DPA Program Requirements
Course Requirements
Each student must complete at least 40 hours of course work plus a minimum of 12 hours of dissertation credit. Students may petition for up to 12 hours of transfer credit for post-master’s graduate work deemed appropriate for the DPA. All students are required to complete all courses with a grade of B or better in each course.
Core Courses (20 hours) (Course Descriptions)
DPA 651 Conduct of Inquiry & Theoretical Foundations of the Field,
DPA 652 Public Management,
DPA 653 Public Policy,
DPA 654 Research Design,
DPA 655 Research Design Practicum.
Electives (20 hours)
Twenty hours of elective coursework are chosen from a menu of 500-level courses in public management or public policy approved by the doctoral program faculty.
One elective course must be a quantitative analysis course selected with the approval of the student’s advisor, who upon admission will assess the student's level of preparation. To ensure the student has the minimum level of competence required, the advisor will direct him or her to the appropriate 500-level quantitative analysis course.
Examination
After the student completes the five DPA core courses, a qualifying exam to demonstrate competence in the core fields is required. Composed of oral and written components, the exam will be administered and evaluated by a committee of three faculty members chosen from among those faculty who have taught core courses. Students who have not passed the qualifying exam with a grade of B or better after two attempts will be dropped from the doctoral program.
Dissertation Requirements
Dissertation Work (a minimum of 12 hours)
After successful completion of the qualifying exam and the 20 hours of elective coursework, the student is admitted to candidacy and may officially begin working on a dissertation proposal within the following guidelines:
- Each student’s advisor will assist with selection of the dissertation committee from among the graduate faculty of the university,
- A written dissertation proposal must be formally approved by the student’s dissertation committee before dissertation work proceeds,
- Students must complete 12 hours of dissertation credit (PAD 690), and
- An oral examination on the dissertation will be conducted by the dissertation committee. The dissertation advisor will chair the oral dissertation defense which will be open to the campus community.
Students should note that university policy requires that a student who has been admitted to candidacy be continuously enrolled in at least one semester hour of dissertation coursework each fall and spring until the dissertation is completed, defended, and accepted.
Examples of syllabi are here.
