GraduatePrograms:Grad Programs to Hate

Cornell University Department of Policy Analysis and Management
The Department of Policy Analysis and Management (PAM) is part of the state-funded Cornell Human Ecology College. I am not going to comment on the research interests of professors because this can be easily researched online. I will however say that I was incredibly disappointed by the low calibre of the PhD students in the department. Most come from unimpressive state schools. Quite a few PhD students come from other Cornell Departments and are students who fail their qualifying exams (for example in Economics). This reinforces a low morale among many PAM students that it serves as a back up of other failed social science students across Cornell. Furthermore, funding for summer projects and research projects is prioritized to students who are well-liked by the Director of Graduate Studies. No recent PhD graduate to my knowledge has been able to secure an academic position with a department at a top 100 school in either public policy, economics, public health or any of the areas in which PAM specializes.