Northeastern’s Doctor of Law and Policy (DLP) program empowers leaders working in the government, for-profit, and nonprofit sectors to advance in their careers with a deeper understanding of public policy. Our DLP students develop legal reasoning, research, and policy analysis skills. By examining the intersection of law, research, and policy within their fields, students learn to tackle challenges with a multidisciplinary approach.

Students complete a doctoral thesis that examines a compelling policy change and establish themselves as an expert on a topic in which they would like to see a change or help solve a new issue, or in an area they are passionate about.

Boston Program Details

Our executive program, built for experienced leaders ready to accelerate their careers, offers an immersive, cohort-based experience that moves at a dynamic pace. Through a hybrid model combining online coursework with high-impact in-person weekends—including study trips to Washington, D.C. and The Hague—you’ll build a powerful global network while engaging directly with policymakers and diplomats.

Duration: Two years

Commitment: Full time

Course load: Accelerated, with three courses per term

Learning Modality:

• Hybrid cohort model with most content delivered online supplemented by in-person intensive weekends
• Six in-person intensive weekends per year, tied to specific courses being taken, including:
  • Four intensive weekends in Boston
  • One intensive weekend in Washington, D.C., featuring distinguished guest speakers and immersion in national policymaking during the first year
  • One intensive weekend in The Hague, featuring distinguished guest speakers and engagement with international diplomats during the second year

Prerequisites: 10 years professional experience required

Other: Tuition includes registration and textbooks

Program Objectives

• Utilize law to be a better policy maker and change agent.
• Develop new leadership and strategic thinking skills.
• Interpret research and use it to further policy-related goals.
• Be able to negotiate with stakeholders in courts, legislatures, and agencies in corporate and non-profit environments.

Unique Features

1. Learn alongside Industry Leaders: Your classmates are made up of fellow accomplished individuals who represent a wide range of fields, ages and experiences. Past students have come from all over the country and worked for various employers such as Amazon, the FDA, Homeland Security, Bayer, MA Commission for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Harvard University and other higher education institutions, the U.S. State Department and more.
2. Learn from faculty that are industry leaders including distinguished policymakers, foreign service officers, international consultants, international education consulting experts, and experts in development policy with considerable domestic and global experiences.
3. Travel abroad with your cohort for an international intensive and domestically to Washington, D.C. to experience law and policy in a real-life, immersive experience. Past guest speakers have included Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas; Prime Minister Dick Schoof of the Netherlands; U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, Shefali Razdan Duggal; Dr. Victor Dzau, president of the National Academy of Medicine, and many more.