PhD in Public Administration & Policy

The PhD in Public Administration & Policy prepares qualified candidates to shape the direction of research on the management of public and non-profit organizations, the relationship between sectors and levels of government, and the formation of public policy. Our graduates become the next generation of researchers, teachers, and leaders in the public and non-profit sectors, working in the academy, every level of government, and civil society writ large. The program is built around a 1-year sequence of core courses and six concentrations: Public Management, Public Finance, Organizational Behavior and Theory, Decision Analysis and Policy Sciences, Politics and Administration, and Comparative and International Administration.

Each year the program admits a cohort of between 5 and 10 students. The College offers support for doctoral study based strictly on merit. Usually three or four incoming students are offered a package of funding that includes three years of tuition support and a stipend with a conditional fourth year depending on performance and funding. The College and University also offers other funding opportunities for historically under-represented students and students pursuing research that aligns with externally funded research programs conducted by faculty members. Recent recipients of the PhD in Public Administration and Policy degree have taken academic positions at Columbia University, the University of Connecticut, the Medical College of Georgia, San Diego State University, Penn State – Harrisburg, the Korean Institute of Public Administration, the University of Birmingham (UK), and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. Other recent graduates have accepted research positions with Sandia National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, the United States Army Corp of Engineers, and several state and federal agencies.