Admissions Requirements: Students must have a Master's degree prior to program enrollment, though outstanding applicants may also be considered with only a baccalaureate degree. An applicant is expected to have a GPA of 3.5 or better for all graduate course work and a combined score of 1120 on the GRE quantitative and verbal sections, with a minimum of 500 on each of these components. Applicants must complete the following:
Transfer Credits: The acceptance of a maximum of six transfer credit hours (not included in another degree) is subject to the approval of the program coordinator. Students requesting the acceptance of transfer credits must submit a request in writing to the program coordinator. The credits must have been completed with a grade of B or better, within six years preceding the admission to the graduate program. No internship or practicum credits will be accepted as transfer credits.
Degree Requirements: The Doctor of Philosophy in Public Management is a 69 semester hour program with seven required courses (21 semester hours), seven specialization elective courses (21 hours), a comprehensive examination (minimum of three semester hours), and dissertation (24 semester hours). During the first semester of the program, students are required to select, with the assistance and approval of the Ph.D. coordinator, an advisor who is a full-time faculty member in the program. By the end of the first year, students are required to develop a program of study with the assistance and approval of their advisor and the program coordinator.
Specialization Courses (21 credits): Students are required to take seven courses in an area of specialization to be designed with the advisor.
Comprehensive Examination: Subsequent to completion of course work, students are required to pass a two-part comprehensive examination. The first component of the comprehensive examination is a written examination testing for knowledge of the Ph.D. core and related material. The second component is the submission of a research deliverable that demonstrates competence in defining a research problem, and addressing that problem through empirical study. Students who fail the Comprehensive Examination on the first attempt must retake the examination at its next offering. Students who fail the examination twice are automatically dismissed in accord with general University policy.
Dissertation (24 credits): Upon successful completion of the comprehensive examination, students select their dissertation guidance committee and begin preparation of their dissertation proposal. Students are expected to defend their dissertation prospectus before the end of the first semester subsequent to passing the Comprehensive Examination. Upon the public defense and approval of the proposal, the student will initiate formal work on the dissertation. During this time, the student is expected to make appropriate progress toward completing the dissertation, and to enroll continually (at least six credits per semester) until the degree is completed. Upon completion of the dissertation, candidates will formally defend the research at a meeting conducted by the Dissertation Committee. The degree will be awarded upon a positive recommendation of the committee and compliance with all policies and procedures required by the University.