Many programs in political science, sociology, economics, public administration,
law, and other disciplines allow students to specialize in the study of policy and the
policy process as they work toward their bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.
Dozens of universities now offer master’s degrees in public policy (MPP degrees),
and others offer bachelor’s or doctoral degrees in public policy that draw from
multiple disciplines to provide training in policy studies.12 Most of these programs
are interdisciplinary and draw their faculties from across the social, behavioral,
and natural science disciplines. This interdisciplinary nature is both a strength and
a weakness that has perennially faced policy studies. It is a strength because the
discipline draws upon the best insights from the natural sciences, social sciences,
and humanities. To some people, however, it is a weakness because policy scientists
do not share a language that transcends disciplinary boundaries. Our challenge as
students of public policy is to understand and profitably use the insights offered by
the many disciplines that study, in various ways, public policy