The Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University is one of America’s leading schools of public policy, offering undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in public policy and international development policy.

Terry Sanford, then president of Duke University, established the school in 1972 as the Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs. Sanford’s experience as governor of North Carolina and, later, as a U.S. Senator, convinced him the country needed leaders who were not only politically savvy, but also ethically grounded and capable of rigorous analytical thinking. He urged students to set “outrageous ambitions,” a call to action that remains at the core of the school’s identity.