Program in Population Studies

Director

James Trussell

Associate Director

Barbara Sutton

Director of Graduate Studies

Noreen Goldman

Executive Committee

Noreen Goldman, Woodrow Wilson School

Douglas Massey, Sociology, Woodrow Wilson School

Sara McLanahan, Sociology, Woodrow Wilson School

Marta Tienda, Sociology, Woodrow Wilson School

James Trussell, Economics, Woodrow Wilson School

Associated Faculty

Jeanne Altmann, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Elizabeth Armstrong, Sociology, Woodrow Wilson School

Anne Case, Economics, Woodrow Wilson School

Angus Deaton, Economics, Woodrow Wilson School

Thomas Espenshade, Sociology

Noreen Goldman, Woodrow Wilson School

Joshua Goldstein, Sociology, Woodrow Wilson School

Alan B. Krueger, Economics, Woodrow Wilson School

Adriana Lleras-Muney, Economics, Woodrow Wilson School

Scott Lynch, Sociology

Douglas S. Massey, Sociology, Woodrow Wilson School

Sara McLanahan, Sociology, Woodrow Wilson School

Katherine Newman, Sociology, Woodrow Wilson School

Devah Pager, Sociology

Christine Paxson, Economics, Woodrow Wilson School

Alejandro Portes, Sociology

Lee Silver, Molecular Biology, Woodrow Wilson School

Burton M. Singer, Woodrow Wilson School

Mario Small, Sociology

Marta Tienda, Sociology, Woodrow Wilson School

James Trussell, Economics, Woodrow Wilson School

Bruce Western, Sociology

Sits with Committee

Patricia Fernández-Kelly, Sociology

Jean Grossman, Woodrow Wilson School

Germán Rodríguez, Office of Population Research

Charles Westoff, Office of Population Research

 

Demography has been a topic for graduate study at Princeton since the founding of the Office of Population Research (OPR) in 1936. There is a wide range of specializations encompassed by the field, including substantive and methodological subjects in the social, mathematical, and biological sciences. Four levels of certification of graduate training in population studies are available. First, the Program in Population Studies (POP) offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in demography that is intended for students who wish to specialize in this field and receive additional training in technical and substantive areas. Second, the program offers a general examination in demography that is accepted by the Departments of Economics, Sociology, and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (and, occasionally, by other departments) as partial fulfillment of their degree requirements. Those students who elect to specialize in population write their dissertation on a demographic subject. Third, by completing additional requirements established by the program, a student may earn a joint degree in demography and one of the affiliated departments listed above. Fourth, the program offers a non-degree certificate in demography upon completion of three graduate courses and a supervised research project. This last level, the certificate in demography, is also available to visiting scholars.

Ph.D. in Demography

A small number of entering graduate students with a strong interest in population and a strong quantitative background, often in statistics, mathematics, or environmental sciences (though not limited to these fields), will be accepted into a course of study leading to a Ph.D. in demography. Applicants to POP are required to submit scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), and for those whose native language is not English and who have not earned their undergraduate degree in a United States college or university, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is also required. As part of this program of graduate training, students are required to demonstrate basic competence in mathematics and statistics, as well as mastery of demography and a related discipline (e.g., sociology, economics, or public affairs). Specific requirements include completion of the general examination, a research paper of publishable quality, and the Ph.D. dissertation. The general examination consists of three examinations, usually taken over the course of two years, in which the student must demonstrate proficiency in basic demographic theory and methods as well as proficiency in two of the following fields of concentration: migration, immigration, and urbanization; health and mortality; population and development; population and the environment; health and population policy; mathematical and statistical demography; and poverty and child wellbeing. More detailed information on degree requirements may be obtained from the director of graduate studies or the administrator for the program.

Departmental Degree with Specialization in Population

The majority of students who study at the OPR are doctoral candidates in the Departments of Economics, Sociology, and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs who choose to specialize in population. To do so, they must complete the general examination in demography and write a dissertation on a demographic subject, supervised by program faculty, as part of their departmental requirements. In some additional departments, such as biology, history, or politics, the general examination in demography also may be accepted as partial fulfillment of degree requirements, and students in these departments may also elect to write their doctoral dissertations on a topic related to demography. The degree earned would be a Ph.D. in the discipline (e.g., economics, sociology, or public affairs). Application should be made to the relevant department, indicating demography as the area of interest.

Joint-Degree Program

Ph.D. candidates in good standing in the Departments of Economics, Sociology, or the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs may wish to do a joint degree. The degree earned would be a Ph.D. in economics and demography, sociology and demography, or public affairs and demography. Application should be made to the relevant department. To qualify for a joint degree, the student must fulfill all home departmental requirements, including passing the general examination in demography and writing a dissertation on a topic related to the study of population. In addition, the candidate for the joint degree must pass a general examination in one additional specialized field of population beyond what is required for the standard departmental degree. Permission to take the joint degree is obtained from the director of graduate studies for POP. It is not necessary to apply for the joint degree as part of the application to Princeton; instead, the decision is usually made by students during their second or third year of study.

Certificate in Demography

OPR, in connection with POP, offers a non-degree certificate in demography to those who successfully complete four graduate courses in population studies (ECO/SOC 571, ECO/SOC 572, WWS 587, and one other approved population-related course). The first two are the basic graduate courses in demography; WWS 587 entails completion of a research project, which involves individual research under faculty supervision. A decision on the fourth course is made together with the director of graduate studies. Applicants are usually either enrolled Master in Public Policy (M.P.P.) students or visiting scholars. The certificate program is intended primarily for training scholars from other disciplines and does not lead to an advanced degree at Princeton. The usual duration of the program for visiting scholars is one year.

Financial Assistance

Any applicant to a degree-granting department or program is eligible for financial aid, awarded on a competitive basis by the Graduate School. POP, however, does not have the resources to offer fellowships or other financial assistance to applicants for the certificate in demography. Full financial support must be assured before an application for entry into the certificate program is considered.

OPR is also home to the Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing (CRCW) and the Mellon Program on Urbanization and Migration (PUM). OPR is also affiliated with the Center for Health and Wellbeing (CHW) and the Center for Migration and Development (CMD). More information can be found on the Web at opr.princeton.edu.

Courses

POP 500 Mathematical Demography

Noreen Goldman

An examination of some of the ways in which mathematics and statistics can be used to analyze population processes. The focus is on population models that have direct application in demography, including survival models, stable and nonstable populations, population projections, and models of marriage and birth. The course is offered in alternate years.

POP 501 Statistical Demography

Germán Rodríguez

Statistical methods applied to the analysis of demographic data. The focus is on estimating the effects of concomitant variables on demographic processes such as nuptiality, fertility, or mortality using micro data. Statistical techniques to be studied include non-parametric regression, models for survival analysis, multiple-spell event-history analysis, and models for counts of events. Particular attention is given to issues of over-dispersion and unobserved heterogeneity. The course is offered in alternate years.

POP 502 Health Care in Developing Countries

Varun Gauri

Examines the process of formulating health policies in developing countries by looking at both theory and practical experience. Topics include the health-sector reform process and implementation, the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development plan of action and its implementation, and the experience of setting policies for specific health issues. Case studies from several developing countries, highlighting their experience in implementing various health policies is presented.

POP 503 Evaluation of Demographic Research

Noreen Goldman

Exposes students to the logic of empirical investigation in sociology and basic methods of measurement, hypothesis testing, and causal analysis. Particular attention is given to hypothesis formulation and techniques of comparative research.

POP 504 Topics in Demography

Staff

Topics of special interest are offered as full- or half-term courses. Asterisk (*) reflects that topics vary from year to year.

POP 504* Data Analysis Workshop

Germán Rodríguez

Covers application of statistical methods in social science research. Emphasis is on hands-on data analysis and discussions of key techniques. Issues may include formulation of the research problem; choice of appropriate model, data extraction; merging/combining datasets; constructing variables/summary indicators; strategies for handling missing data; interpreting odds ratios, coefficients, relative risks; prediction/simulation as tools for interpreting results; understanding interaction terms, clustered data, robust estimation of standard errors, presenting results; effective use of tables/graphs; selectivity and endogeneity; causal inferences.

POP 504* Policy Analysis: Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights (half-term course; also WWS 593b)

James Trussell

Examines selected topics in reproductive health, with primary emphasis on contemporary domestic issues in the United States—such as unintended pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infection—but within the context of the international agenda on reproductive rights established in the 1994 Cairo international Conference on Population and Development.

POP 504* Topics in Economics: The Economics of Health (see WWS 582c)

POP 504* Immigration

Alejandro Portes

This course examines the determinants and consequences of migration and immigration in the United States. Theoretical and methodological issues are discussed, and immigration and migration are analyzed with reference to national and local policy. Specific topics include demographic consequences in the short and long run, the impact on regional economies, differential effects of legal and illegal immigration, political implications, and cultural issues.

POP 504* Topics in Economics: Poverty, Inequality, and Health in the World (see WWS 581c)

POP 505 Topics in STEP: Population, Environment, and Health (see WWS 585a)

POP 506 Ph.D. Seminar: Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity (half-term course) (see WWS 599)

POP 508 Epidemiology (see WWS 598)

POP 509 Survival Analysis (half-term course)

Germán Rodríguez

This half-course offered in the first half of the spring term focuses on the statistical analysis of time-to-event or survival data. We introduce the hazard and survival functions; censoring mechanisms, parametric and non-parametric estimation, and comparison of survival curves. We cover continuous and discrete-time regression models, with an emphasis on Cox’s proportional-hazards model and partial-likelihood estimation. We discuss competing risk models, unobserved heterogeneity, and multivariate survival models, including event-history analysis. The course emphasizes basic concepts and techniques as well as applications in social science research using the statistical package Stata. Prerequisite: WWS 509 or equivalent.

POP 510 Multilevel Models (half-term course)

Germán Rodríguez

This half-course offered in the second half of the spring term provides an introduction to statistical methods for the analysis of multilevel data, such as data on children, families, and neighborhoods. We review fixed- and random-effects models for the analysis of clustered and longitudinal data before moving on to multilevel random-intercept and random-slopes models. We discuss model fitting and interpretation, including centering and estimation of cross-level interactions. We cover models for continuous as well as binary and count data, reviewing the different approaches to estimation in common use, including Bayesian inference. The course emphasizes practical applications, using the multilevel package MLwiN. Prerequisite: WWS 509 or equivalent

SOC 57l Survey of Population Problems

SOC 572 Research Methods in Demography

Pertinent Courses in Allied Departments

Economics

513 Advanced Econometrics: Time Series Models

515 Econometric Modeling

517, 518 Econometric Theory I, II

519 Advanced Econometrics: Nonlinear Models

531 Labor Economics I

532 Labor Economics II

562 Economic Development I

573 Population and Development

Sociology

503 Techniques and Methods of Social Science

504 Social Statistics

510 Social Stratification and Inequality

530* Migration and Development

550 Research Seminar in Empirical Investigation

578 Sociology of Immigration and Ethnicity

Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs

508b Econometrics and Public Policy: Basic

509 Generalized Linear Statistical Models

511 Microeconomic Analysis

512 Macroeconomic Analysis

515 Program and Policy Evaluation

535 Planning Methods

582c* Topics in Economics: The Economics of Health

586a* Topics in STEP: Biotechnology Policy

587 Research Workshop in Population

594* Economics of Education

594* Policy Analysis: Public Health and Public Policy

594e Poverty and Public Policy

597 The Political Economy of Health Systems

598 Epidemiology