Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)
Prerequisites
Applicants should possess a master’s degree, ideally in Public Administration or a closely related field. Applicants must also have a minimum of five years of work experience.
Admission
Applicants are evaluated in a two stage process: First stage applicants are initially screened based on undergraduate GPA, graduate GPA, Statement of Purpose and letters of recommendation. Applicants advancing to the second stage may be required to schedule a personal interview. A standardized test score (e.g. GMAT or GRE) may be required, if recommended by the Faculty Admissions Committee. The department considers all of these measures in making a decision on admission.
Students accepted into the DPA program will begin their coursework in the fall.
The program requires a minimum time commitment of three years of coursework (which includes nine units each semester) and at least an additional year to produce and defend a dissertation of publishable quality (which includes 1 unit each semester). Additional semesters (two units each) beyond the fourth year may be needed to complete the dissertation.
Students must also take and pass the DPA Comprehensive Exams (after successfully completing all coursework for year two).
Program Coursework
56 semester hours
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Semester Hours | |
| PADM 609 | Nature of Inquiry | 3 |
| PADM 611 | Scope of Public Administration | 3 |
| PADM 613 | Descriptive Statistics | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| PADM 612 | Qualitative Analysis | 3 |
| PADM 677 | Ethics and Decision-Making | 3 |
| PADM 681 | Inferential Statistics | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 9 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PADM 651 | Policy Formulation and Processes | 3 |
| PADM 665 | Economic Perspectives in Administrative and Policy Analysis | 3 |
| PADM 685 | Selected Topics | 1-4 |
| Semester Hours | 7-10 | |
| Spring | ||
| PADM 620 | Organizational Development | 3 |
| PADM 667 | Urban Theory and Governance | 3 |
| PADM 674 | Policy Implementation and Evaluation | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 9 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PADM 670 | Dissertation Seminar | 3 |
| PADM 685 | Selected Topics | 1-4 |
| PADM 686 | Research Specialization I | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 7-10 | |
| Spring | ||
| PADM 687 | Research Specialization II | 3 |
| PADM 680 | Dissertation Seminar II | 3 |
| PADM 695 | Applied Research Methods and Techniques | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 9 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PADM 697C | Dissertation I | 1 |
| Semester Hours | 1 | |
| Spring | ||
| PADM 697C | Dissertation I | 1 |
| Semester Hours | 1 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 52-58 | |
Additional Dissertation Units
2 - 18 semester hours as needed
Students must be continuously enrolled in PADM 697D Dissertation II until they have successfully completed their dissertation and it has been posted.
One of the added features of the Doctor of Public Administration program is the possibility for students to obtain a Master of Arts in Policy Studies, while completing their doctoral studies. The Master of Arts in Policy Studies is intended to recognize work completed during the DPA program as added value.
Students will complete a total of 36 semester hours--12 semester hours each--in the three core areas (Public Administration, Public Policy and Research Methods) of the DPA program in order to be eligible for the Master of Arts in Policy Studies.
Degree Conferral Requirements
Students must obtain a B grade in each of the courses that compose the Master of Arts in Policy Studies. Additionally, students must pass the comprehensive examinations with an 80% cumulative grade. In a case where a student is unable to pass the comprehensive examinations, as an alternative, students could enroll in PADM 596 Graduate Seminar and obtain a grade of B to earn the Master of Arts in Policy Studies.