Nov 04, 2024  
Graduate Catalog 2007-08 
    
Graduate Catalog 2007-08 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Departments and Programs

Advisor:
Matthew Mingus,
Room 220E, Walwood Hall
Telephone: (269) 387-8942

The Doctoral Program is under review and expects sweeping changes. For more information contact Dr. Mingus.

The doctoral program is designed both for those who have experience in a supervisory or administrative position with a federal, state, or local government or nonprofit agency and for those wishing to teach public administration in a college or university setting. The program is structured to provide decision makers and future professors with a more sophisticated understanding of the governing process.

Completion of the degree will provide doctoral graduates with the background to perform independent research on theoretical public administration concerns and substantive issues, to analyze a wider range of alternative policies, and to weigh competing choices in the decision-making process.

Students are admitted into the doctoral program in odd-numbered years, and begin classes in the Fall semester. Each cohort moves through its sequence of courses and comprehensive examination together.

Admission Requirements

  1. Master’s degree in public administration or related area.
  2. At least four years of experience in a supervisory or administrative position.
  3. One academic reference and two letters of recommendation from persons acquainted with the applicant’s professional work.
  4. Completion of the Departmental Application that requires responding to several essay questions.
  5. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the quantitative, verbal, and analytical parts of the examination.
  6. An interview with members of the School’s faculty.

Program Requirements


The forty-two hours of credit include eight required courses, a statistics requirement, a three-hour elective, and a minimum of twelve hours of dissertation credit.

Statistics Requirement


Doctoral students are provided an opportunity to take a statistics exam. Those who choose not to take the exam or do not pass are required to take PADM 6070: Quantitative Data Analysis for Administrators during their first semester. Students who pass the exam will take an elective in lieu of PADM 6070

Elective (3 hours)


Course selection is determined in consultation with doctoral advisor.

Comprehensive Examinations


Each doctoral student is required to complete successfully two comprehensive examinations. The first comprehensive examination will be taken after completion of the first year’s required courses. The second comprehensive examination will be taken after completing the second year of required courses.

Residency


Each student is required to enroll in two courses each Fall and Spring semester until completion of the course work. After all classes have been completed, students are required to maintain continuous enrollment in PADM 7300 Doctoral Dissertation until graduation.

Dissertation (12 hours)


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Departments and Programs