The PhD in Public Policy gave me access to new knowledge and ideas, allowed me to approach new perspectives and social areas and increased my contact with peers and professors who have proven to be very important in fostering my continued learning and developing my professional career. Throughout the first year, the curricular component of the programme allow students to discuss and discover our interests and research topics with a group of teachers that are motivated, well-prepared and strongly committed to our professional and academic progress. In the second year, the doctoral conferences bring major contemporary thinkers to Iscte, allowing us to frame our research in the significant debates of the current moment. Close supervision on the part of all the teachers, invitations to organize conferences and seminars, and the chance of being included in high-quality publications are only some of the opportunities that this doctorate affords, distinguishing it from other similar offerings. The programme is a challenge that dares us to reach higher and push ourselves further.

A Doctorate for understanding the Present and changing the Future.

Participating in the PhD programme in Public Policy has been a challenge due to the limits of time and availability inherent to having a family and an intense professional life. However, this PhD programme at Iscte also provides an enriching and stimulating experience for me, both in the professional realm as an interpreter of Portuguese external relations policy and a Public Administration leader, and from a personal perspective, as someone who take great pleasure in the politics, discussion, and design of public policy.

The PhD programme in PP at Iscte has been and continues to be the fundamental basis of my analytical and critical capacities to formulate, implement and evaluate public policy and environmental policy specifically, as I am an environmental engineer. I constantly resort to the knowledge and tools that I acquired in the curricular year of the course, not only for the development of my research but also for a new perspective, one that is more informed and relevant to the policy measures that will be established by policy-makers and their interactions with civil society. The background and experience in the area of public policy at Iscte (particularly at CIES-IUL), its transferrable and transdisciplinary qualities and the international context it provided were the driving factors in my choice of this prestigious institution.

I decided to attend the PhD in Public Policy because I felt it would add value to my work in my professional area – research – as well as complement the knowledge I acquired in my undergraduate and master’s studies in Sociology. I consider the PhD an important tool for those who want to analyze public policy in different fields and are interested in the role the State plays in promoting the quality of citizens’ lives. The PhD had a very important role in developing some of my essential skills, such as independence and rigor in work, and gave me a new professional experience in teaching. Beyond these aspects, the programme encourages scientific publications and provides access to events and discussions of different visions of public policy. For all these reasons, I believe this area has a future, and consider this PhD a good programme of study to attend.

The PhD in Public Policy provided me with challenges and knowledge. Through this program, I opened my mind and created new goals.

I chose the PhD in Public Policy for the quality of teachers and the topicality of the material studied. From the beginning, students are provided with a theoretical framework, while the availability and dedication of teachers in individual counseling promote deeper knowledge of students’ interest areas. The diversity of experiences shared by our colleagues in the academic space is enriching and stimulating. Studying in this PhD programme has allowed me not just to gain new knowledge, but also to consolidate and complement my professional experience. The involvement of students in research and publication from the first year onward is certainly one of its best points.

I chose the PhD in Public Policy because I had many years of executive experience in designing and implementing public policy, and I wanted to widen my theoretical knowledge on the topic so that I could also improve the practical results of my work. I found the PhD very innovative from the beginning, as I had never heard of the teaching of Public Policy – I only knew the field of Political Science – and this innovation was confirmed in the understanding I gained in the different curricular units. On one hand, I had the opportunity to study the theoretical frameworks of thought and facilitators of public policy analysis, and on the other, I felt the care of the teachers, working in concrete ways on the design, implementation and evaluation of public policy in the most diverse areas, from Healthcare to Education, Employment to the Environment, Regional Planning to Equality. My PhD work in Public Policy was particularly stimulating on an intellectual level due to its expansion of my theoretical and practical knowledge, as well as the personal and professional growth it provided me.