2023 Best Public Policy Doctor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Public Policy Doctor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 6,430 people earned a degree or certificate in public policy, making the major the #113 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
The Best Public Policy Doctor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 34 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best doctor's degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for public policy majors pursuing a doctor's degree.
Top 10 Best Public Policy Doctor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Harvard University to be the best school for public policy students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Cambridge.
Request Information
Out of the 34 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 2 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the city of Berkeley.
Request Information
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Princeton University is a great place for public policy students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
Read full report on Public Policy at Princeton University
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.
Full Public Policy at Duke University Report
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Loma Linda University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Loma Linda.
Read full report on Public Policy at Loma Linda University
Request Information
George Washington University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Full Public Policy at George Washington University Report
Request Information
Carnegie Mellon University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Full Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University Report
Request Information
Clemson University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Clemson is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Clemson.
Request Information
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree public policy programs. U-M is a fairly large public school located in the city of Ann Arbor.
Full Public Policy at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report
Request Information
George Mason University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public policy students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Public Policy at George Mason University
Request InformationPublic 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 |
| Great Lakes |
More Public Policy Rankings
Public Policy Related Rankings by Major
Public Policy is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Public Policy
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Work | 58,326 |
| Public Administration | 16,905 |
| Human Services | 13,238 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 3,096 |
| Other Public Administration | 588 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.
More about our data sources and methodologies.