Gain critical skills in core research methods, and enjoy the flexibility to choose your own electives, all in a top-ranked school of social policy and health policy.
Choose a concentration that aligns with your long-term interests and select courses that will give you a multifaceted perspective on today's—and tomorrow's—most critical social policy issues. In addition to two years of coursework, PhD students participate in a doctoral seminar, complete a comprehensive exam and successfully defend a dissertation within four to six years. Every full-time student receives tuition and stipend support.
Doctoral students learn from Heller faculty and researchers in the classroom, through their concentration and in their dissertation committee. Heller PhD students learn to design and conduct policy research in a program with a 100% employment rate at a top-ranked graduate school of social policy, home to 9 renowned research centers and institutes that cover social policy areas ranging from disability policy to economic and racial equity. Discover how to generate knowledge that can improve people’s lives and effect structural change.
Student Research Stories
Masami Tabata-Kelly, PhD candidate, Health Concentration
Study Shows High Physician-Patient Engagement Leads to Burnout
Kumba Sennaar, PhD candidate, Health Concentration
New Research Examines Advancing Responsible and Ethical AI for All Communities
Priya Agarwal-Harding, PhD'25, Health Concentration
Evaluating the Impact of U.S. State Immigrant Inclusion Policies on Immigrant Health and Well-Being
The Heller Social Policy Impact Report showcases a selection of high-impact research, publications, grants, awards, and public engagement from the faculty, researchers, and students of the Heller School from the past year.
Alumni Outcomes
Linda Mills, PhD'94
President, New York University (NYU)
"The Heller School sits high amongst my fondest memories of transformative education. Intellectually challenging, politically engaged, my experience at Brandeis was crucial in my career as a scholar and academic administrator."
Sasha Albert, PhD’20
Senior Researcher, Massachusetts Health Policy Commission
“I feel especially grateful to have had the opportunity to work as a graduate research assistant for Heller’s Lurie institute for Disability Policy…I learned so much about the research process and got really great hands-on experience.”
Ramandeep Kaur, PhD'15
Health Services Researcher at RTI International
“From my very first day at Heller, I felt I belonged there,” she says. “Support from faculty and peers is what created a feeling of community for me at Heller, something I truly valued and have continued to remember.”