Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration

Program Overview

The Ph.D. in Public Administration at the University of Kansas prepares students for academic and advanced professional careers in public administration. The program emphasizes theory, research, and specialization in areas such as public management, policy analysis, and urban policy. Students must pass comprehensive exams, defend a dissertation proposal, and complete a dissertation to earn the degree.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Administration program at the University of Kansas School of Public Affairs and Administration aims to provide advanced graduate education in theory and research to prepare students for academic and research careers in public administration. It also prepares students for advanced professional careers in public administration. The program focuses on building competency in public administration history, theory, methodology, discipline specialization, and complementary cognate fields. This program is designed for individuals seeking to become researchers and contribute to the field of public affairs, policy, planning, and management/governance.

Assessment:

The program features two written comprehensive examinations: one in the Foundations of Public Administration and the other in the student's Public Administration Specialization. The student must pass both written examinations to proceed to the Comprehensive Oral Examination. Failure to pass either written exam within two attempts results in dismissal from the program. The Comprehensive Oral Examination includes a defense of the dissertation research proposal. Finally, the doctoral candidate must write a dissertation and successfully defend it orally to receive the Ph.D. degree. The dissertation must report substantial original research in the field of Public Administration.

Careers:

The program prepares students for academic and research careers in public administration as well as advanced professional careers in public administration, particularly those involving cutting-edge and innovative research in public affairs, policy, planning, and management/governance.

Other:

The program requires a minimum of 75 credit hours, including 66 credit hours of courses and 9 or more hours of dissertation credit. Students can count up to 30 hours of credit earned toward an MPA degree or its equivalent toward the required 66 hours. The program consists of several fields of study:

• Foundations of Public Administration: Includes four out of five required courses: PUAD 930, PUAD 931, PUAD 932, PUAD 943, or PUAD 949.
• Public Administration Specialization: In consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies, each student must declare a specialization with at least three courses.
Common specializations include public management and organization theory, budgeting and finance, human resources management, public policy analysis and evaluation, public values and ethics, public law and administration, and urban policy/politics. Other areas of specialization may be created with faculty approval.
• Cognate Field: This field is similar to a "minor" and courses are typically taken outside the School.
Examples include economics, political science, education, or a policy specialization (e.g., environmental policy or transportation policy). The cognate field requires the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.
• Methods Sequence: This includes PUAD 934 Research Methods in Public Administration with the prerequisite PUAD 836 Data Informed Decision-Making, PUAD 935 Advanced Quantitative Methods for Public Administration, and optional courses PUAD 937 Qualitative Methods in Public Administration and PUAD 936 Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation.
Substitutions require the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. Completion of the Methods Sequence requirement satisfies the Office of Graduate Studies' Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship requirement.