General Requirements

Minimum Requirements

The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 72 credits of coursework, four semesters of research apprenticeships, and nine (9) credit hours for the dissertation. Student who have earned a master's degree from an accredited university at the time of their entry into the Ph.D. program may receive up to 36 credit hours towards the 72-credit-hour coursework requirement. Maxwell MPA degree holders may receive up to 39 credit hours toward the 72-credit-hour coursework requirement. Students must have a completed Masters in Public Administration or a related field or equivalent graduate credits to enter the Ph.D. program.

Prerequisite Coursework Requirements

All students who enter the Ph.D. program must either have completed the equivalent of the prerequisite courses listed below (all of which are required for the Maxwell MPA degree), complete the appropriate courses after they enter the Ph.D. program, or receive a waiver from the Ph.D. Committee. The prerequisite courses are:

PAI 712: Public Organizations and Management

PAI 721: Introduction to Statistics

PAI 722: Quantitative Analysis for Public Policy Analysis

PAI 723: Managerial Economics for Public Administrators

PAI 734: Public Budgeting

PAI 755: Public Administration and Democracy

In addition, all doctoral students are required to serve research apprenticeships during their residency for a minimum of four terms. Participation in the University's TA Training Program is also required just prior to the start of the initial fall semester.