Doctoral Public Affairs Education

Many programs offer a public administration/public policy doctorate: a Ph.D. or DPA (doctor of public administration).  These degrees are structured very similarly to doctoral programs in the social sciences.

• The first and second years of the degree program are devoted to courses in the key theoretical concepts, research skills, and content areas emphasized by the program.
• Most doctoral programs then require students to take comprehensive examinations in one or more fields.
• The remainder of the doctoral program is devoted to developing a dissertation proposal, conducting the necessary research, and writing a dissertation. The dissertation must be presented and defended publicly. It takes an average of five to six years to earn the degree (less if a student has already completed a master’s).

List of schools offering a doctoral degree

Compared with a professional Master’s degree (MPA/MPP), the students in a doctoral program generally will experience much closer contact with the faculty, smaller class sizes, and much more analytical material. Many of the students intend to seek academic careers upon graduation, and there are career tracks outside of higher education that expect the person in those positions to have earned a doctorate. These include high-level positions in government, think tanks, consulting firms, and advocacy organizations.

Admission to doctoral programs is generally much more competitive than for an MPA/MPP. Some doctoral programs receive 10 or more applications for every student they plan to admit. The most important qualification for admission is a record of academic excellence especially in subjects that relate directly to the research focus of the doctoral program.

Persons who are highly analytical and interested in conducting in-depth research on issues may find a doctoral program better suited to their career goals than other alternatives.