Engineering and Public Policy

We are not accepting applications to the doctoral program in Engineering and Public Policy at this time. Please contact Jacquee Lukawski​ (jacquee@udel.edu) if you wish to be contacted if/when the program is available.

Technical programs and decisions from both public and private sector firms often result in intended, and sometimes unintended, consequences for communities.

This joint doctoral program, offered through a partnership between the College of Engineering and Biden School of Public Policy & Administration, allows students with master’s-level engineering and applied sciences training to apply the concepts and methods of policy analysis to understand the broader social context of their work.

This inherently interdisciplinary, research-focused degree is rooted in the integration of instruction, research, and professional practice.

The program requires intensive student engagement with both engineering and public policy faculty. We prepare students to generate new useable, cross-disciplinary knowledge that expands the boundaries of inquiry and practice at the intersection of these fields.

Some areas of research in this program include:

  • Transportation
  • Civil infrastructure
  • Smart cities
  • Sustainability
  • Energy and the environment

The PhD program in Engineering and Public Policy serves students with master’s level technical backgrounds in engineering and the applied sciences who are interested in using the concepts and methods of policy analysis to understand the broader societal context of technical programs and decisions. The program requires intensive engagement of doctoral students with both engineering and policy faculty and an interest in the generation of new usable interdisciplinary knowledge that expands the boundaries of inquiry and practice. The doctoral program will typically be completed in four years of full-time study that includes advanced courses in policy and engineering, completion of qualifying examinations and dissertation proposal, and a doctoral dissertation that applies engineering and policy analysis to issues of scholarly and policy significance. Possible topic areas include transportation, civil infrastructure, smart cities, sustainability, and energy and the environment. The program is administratively housed and supported by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in cooperation with the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration.

Contact Us

Jacquee Lukawski

Jacquee Lukawski

Graduate Academic Advisor
301-1 DuPont Hall
302-831-6570
jacquee@udel.edu

Helpful Links