In 2012, SPI surveyed graduate students and found that this was a real desire for a graduate level science policy program that could be pursued alongside a doctorate. Members of SPI worked with several professors, Richard Lester, Kenneth Oye, Susan Solomon, Richard de Neufville, and Charles Stewart, to meet this need. The result is the MIT Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy (STP). Think of it as sort of like a minor but for graduate students.

This certificate can be pursued by any PhD students in the Schools of Science and Engineering who have already passed their qualifying exams (but you can get started with the classes before then). It involves taking a few science policy classes (including SPI’s Bootcamp) and completing a capstone project. The program is administered by the Technology Policy Program and more details can be found here.

When: Rolling application

Who: Run by the Technology and Policy Program here at MIT.

How do I get involved: All science and engineering PhD students who have passed their qualifying exams are eligible. Application instructions are available here.

Description: The MIT Certificate Program in Science, Technology and Policy (STP) seeks to complement the outstanding academic experience MIT currently provides to its science and engineering PhD students with a rigorous introduction to the social and policy contexts in which their research is embedded. The required curriculum provides a coherent, rigorous introduction to the STP arena that can be reasonably integrated with the traditional PhD workload.