Since it became a school in 2009, the Sanford School of Public Policy has developed into one of the top public policy institutions in the country.
In 2008, when Sanford was still considered an institute, U.S. News and World Report ranked the school as tied for 10th in graduate public affairs programs. Sanford Dean Bruce Kuniholm said he would like to see Sanford in the top five by the next time U.S. News ranks institutions. The success and unanticipated popularity of Sanford’s core academic programs, which focus on providing applicable academic skills, are helping the school achieve this goal.
“Public policy is an attempt to integrate what you learn in the university with the real world,” Kuniholm said. “That was [founder and former Duke president] Terry Sanford’s vision.”
The application and enrollment numbers for the school’s various programs—undergraduate, master’s degree programs in public policy and international development policy and a Ph.D. program—have all seen steady growth over the past few years.
Although the undergraduate Class of 2012 has approximately 163 public policy majors, which Kuniholm said is about average, the school is seeing an upward trend. There was a record number of 181 majors in the Class of 2011, and the Class of 2013 currently has 206 declared majors. He added that many other graduate public policy programs have seen declining application rates, but this year the MPP program had an unprecedented number of 486 applicants and matriculated 58 students.
It is possible that this slight growth, particularly in the undergraduate program, might be due to a larger number of Duke students overall, said Ken Rogerson, director of undergraduate studies for Sanford. Additionally, the number of faculty—which has more than doubled from 31 to 68 since becoming a school—has allowed for a greater number and wider variety of courses, which may have attracted more students. He added that for the first time this coming Spring, the school will be able to offer three sections of the core classes for the public policy major, which have remained constant for the past several years—excluding PUBPOL 55D: Introduction to Policy Analysis, which will continue to have two sections.
Rogerson noted that few of Duke’s peer institutions have similar public policy programs for undergraduates.
“You can’t go to other universities in the country and get an undergraduate degree in public policy,” Rogerson said. “It is very unusual.”
The transition from an institute to a school allowed Sanford to give more attention to its graduate students, but it did not substantially change the undergraduate experience, Kuniholm said.
Rogerson noted, however, that undergraduates who graduate with a public policy degree can say they graduated from the Sanford School, which is a perk.
“It has given us a little sense of identity, which is fun,” he said.
Senior Lauren Hendricks, president of the Public Policy Major’s Union said the relationship between undergraduate and graduate students, as well as opportunities to apply skills outside the classroom, are attractive to potential majors.
“Duke students are usually doers, and we are a very active major,” Hendricks said.
Senior Chelsea Ursaner, vice president of communications for the Public Policy Major’s Union, said the Sanford building—built in 1994—creates a sense of community, which makes the program unique from others at Duke. She added that the major’s union is very active, and it is getting more involved with graduate students.
The practicality of the public policy major also sets it apart from other majors, she said, adding that it will help her pursue a career in politics.
“For people who want a practice-based and hands-on approach to politics, it’s better than political science,” Ursaner said.
Some undergraduates choose public policy because they believe it will help them develop practical skills, especially because of the internship requirement, Rogerson said. But many students also view it as a broad liberal arts degree. Many graduates are able to pursue careers in the public sector right out of college, but the highest percentage of Sanford graduates—15 percent—go to law school, Rogerson said.
“The critical skills [undergraduate classes] require are analogous to any other discipline,” Kuniholm said. “This should not be a preprofessional degree.”
Matt Schuneman, a second-year MMP candidate and member of the Sanford Student Representative Council, said he believes there is a fair amount of overlap in the skills obtained as an undergraduate public policy major and a graduate student.
But the rigor and fieldwork-oriented curriculum of the master and graduate programs mark them as part of the professional track, Schuneman, who is also Trinity ’02, added.
“Having done the political science [undergraduate] degree, now I really appreciate the practicality of the [public policy] degree—that it’s really applicable in the field,” Schuneman said. “I wanted a toolkit that the public policy school is giving me now.”
Adrian Macias, another second-year MMP candidate, said people are drawn to public policy graduate programs because they want to learn critical thinking skills that can be applied in many different fields, particularly in the public sector. He said Duke is different from its peer institutions because its strong international alumni network, interdisciplinary options and practical experience gained in the curriculum allow graduates to work in any discipline, anywhere in the world.
“These are all skills that are in high demand in the public sector or in nonprofits and consulting firms,” Macias said. “[Faculty members] are rigorously training us.”
Schuneman added that he originally did not want to return to Duke for graduate school, but he knew he wanted to pursue public policy. He visited several public policy schools but eventually chose Duke.
“I was really impressed with the degree of openness by the faculty of the program and the positive interactions I had with other admitted students,” he said, adding that his experience as a Duke graduate student differs from his time as an undergraduate, but both have been positive.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.