UIS Graduate and Undergraduate Catalog
Academic Year 2006 - 2007

DOCTOR OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
(D.P.A.)

Faculty Beverly Bunch, Patricia Byrnes, Hilary Frost-Kumpf, Lon Mackelprang, Brent Never, Meredith Newman, Anthony Sisneros
Emeritus Faculty Willa Bruce, Phillip Gregg, Naomi B. Lynn, Kenneth Oldfield

Contact: (217) 206-6076 or www.uis.edu/dpa/

Program Description
The mission of the doctor of public administration program is to educate students for public service careers in state government and management, or for careers in academia. The program emphasizes the theory, analysis, evaluation, and practice of public administration and public policy. Research, along with its applications, is also emphasized. Core courses are supplemented with a specialty concentration chosen from a range of program areas. Public administration doctoral education is intended to enhance student capabilities for public service, leadership, research, and teaching.

The DPA program has the following objectives: 1) to enhance the knowledge, competence, and leadership capacity of managers and professionals in state government agencies and nonprofit organizations; 2) to increase the intellectual and professional resources available to state government and nonprofit organizations; 3) to increase research and teaching resources in state government and nonprofit management; 4) to contribute to the national pool of knowledge about state government and nonprofit administration, policy, and leadership; 5) to enhance the public affairs effort of the University of Illinois at Springfield; and 6) to strengthen the field of public administration within Illinois. 

Admission
Note: In Academic Year 2006-2007, admissions into the Doctor of Public Administration program have been suspended. Admissions will resume in Academic Year 2007-2008.

For admission, applicants must meet the following requirements: 1) master’s degree, with a minimum grade-point average of 3.25 in graduate course work, 2) satisfactory performance on the GRE taken within the past five years, 3) demonstration of writing skills through the submission of a recent writing sample, 4) demonstration of ability to succeed in doctoral studies by the recommendations of three persons, at least one of whom is an academic reference, 5) demonstration of personal commitment to academic excellence through a three- to five-page statement of  academic and career goals, and 6) a current resume. International students must also demonstrate English proficiency with a score of at least 575 on the TOEFL (or 213 for the computer-based test).

Admission decisions are made by the Doctoral Program Committee, which evaluates the information submitted by each applicant to the program. For admission to the DPA program, the goals and objectives of the student must, in the judgment of this committee, be an appropriate fit with the mission and capacity of the DPA program. Interested persons are encouraged to contact the DPA program before starting the application process.

Students are encouraged to submit application materials by March 15 for the fall semester and by October 30 for spring admission. However, applications received later may be considered. 

Prerequisites
Prerequisite course requirements include:
1)  a one-semester undergraduate or graduate course in economics, preferably microeconomics;
2)  a graduate-level course on the American political system (or a graduate degree in public administration, political studies, or the equivalent);
3)  analytical tools (PAD 503, POS 503, or the equivalent) completed within the past five years;
4)  budgeting and finance (PAD 504, or the equivalent); and
5)  public policy (PAD 531 or POS 518, or the equivalent).

An applicant who meets all admission requirements other than the course prerequisites may be admitted pending completion of these requirements. In no case will a student be allowed to take a core or research course before meeting its prerequisite.

Courses taken for a letter grade typically challenge the student to produce higher quality work than do those taken only for credit and, generally, will better serve the student. Students are therefore strongly encouraged to take prerequisite requirements for a letter grade rather than as credit/no credit.

Advising
An initial faculty adviser will be assigned at the time a student is admitted to the DPA program. The adviser will assist the student in planning which courses to take. Before a student has completed 16 credit hours in the doctoral program or enrolls in a concentration course, he or she will select a permanent faculty adviser and a Plan of Study Committee. 

Course Requirements
The student’s Plan of Study Committee is responsible for assisting the student in developing a program of study that meets the course requirements specified below.

Each student must complete at least 54 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 graduate work deemed appropriate for the DPA. All students will be required to complete core courses, research courses, and transfer courses with a grade of B or better in each course. 

Core Courses (20 hours)
PAD 601 Advanced Seminar in Public Administration Theory and
    Organizational Analysis
PAD 602  Advanced Seminar in Organizational Behavior in
    Public Systems
PAD 603 Advanced Seminar in Financial Management and
    Fiscal Policy
PAD 604 Advanced Seminar in Public Policy Processes
    and Analysis
PAD 605 Administrative Ethics and Public Service 

Research Courses  (12 hours)
PAD 611 Advanced Seminar in Quantitative Methods
PAD 612 Advanced Seminar in Qualitative Methods
PAD 613 Advanced Seminar in Research Methods 

Concentrations (20 hours)
After completing all required core and research courses, the student will work with his/her adviser to develop a concentration study plan. This plan must be approved by the Plan of Study Committee before the student takes any concentration courses. Additional work and permission of the instructor is required for doctoral students enrolled in non-prerequisite 500-level courses. Prior to enrollment, the student must also provide their Plan of Study Committee with a written statement on 1) a description of the DPA requirements for the course, and 2) an explanation of how the course fits with their concentration area. 

Concentrations
1. Nonprofit Management (20 hours)
The following 12 hours are required, plus an additional 8 hours.
PAD 623 Nonprofit History and Philanthropy
PAD 624 The Nonprofit Organization in a Market Economy
PAD 625 Nonprofit Leadership 

2. State Government (20 hours)
The following 12 hours are required, plus an additional 8 hours.
PAD 631 Intergovernmental Relations
PAD 632 Legislative and Administrative Politics or
   POS 512 Seminar in State Politics
PAD 633 Special Topics  

3. Special Interest (20 hours)
The student may choose an area of special interest and work with his/her Plan of Study Committee to identify the five classes in the area most appropriate to the student’s individual interests. 

Dissertation (minimum 14 hours)
PAD 687 Dissertation Proposal Preparation Seminar
    (credit/no credit)  2-4 Hrs.
PAD  690 Dissertation (credit/no credit)    minimum 12 Hrs. 

Examination
After the student completes DPA course work, he or she will be required to take a comprehensive examination, which is both oral and written. 

Dissertation Work (a minimum of 14 hours)
Admission to Candidacy. After successful completion of the comprehensive exam, the student is admitted to candidacy and may officially begin work on the dissertation proposal (PAD 687). Campus policy requires that after completing all requirements for candidacy, the student must be continuously enrolled in at least one semester hour (zero credit hours, one billable hour) of dissertation course work each fall and spring semester until the dissertation is completed, defended, and accepted.

Dissertation Committee. The chair of the Dissertation Committee is the student’s dissertation adviser. Students will work with their committees (selected by the students with program approval).

Dissertation Proposal. A written dissertation proposal must be formally approved by the student’s Dissertation Committee before dissertation work may begin. Students will be required to take PAD 687 Dissertation Proposal Preparation Seminar as a part of their dissertation proposal preparation.

Oral Dissertation Defense. An oral examination on the dissertation will be conducted by the Dissertation Committee according to doctoral program regulations. The dissertation adviser will chair the oral dissertation defense, which will be open to the campus community.