Resources For:

PhD Programs in Social Policy

• Government and Social Policy
• Sociology and Social Policy

The First Two Years

• Students are expected to complete all of the required courses and examinations in government or sociology. During the first year students will generally focus exclu­sively on coursework in the traditional discipline. Then in the second year students embark on a complementary program of study in social policy by enrolling in the three-term Proseminar in Inequality and Social Policy based at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS).

• The requirements in each social policy program are summarized below. Students should refer to the relevant entries for government or sociology for more detailed in­formation about the disciplinary requirements:

Government and Social Policy

• Twelve half-courses, of which eight must be in political science. At least ten of these twelve half-courses and seven of the eight half-courses in political science must be 1000-or 2000-level courses. Students must complete six half-courses by the end of their second term in residence and nine by the end of their third. One of the government department half-courses, ordinarily at the 2000-level, must be taken in the student’s minor field, which is either of the remaining two fields not assessed during the general examination (see section on Examinations below).
• Completion of two of the three terms of the Proseminar in Social Policy.
• Students must complete three seminar style research papers, one of which should fulfill the social policy program’s requirement to complete a research paper in a top­ical area with major literatures in government and social policy. This latter paper should emanate from the social policy Proseminar and may serve as the basis for the qualifying paper in social policy discussed below.
• Competency in one language other than English. Must be demonstrated via lan­guage examination.
• Completion of one half-course in quantitative methods, Gov 2000: Quantitative Methods for Political Science (with a grade of B or better), or with the approval of the DGS, an equivalent course.

Sociology and Social Policy

• Beginning in the first year and continuing on thereafter, all students must complete thirteen courses in sociology, with a minimum average of B or better, as follows.

Five of these courses must be required theory and methods courses. The first four of these courses are normally taken in the first year of residency:

Soc. 204: Sociological Theory: Seminar Soc. 208: Contemporary Theory and Research: Seminar Soc. 209: Qualitative Social Analysis

Soc. 202: Intermediate Quantitative Methods (Students who arrive with sufficient training may waive this course if they can satisfy placement procedures designed by the Soc. 202 instructor.)

Soc. 203a: Methods of Quantitative Sociological Research I 

In addition, students must complete Soc. 305, the Teaching Practicum, which is ordi­narily taken prior to one’s first assignment as a teaching fellow, and eight additional electives in Sociology.

• Written examination taken in September preceding the second year, to cover a broad range of subfields that comprise the discipline of sociology.

• Completion of two of the three terms of the Proseminar in Social Policy.

• Completion of research paper in topical area with major literatures in sociology and social policy. This paper should emanate from the Social Policy Proseminar and may be used as the basis for the qualifying paper.

• Research apprenticeship, one term.

Other Requirements

Advanced Studies in Social Policy: Required for All Students
• Completion of third term of Proseminar in Social Policy during the third year.

• One course for field specialization within social policy chosen from among the fol­lowing six topical areas: 1) work, wages, and the marketplace; 2) neighborhoods and spatial segregation; 3) family structures and parental roles; 4) immigration, race, and labor market segregation; 5) education; and 6) historical and comparative social policy. Students may also satisfy this requirement by taking tutorials/inde­pendent study under the guidance of a member of the social policy faculty in HKS.

• Qualifying paper in the specialized field. Supervised by committee drawn from par­ticipants in the joint degree program (normally including a member of the student’s FAS department). May be based upon paper completed for the Social Policy Proseminar.

• Advanced Seminar in Social Policy: Required of all students in the program; de­signed to assist them in preparation of the dissertation prospectus.

• Completion of dissertation prospectus, including an oral defense.

Master of Arts (AM)

• The PhD Programs in Social Policy do not offer a terminal AM degree. Students may apply to receive the AM degree in government or sociology upon completion of the relevant department’s requirements for the master’s degree.

Teaching

• Students are encouraged to serve as teaching fellows in government, sociology, or HKS social policy courses. Students in the government and sociology program will normally be required to teach a minimum of two sections in a departmental course sometime during the period that they are in residence. Students in the Sociology and Social Policy program are expected to complete Sociology 305, the Teaching Practicum, and accept one-fifth TIME FTE (Full Time Equivalent) teaching fellow­ship for one term before completion of the program.

Advising

• Students in the social policy PhD programs will have two advisors, one from the tra­ditional disciplinary department, government or sociology, and one from the social policy faculty of the HKS. The departmental advisor will be assigned according to the prevailing practices of the relevant department. The social policy advisor will generally be the Director of Graduate Study through the second year of graduate study. During the third year, the student will choose an advisor in accordance with his or her research interests. These two advisors—one from government/sociology and one from social policy—will supervise the student’s program until the disserta­tion committee is selected.

• Students in the social policy PhD programs will be reviewed formally by the Com­mittee on Higher Degrees on Social Policy every year at the conclusion of the spring term. This review will require a brief commentary from the advisors indicating the student’s progress and highlighting any special concerns or achievements of which the committee should be aware.

Examinations

• Students in government and social policy must take a general examination at the end of the second year, which is to cover political theory, a major field (American gov­ernment, comparative politics, international relations, political theory), and a focus field in social policy.

• For students in sociology and social policy, there will be a written examination in the broad field of sociology in September preceding the second year of residence. In addition, there will be an oral examination in the student’s area of special interest, generally to be taken no later than the end of the sixth term.

• Students should consult the relevant departmental entries for more detailed infor­mation on the examination requirements.

Dissertation

• The dissertation committee shall be comprised of one member from both the tradi­tional disciplinary department (government or sociology) and one member from the HKS social policy faculty, plus a third member who may come from either do­main. Two of the members of the committee must be members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

• All other procedures and requirements pertaining to the prospectus, dissertation, and defense will follow the existing disciplinary departmental regulations.