Program Website: http://www.strom.clemson.edu/policystudies/
Introduction
The PhD in policy studies program is designed around interdisciplinary precepts and built upon the subject matter strengths of a land-grant University. The program integrates the social sciences with specific fields of interest, enabling you to be grounded in the basics of policy studies, while preparing you to conduct high-level research, emphasizing quantitative, economic and political skills to solve public problems.
Program of Study
PhD This doctoral degree will provide you a firm understanding of the basics of policy studies and a land-grant-oriented subject domain—a cutting-edge practice for policy studies programs in the US.
The core curriculum (33 credit hours) is interdisciplinary, drawing heavily from the policy sciences, including economics, political science/public administration, quantitative methods and management science. The four concentration areas are:
environmental and natural resource policy
agricultural policy
economic development policy
science and technology policy.
Concentration courses (18 credit hours) and elective courses (12 credit hours) come largely from linkage disciplines, which are related to the life and physical sciences, technology fields and the social sciences. Policy application is made through seminars, practicums and workshops as well as in-house research activities. In addition, you must research, write and defend a dissertation (at least 18 credit hours).
Cost of Study
Tuition for 2007-08 is $2,810 per semester for in-state students and $5,622 per semester for nonresidents. Off-campus rates are $330 per hour for in-state students and $660 per hour for nonresidents. Graduate assistants pay a flat rate of $950 per semester. Graduate fellows pay South Carolina resident fees.
Financial Aid
Graduate research assistantships and the potential for salary supplements for externally funded projects are available. If you are awarded an assistantship, you will pay reduced tuition and fees. Decisions about awarding graduate assistantships are made in April and early October for the fall and spring semesters, respectively.
Student Group
There are 17 graduate students enrolled in the program, five of whom are women and five of whom are international students.
Students generally come from one of two backgrounds—those with a strong science/technology base and those with grounding in the social sciences or the humanities.
Student Outcomes
Graduates are employed in state and national government entities, “think tanks,” consulting firms, international lending institutions and academia. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the program, graduates are well grounded in both
the natural and policy sciences and capable of bridging the gap between science and technology and the policy realm. Analysts with this background are particularly valuable in an increasingly complex arena, and employment prospects are quite strong.
Research Facilities
The Jim Self Center on the Future focuses on South Carolina’s future. The center brings to the debate leaders from all walks of life and varied political persuasions. The agreements that emerge provide grassroots leaders with the matrix that helps shape South Carolina’s destiny.
The South Carolina Water Resources Center (SCWRC) is one of 54 institutes established by the US Congress through the Water Resources Research Act of 1964. The SCWRC provides an avenue for applied research in water resources across South Carolina and a mechanism of access to water resources expertise and information for scientists, resource managers and concerned citizens.
The University
Clemson is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as Doctoral/Research University–Extensive, a category comprising less than four percent of all universities in America. The University’s mission is to fulfill the covenant between its founder and the people of South Carolina to establish a “high seminary of learning” through its responsibilities of teaching, research and extended public service. The University has identified eight areas of academic emphasis that create collaboration that, in turn, help fulfuill the University’s mission.
Location
Clemson is a beautiful college town in upstate South Carolina. The Upstate is one of the country’s fastest-growing
areas and is an important segment of the I-85 Corridor, a multi-state area along Interstate 85 that runs from the metro Atlanta area (home to nearly five million people) to Richmond, Virginia and encompasses Charlotte (the US’s second-largest financial center), North Carolina’s Research Triangle. Atlanta and Charlotte are each a two-hour’s drive away. Many financial institutions have regional offices located in the Upstate, including Wachovia and Bank of America. Other major industries of commerce in the Upstate include the auto industry, healthcare and pharmaceuticals. Corporations based in or with a major presence in the Upstate include BMW, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, Bosch North America, Bowater, Charter Communications, Ernst and Young, Fluor Corporation, IBM, Microsoft, Michelin of North America and others.
Faculty
Interdisciplinary Faculty
• Barkley, David; Professor of Applied Economics and Statistics; PhD, Iowa State.
• Becker, Robert H; Professor of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management and Director, Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs; PhD, Maryland.
• Bodde, David; Professor of Political Science; PhD, Harvard.
• Cunningham, Grant; Associate Professor of Planning and Landscape Architecture; PhD, Clemson.
• Dyckman, Caitlin; Assistant Professor of Planning and Landscape Architecture; PhD, Berkeley.
• Elzerman, Alan; Professor of Environmental Engineering and Geology; PhD, Wisconsin.
• Espey, Molly; Associate Professor of Applied Economics and Statistics; PhD, California–Davis.
• Farris, Terrance; Associate Professor of Planning and Landscape Architecture; PhD, Michigan State.
• Hammig, Michael; Professor of Applied Economics and Statistics; PhD, Washington State.
• Henry, Mark; Professor of Applied Economics and Statistics; PhD, Kansas State.
• Johnson, Alan; Assistant Professor of Forest and Natural Resources; PhD, Tennessee–Knoxville.
• Klaine, Steve; Professor of Environmental Toxicology; PhD, Rice.
• London, James; Professor of Planning and Landscape Architecture; PhD, Clemson.
• McCormick, Robert; Professor of Economics; PhD, Texas A&M.
• Mittelstaedt, John; Associate Professor of Marketing; PhD, Iowa.
• Mobley, Catherine; Associate Professor of Sociology; PhD, Maryland.
• Morris, Michael; Professor of Political Science; PhD, Johns Hopkins.
• Rafert, Bruce; Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Dean of the Graduate School; PhD, Florida.
• Ransom, Bruce; Professor of Political Science and Chair, Policy Studies Program; PhD, Virginia.
• St. John, Caron; Professor of Management; PhD, Georgia State.
• Smith, Robert; Associate Professor of Political Science; PhD, SUNY at Albany.
• Stewart, Joe; Professor of Political Science; PhD, Houston.
• Warber, Adam; Assistant Professor of Political Science; PhD, Texas A&M.
• Ward, William; Professor of Applied Economics and Statistics; PhD, Michigan State.
• Wilson-Robinson, Kathleen; Research Professor, Institute on Neighborhood and Family Life; PhD, Michigan State.
Adjunct Faculty
• Guth, James; Professor of Political Science at Furman University; PhD, Harvard.
• Hakes, Jahn; Assistant Professor of Economics at Albion College; PhD, Duke.
• Swindell, David; Associate Professor of Public Administration at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; PhD, Indiana.
Emeriti Faculty
• Harris, Jr., Harold; Professor Emeritus of Applied Economics and Statistics; PhD, Purdue.
• Jordan, Johnny; Professor Emeritus of Applied Economics and Statistics; PhD, Clemson.
• Potts, Thomas; Professor Emeritus of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management; PhD, Texas A&M.
• Ulbrich, Holley; Alumni Professor Emeritus of Economics; PhD, Connecticut.
• Yandle, Bruce; Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Economics; PhD, Georgia State.
Applying
Successful candidates typically have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. You must submit the following to be considered for enrollment:
the online application
official transcripts of all college work
GRE scores (verbal, quantitative and analytical portions)
three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with your academic and/or job performance
a biographical statement
a statement of interest that expresses your reasons for seeking the PhD in policy studies.
In addition, international students must submit scores on the TOEFL examination. After the initial screening, the admissions committee reserves the option of interviewing you about your academic backgrounds, scholarly interests and career objectives.
You may apply on the web at www.grad.clemson.edu/Admission.php. Applications with a $55 nonrefundable fee should be received no later than four weeks prior to registration for domestic students (late August for the fall semester and early January for the spring semester). Every required item in support of your application must be on file by that date. International students living abroad must have completed applications (including all supporting materials) to the Graduate School by May 1 for the fall semester and by October 1 for the spring semester.
For More Information
Dr. Bruce Ransom, Chair of the Policy Studies Program
The Strom Thurmond Institute
Silas Pearman Boulevard
Clemson, South Carolina 29634-0125
Telephone: 864-656-4700
Fax: 864-656-4780
Email: bruce@strom.clemson.edu
