Doctoral Programs

Programs
USC offers a Ph.D. and a professional doctorate degree program covering the fields of planning, public management, public policy, and urban development. The Ph.D. in Policy, Planning, and Development is awarded by the Graduate School through the School of Policy, Planning, and Development. This degree prepares individuals for university-level teaching and research positions. The Doctor of Planning and Development Studies (DPDS) emphasizes the development of skills and competencies befitting senior managers and professional leaders in planning and development. Most competitive applicants for either degree already hold a master's degree and DPDS students also have several years of work-experience in a relevant profession.

Faculty
SPPD's doctoral program faculty include world-renowned scholars in a variety of fields including public administration and management, public policy, planning theory, regional development, transportation and urban structure, urban design, urban history, demographic change, political organization, design theory, local economic development, international urban development, and real estate finance and development.

Doctoral students benefit from this diversity of faculty expertise and from their peers, many of whom have significant achievements to their credit. The result is a highly customized education that is on the cutting-edge of these evolving fields.