Starting in 2017 GSPP launched its first doctorate-level degree – Ph.D. in Public Policy (a 4-year program).

Imagine making a real and lasting difference in our nation and in the lives of our citizens. You know that Christ cares about the needs of all people, and you recognize the role public policy can play in meeting those needs. With Liberty University’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Policy, you can gain the skills and knowledge you need to research and transform the world of public policy.

The Public and Social Policy (PSP) doctoral study program prepares students for basic and applied research and teaching in academia as well as other types of activities requiring a high level of theoretical and methodological education in PSP. This program is open to all master's degree graduates or equivalent.

Public Policy and Global Affairs (PPGA) offers full-time and part-time Ph.D. by research. It is a fast-growing research programme in Asia with a vibrant research community. Current faculty research interests include but are not limited to: Foreign Policy Analysis, Regionalism and Regional Integration (European Union, ASEAN), Chinese Foreign Policy, etc.

The public administration and public policy (PAPP) Ph.D. provides students theory-based and applied knowledge that integrates public administration and public policy. It is a unique interdisciplinary approach to preparing students for a variety of academic, research, and senior public management positions in higher education institutions and public and nonprofit organizations.

The Ph.D. in urban planning and public policy (UPPP) integrates the academic disciplines of urban planning and public policy by training Ph.D. students to conduct independent research that makes a substantive contribution to their chosen planning and policy subfields. The program prepares doctoral students for academic careers and for leadership in research positions in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors.

The Ph.D. in Public Policy program provides rigorous training in public policy research to academically outstanding students aspiring to pursue a career in policy research and teaching.

Everyone is impacted by Policy. For every problem, there is a solution. How the solution is devised, shared, interpreted, implemented, how it is paid for, who is impacted by it, and the outcomes are all components of public policy. These two introductory statements are the genesis of public policy and its multi-discipline genre. Whether an individual works or aspires to work in education, transportation, healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, for the government, in corporate America, or for self, public policy is essential to advancement and success. This is the only program that benefits a multitude of professions. Whether the policies impact staff, the local community, a population within the community, the state, the nation, or the world, they must be devised properly and intentionally using a systematic method to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved and federal, state, and sometimes local compliance is implicit in the planning. To this end, no matter who you are, where you work, or what you do, public policy impacts you.

Innovation, Policy and Entrepreneurship is an emerging interdisciplinary area that has become increasingly important in recent years in addressing global challenges in governance and provision of private and public goods and services. It focuses on linkages among innovation, entrepreneurship, and public policy in the development of human society.

Our nationally recognized, interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Public Policy and Political Economy degree program offers training opportunities for doctoral students from internationally renowned faculty. The mission of the program is to prepare our students for professional positions in research, teaching, and practice in fields related to public policy and political economy, in both academic and nonacademic settings.

This program emphasizes public administration scholarship, public policy, public management, and criminal justice/criminology in preparation for positions in academia and consulting firms, public management and administration, public policy analysis, politics and advocacy, and nonprofits.

This program emphasizes public administration scholarship, public policy, public management, and criminal justice/criminology in preparation for positions in academia and consulting firms, public management and administration, public policy analysis, politics and advocacy, and nonprofits.

The Ph.D. in Public Affairs program is a rigorous, research-oriented degree offered through the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences. The skills and knowledge gained in the Public Affairs doctoral program will allow students to interface between the traditions of public management, public policy, and organizations while providing a strong theoretical and a practical appreciation for the challenges of maintaining and building institutions of governance and civic culture in a complex democratic world.