A Comparison of Eight Schools of Public Policy

What constitutes a policy analyst? This study seeks to identify those characteristics of a policy analyst that are essential to his performance by examing the two most important elements in a policy analyst's training: faculty composition by discipline and course requirements in each discipline. The author investigated eight schools having a program in public affairs, public administration, or public policy to obtain data on required courses and the distribution of faculty among the disciplines. The conclusions of the paper are based on the frequency of the presence of a faculty representative or course requirement for each discipline. The percent of the student's total program time that is required in each discipline is presented as well. The combination of these approaches revealed the diversity as well as the similarity of the programs. The value of training outside the framework of the program was also examined. Since the policy analyst is being trained as an adviser rather than an academician, some experience in applying the techniques taught is essential. In every program, either internships or workshops, and frequently both, were required. (Originally prepared for a RAND Graduate Institute course and published as P-5227; revised and shortened for publication in the Autumn 1975 issue of [Policy Studies Journal].)