Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science - Comparative Public Policy

McMaster is one of very few universities, in Canada and internationally, to offer a PhD in Comparative Public Policy. In order to more robustly examine and explain policy dynamics and change, students are trained in the comparative method and are required to examine a policy issue in at least two political jurisdictions. These jurisdictions may be states, but they could also be at the subnational or international level.

Public policy gets to the heart of the questions of “who gets what” and “who benefits.” It can be about the big picture of how power works in societies, or it can involve finding the “devil in the details” of complex policy processes and outcomes.
About the Program

Our faculty has capacity to supervise students doing mainstream policy studies, as well as projects in a number of critical approaches to policy. We prepare students in the fields of theories and approaches to comparative public policy, public administration, and internationalization of public policy. We value the opportunity to combine comparative public policy with courses in related fields such as comparative politics, globalization and the internationalization of public policy.

The program prepares graduates for working in Canadian and overseas universities, international organizations, and federal, provincial and local public services. Our graduates have taken up position at a number of Canadian universities and in federal and provincial public services.