Law and Policy, DLP (Seattle)

Public servants, executives, and managers operate in an increasingly complex global environment. A doctoral education seeks to provide the policy, analytic, and research skills necessary to advance one’s career.

Developed jointly by the College of Professional Studies and Northeastern’s Public Policy program, the Doctor of Law and Policy program (DLP) is designed for experienced professionals who are interested in the origins, development, implementation, and analysis of legal and public policy decisions in government and related institutions. The program prepares students to advance their careers within a variety of fields while focusing their thesis research on a precise law and policy topic.

Students undertake the DLP to understand the ways in which public and related institutions formulate and execute policy. Students have the opportunity to develop the ability to interpret and assess the research of others, to acquire skills as researchers, and to communicate their knowledge to a wide range of audiences. Graduates bring their skills and knowledge to senior policy and management positions in government, nonprofit agencies, research organizations, consulting firms, and corporations.

Northeastern University also offers a traditional PhD in Public Policy. To learn more, visit the Public Policy program website. 

 Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.

Required Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
LWP 6118	Historical Foundations of American Law	3
LWP 6119	Current Law and Policy Debates: Our Nation’s Capital and Beyond	3
LWP 6120	Law and Legal Reasoning 1	3
LWP 6121	Law and Legal Reasoning 2	3
LWP 6122	Law and Legal Reasoning 3	3
LWP 6123	Law and Legal Reasoning 4	3
LWP 6401	Law and Policy Concepts 1	3
LWP 6402	Law and Policy Concepts 2: Strategizing for Public Policy	3
LWP 6403	Law and Policy Concepts 3: Policy Case Studies	3
LWP 6404	Evaluation Research	3
LWP 6410	Economics for Policy Analysis	3
LWP 6420	Quantitative Methods	3
LWP 6423	Qualitative Methods	3
LWP 6424	Research Methods	3
LWP 6431	Political and Moral Ethics and Dilemmas	3
LWP 6450	Public Policy Theory and Practice 1	3
LWP 6451	Public Policy Design and Delivery	3
LWP 6452	Public Policy Theory and Practice 3	3
LWP 6500	Doctoral Research Design 1	3
LWP 6501	Doctoral Research Design 2	3
LWP 6502	Doctoral Research Design 3	3
LWP 6503	Doctoral Research Design 4	6
Registration in the following course is required if the thesis is not completed by the conclusion of the term of registration for LWP 6503:
LWP 7994	Thesis Continuation—Part Time	0

Program Credit/GPA Requirements

69 total quarter hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required