Sapiro, a Polis Distinguished Fellow, discusses national security issues with Eric Schmitt, senior writer at The New York TimesBased in the nation’s capital, the Duke in DC program offers a unique and exciting opportunity to experience up close how public policy shapes society and your place in it. Students enroll in three PUBPOL elective courses and an independent study course. The internship may fulfill the required internship course (PUBPOL 120).
Each fall, a seminar-sized contingent of students travels to Scotland to study policy issues at the University of Glasgow, historically esteemed for its contribution to the fields of political economy and moral philosophy. All students enroll in a course on British policy and politics, while three additional elective courses may be chosen from the university’s regular offerings.
Sanford’s EMBARK program provides programming and career support for students interested in exploring careers and “first jobs” in politics, advocacy, human rights, social justice, lobbying, political research and government. This studentled team connects current students with Sanford and Duke alumni who support their specific policy-related interests through the fall Networking Expo, informal coffee chats, digital profiles shared online, and the Nonprofit & Government Fair and alumni reception in Washington, D.C., each February.
Public policy majors have the opportunity to complete both their undergraduate and master’s degree in public policy in five years. Majors who are able to pursue graduatelevel coursework during their senior year will be eligible to apply in the spring semester of their junior year.
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Professor Nathan Boucher
206 Rubenstein Hall
919-613-9359
nathan.boucher@duke.edu
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies
Professor Catherine Admay
282 Rubenstein Hall
919-613-9232
admay@duke.edu
Student Services Coordinator
Suzanne Pierce
104 Rubenstein Hall
919-613-7320
suzanne.pierce@duke.edu
Undergraduate Program Assistant
Garry Juhans
109A Rubenstein Hall
919-613-7393
garry.juhans@duke.edu
Director of Undergraduate Internships
Sanford Career Services
Elise Goldwasser
114 Rubenstein Hall
919-613-7311
elise.goldwasser@duke.edu
Assistant Internship Director
Sanford Career Services
Suz Allen
112 Rubenstein Hall
919-613-7426
suz.allen@duke.edu
Data Manager
Sanford Career Services
Elizabeth Hoodless
109 Rubenstein Hall
919-613-7381
elizabeth.hoodless@duke.edu
Sanford School Registrar
Anita Lyon
108 Rubenstein Hall
919-613-7382
anita.lyon@duke.edu
Dean of Sanford School
Professor Judith Kelley
124A Sanford Building
jkelley@duke.edu
My favorite part of my internship was working with Senator Udall’s staff and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act—legislation that greatly impacts my tribe (Navajo).”
—Shandiin Herrera PPS’19, Director, Tse Bii Ndzisgaii Community Center, Co-founder, Yee Ha’ólníi Doo, the Navajo & Hopi COVID Relief Fund
For more information, please contact Sanford’s Student Services Coordinator. duke.sanfordschool @DukeSanford @duke_sanford DukeSanfordSchool
The information in this publication is accurate, to the best of our knowledge, as of July 2022. Please check the website for current details about the program requirements Sanford.duke.edu/academics/undergraduate-program. The Sanford School of Public Policy and Duke University reserve the right to change programs of study without prior notice, in accordance with established procedures.
