1. Introduction

 Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) is a unique department in the engineering college, Carnegie Institute of Technology (CIT), at Carnegie Mellon University.  It was established in 1975 and is concerned with problems in the field of technology and public policy. EPP is different from most other university programs in this field because it is strongly engineering based.  Its research focuses exclusively on that set of public policy problems in which a detailed treatment of the technical issues is central to producing a satisfactory policy solution.

EPP offers exciting opportunities for growth and continued educational innovation.  At the same time, because of the unconventional interdisciplinary nature of the EPP Program, aside from a set of core requirements, each student fashions his or her path through the program.  Along with the freedom of choice, this approach sometimes brings a feeling of insecurity and uncertainty.  The EPP Faculty are very approachable and helpful in dealing with questions as they arise.  You should feel free to approach Granger Morgan, the Department Head; Mitchell Small, the Associate Department Head for Graduate Affairs; your academic advisors; or any of the EPP faculty to seek assistance and advice. 

This booklet is a compilation of facts, policy, guidance and organizational details useful to a graduate student in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy.  The first part deals with academic affairs, and the second with general administrative and policy matters. Support and administrative policy matters are handled primarily by Vicki Finney, the Graduate Program Administrator; and Barbara Bugosh, the Business Manager.  We hope you will pay careful attention to the details here, but feel free to discuss problems with the faculty and staff at EPP.

At the undergraduate level, the primary degree offering is a joint B.S. with each of the five traditional engineering departments and with the School of Computer Science. Between 6-8% of all undergraduate engineers at CMU participate in these double-major programs.  The undergraduate program is over 30 years old.

At the graduate level, the primary offering is a research-oriented Ph.D.  Joint M.S. and Ph.D. degrees with the traditional engineering departments are also available.  The Ph.D. program is over 30 years old.  We have produced 180 Ph.D.'s, 33 terminal M.S. graduates, and 3 fifth-year MS graduates.  As of September 2009 there are 80 Ph.D. students currently enrolled in EPP.  If you are interested, Vicki Finney or Patti Steranchak can provide you with a list of EPP students and alumni (all are included in the EPP directory that you will receive sometime in September after it has been updated).

Major areas of graduate research in the department include problems in energy and environmental systems, information and communication technology policy, risk analysis and communication, and technology policy and management (including technological innovation and R&D policy).  Across these four focal areas, the department also addresses issues in engineered systems and domestic security, issues in technology and organizations, and issues in technology and economic development (focusing in particular on India, China, Mexico and Brazil).  We frequently undertake the development of new software tools for the support of policy analysis and research.

The faculty in EPP have either engineering or social science backgrounds. There are currently 42 faculty (including 15 research, lecturer, or other special faculty), 9 are affiliated faculty, 6 have full-time appointments in EPP, and 12 have joint appointments.  Affiliated faculty are the same as regular faculty in that they supervise doctoral students, vote in faculty meetings, etc.  The only difference is that EPP does not pay any of their academic salary. Of the regular academic faculty, 18 are tenured.  CMU offers a unique environment in which interdisciplinary research is encouraged and joint appointments work.

There have been 180 Ph.D.'s granted in EPP so far since the first in 1978.  EPP graduates go into consulting, academic and corporate positions, and also government offices, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Congressional Research Service, and National Labs.  The academic jobs available to EPP graduates vary according to the individual research area.  Graduates specializing in areas such as mathematical modeling of environmental systems, and problems in industrial automation generally have few problems finding a fit with traditional academic jobs in engineering-based departments.  Graduates in areas such as risk assessment and communication have sought academic options in professional schools in policy or in public health. The interdisciplinary nature of EPP education and research does pose challenges for some students intent on an academic career, though a growing number of academic programs are beginning to accept, and in some cases seek, students with such broad interdisciplinary background.  Demand for our graduates has always been strong among corporations and consultants who recognize the unique capabilities of the EPP Ph.D.

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