Doctor of Policy, Planning, and Development

The USC Price School has relaunched its professional doctorate degree program – the Doctor of Policy, Planning and Development. The DPPD is the highest level of professional training offered at Price. The interdisciplinary program’s core objective is to enhance the skills of accomplished leaders and practitioners to more effectively solve the complex social problems of today.

Doctor of Policy, Planning and Development (DPPD)

The USC Price Doctor of Policy, Planning, and Development offers established professionals in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors a high level academic experience to enhance their leadership capabilities, to extend their knowledge of policy, administration, planning and development, and to empower them in designing frameworks and strategies for sophisticated problem solving. Through their interaction with Price faculty and advanced practitioners, including members of their cohort, participants in the program will become more adaptive agents of change as they address the most complex and challenging governance problems of our times.

The DPPD program fosters a unique educational environment that will forge advanced professionals into a cadre for effective social, political, and economic change, develop professionals who can apply new policy, planning and administrative tools to design and implement new and integrative public policies, establish and impart a new set of problem-solving paradigms for examining and altering decision making, and equip professionals with sophisticated analytical tools and a sharper global and cultural awareness.

Applicants are expected to hold a Master’s degree in planning, public policy, public administration, leadership, real estate development, or a closely related field. Applicants without master’s degrees in an appropriate field will be expected to complete foundation courses prior to entering the degree core courses in consultation with the appropriate degree director. Those admitted without advanced standing complete a total of 60 units.

DPPD Program Learning Objectives

• Establish a repertoire of new problem-solving skills and analytic strategies to support decision-making for innovations to practice in public, private, and non-profit sectors;
• Enhance capacities as consumers and evaluators of academic research;
• Conduct applied research and translate to practice;
• Understand the nature of complex problem-solving and planning systems;
• Build lasting and supportive relationships through a cohort model;
• Gain deeper understanding into one’s own professional practice;
• Further develop sensitivity and cultural awareness as leaders.