College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Public Policy Doctor's Degree Schools

34 Colleges in the United States
241 Doctor's Degrees
$77,523 Avg Early-Career Salary
Public Policy is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #77 most popular doctor's degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 34 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for doctor's degree seekers in the field of public policy. Combined, these schools handed out 241 doctor's degrees in public policy to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Public Policy School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Public Policy Doctor's Degree Schools The public policy doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality public policy program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their doctor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for public policy students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Public Policy Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Policy Doctor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Public Policy in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in public policy.

10 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Public Policy

1
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
21 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in public policy has to take a look at Harvard University. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.More information about a doctorate in public policy from Harvard University

2
6 Annual Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in public policy. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.More information about a doctorate in public policy from University of California - Berkeley

3
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
3 Annual Graduates

Duke University is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in public policy. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in public policy from Duke University

4
5 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in public policy. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a doctorate in public policy from University of Southern California

5
2 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in public policy from Carnegie Mellon University

6
7 Annual Graduates

GWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a doctorate in public policy from George Washington University

7
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
1 Annual Graduates

Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Princeton.More information about a doctorate in public policy from Princeton University

7
12 Annual Graduates

UNLV is a fairly large public university located in the city of Las Vegas.More information about a doctorate in public policy from University of Nevada - Las Vegas

8
8 Annual Graduates

UMCP is a very large public university located in the large suburb of College Park.More information about a doctorate in public policy from University of Maryland - College Park

9
14 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in public policy from Brandeis University

Public Policy by Region

View the Best Public Policy Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Public Administration & Social Service area of study, Public Policy has other similar majors worth exploring.

Public Policy Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Public Policy Analysis 178
Health Policy Analysis 33
Education Policy Analysis 19
Other Public Policy Analysis 10
International Policy Analysis 1

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 377
Human Services 82
Other Public Administration 37
Community Organization & Advocacy 23

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options