Doctoral and Ph.D. Programs
Doctor of Policy, Planning, and Development (DPPD)
Elevating leaders through knowledge and scholarship.
The Doctor of Policy, Planning, and Development is for working professionals seeking a doctoral-level education to advance their careers in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The degree builds knowledge in public affairs, enhances leadership capabilities, and develops applied research capacity. You’ll leave the program with the kind of sophisticated understanding of your field that only comes with the rigor and depth of a doctoral program.
Why choose Price?
Pursuing a Doctor of Policy, Planning, and Development at USC Price means deeply expanding your knowledge and advancing your career.
Peer Practitioners
You’ll join—and learn from—a cohort that includes established professionals in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Students typically have 10-15 years of work experience when they apply.
Life in Los Angeles
Los Angeles provides a rich, complex ecosystem for the study of public policy.
Skill Enhancing
With this program’s focus on applied research, you’ll develop strategies for working across sectors to design solutions and conduct applied research.
Attend an Info Session
Join faculty, students, and alumni for live information sessions to learn more about the application process, financial services, and program curriculum.
Upcoming Sessions
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Financial Aid
Numerous financial aid opportunities are available for grad students.
Learn from Peers, Scholars, and Expert Practitioners
This program brings together established leaders in industry, government, and nonprofit sectors to design frameworks and strategies for sophisticated problem-solving. Students learn from their peers as well as from the Price School’s expert faculty, who address some of the most complex and challenging governance problems of our time.
Students pursue doctoral studies while simultaneously advancing careers in a diverse range of fields. Examples include public policy, health, real estate, law, civil engineering, philanthropy, and social work. The program’s participatory learning approach leverages students’ professional expertise to deepen critical engagement with theories, models, and emerging data. Courses produce rich debate and analysis as students apply contrasting perspectives to complex problems.
Each cohort enters a dynamic learning community where shared growth, camaraderie, and intellectual influence extend far beyond the classroom. Through a rigorous course sequence, interdisciplinary peer engagement, and mentored research, students become scholar practitioners, ready to lead innovation in their fields.
Program Learning Objectives
The DPPD supports students in developing a deeper understanding of their professional practice, supporting the development of networks, and refining skills through a cohort-based model. Learning objectives include:
- Establish the ability to bring research and theoretical models to bear in support of effective decision-making, leadership, and innovative practice;
- Articulate the nature of complex policy and planning systems and strategically plan for success in problem-solving;
- Develop strategies for working across sectors to design solutions, particularly within urban settings;
- Enhance analytic capacities as consumers and evaluators of academic research;
- Conduct applied research and translate it to practice;
- Develop sensitivity and cultural awareness as leaders.
Contact Us
For admissions information, please email [email protected].
Anna Parks,
Student Services Advisor
[email protected]