PhD in Political Science - Public Policy in Eugene United States | University of Oregon

The public policy subfield examines how political processes shape policy results, emphasizing how procedures and institutions impact policy creation, execution, and reception. Faculty research and courses analyze policy agenda formation, coalition building among stakeholders, policy implementation and assessment, along with how historical, cultural, institutional, organizational, and network factors influence policy results. The subfield also studies contemporary initiatives to make policymaking more democratic through participatory approaches, decentralization, and cooperative efforts. Students may choose to specialize further in law and social policy. Recent doctoral research has covered diverse areas including healthcare systems, global priority-setting, national security strategies, cross-national environmental policies, school integration, land use management, gender-based violence, migration and asylum policies, and social welfare systems.

The political science PhD program generally involves two years of intensive coursework. Students frequently engage in collaborative research with faculty and interdisciplinary projects spanning various subjects. Doctoral candidates in Political Science advance their studies through specialized courses and seminars across core disciplines like comparative politics, formal theory and quantitative methods, international relations, public policy, political philosophy, and American government. Numerous faculty and graduate scholars work across these traditional boundaries, as well as with adjacent fields such as anthropology, economics, ethnic studies, history, legal studies, philosophy, and sociology. The PhD curriculum enables qualified students to fulfill course requirements within two years of full-time study. Second-year students produce a research paper, while third-year students complete comprehensive exams before beginning dissertation work. Further program details, including degree completion criteria and information about concentration areas, can be found on the departmental website.