The School of Planning, Public Policy and Management (PPPM) has created a new PhD in Planning and Public Affairs that will launch fall term 2020 with applications due January 6.

The program will train students to conduct rigorous, original research to inform engaged and applied scholarship, policy, and practice. 

“There are a few programs that combine planning and public policy, but not many that span these two along with nonprofit management,” said Richard Margerum, professor and director of the School of Planning, Public Policy and Management. The program will also build on its longstanding and international reputation for applied research and experiential programs.

Students can choose from three research concentrations that represent the strengths of the PPPM faculty: Sustainable Transportation and Cities; Access and Equity; and Nonprofit, Philanthropic and Social Enterprise. Recent hires have allowed the school to create research groups involving 17 faculty, many affiliated faculty, and faculty associated with several institutes.

“All three of these areas are ones where we have particular strength and address important and growing research areas,” Margerum said. 

For the Sustainable Transportation and Cities concentration, students will analyze the secondary effects of emerging technologies in e-commerce, the sharing economy, and new mobility on the form and function of cities, including land use, urban form, public budgeting, real estate, and more.

Students in the Access and Equity group will play a leading role in investigating theory and practice regarding issues of access, equity, social justice, representation, and power for under-represented and underserved communities across planning, community engagement, nonprofit management, and public policy. 

The Nonprofit and Philanthropic Enterprise group will research nonprofits, social enterprise, philanthropy, and arts and cultural leadership focusing on economics, social entrepreneurship and enterprise, and charitable giving and high-impact philanthropy.

“Our faculty and institutes have a long history of innovative, applied research,” Margerum said. “Our goal is not to just train PhD student to be great researchers and teachers, but also to be able to partner with organizations, governments. and other entities to address some of the most pressing issues facing society today.”

For more information about the program, visit the PhD in Planning and Public Affairs program page.