Public Administration (Ph.D.)
In 1992, Jackson State University commenced offering the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Public Administration. The program requires a minimum of 60 semester hours of course work beyond the Master’s degree. These 60 hours include the dissertation.
Mission of Program
The Ph.D. program has an urban management focus as well as other areas of concentration. Students must master a body of knowledge that centers around the public management aspects of urban problems, urban minorities; urban development (both past and present); and analysis of social systems. The program is designed to prepare persons for careers in executive management, teaching, research, and other public and non-profit responsibility positions. Concomitantly, this degree program emphasizes the acquisition of a knowledge base in the discipline of public administration, emphasizing policy making, planning, analysis, evaluation, and program implementation. In addition to the urban concentration, students will select a concentration in program management, policy analysis, and environmental management, planning, and policy. This degree is especially appropriate for persons in public, non-profit, and “quasi-public” management settings.
Admission Requirements
The Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration degree demands sound conceptual and analytical abilities. A solid educational foundation and substantial academic and professional achievement are among the criteria upon which applications for admission are evaluated. Specific prerequisites for admission include the following:
- A graduate-level degree from an accredited institution with a grade point average of 3.5, as evidenced by an official transcript.
- Three letters of recommendation, two from academic sources.
- A career goals essay.
- Two samples of academic and professional writing.
- For international students, a satisfactory score on the TOEFL or IELTS as determined by the Graduate School.
- Other considerations such as work or life experiences directly related to the program’s potential successful completion may also be factored into the admission review.
- Interview, if required by the department’s admission committee.
Admission to the Ph.D. program is granted once per annum for the Fall semester.
Alternative Ph.D. Admission Tracks
The Admissions Committee reviews candidates’ admission applications, which includes their G.P.A., three letters of recommendation, two writing samples, a statement of professional goals, test scores, and work experience. Should a candidate fall below the 3.5 minimum G.P.A., three alternative admissions tracks are possible. Regardless of the track employed, each applicant must meet acceptable standards as reviewed by the Admissions Committee.
- GPA 3.4 - 3.49 and one of the following:
- Excellent writing sample
- Excellent work experience
- GPA 3.1 - 3.39 along with all of the following:
- Excellent writing sample
- Excellent work experience
- An oral and/or written competency examination.
- GPA 3.0 - 3.09 and all of the following:
- Excellent writing sample
- Public and private sector management experience above ten years
- An oral and/or written competency examination
For the writing sample, excellence assessment is defined by a committee’s assessment that the sample would be awarded a minimum of a B+ in a first-year Ph.D. course. Excellent work experience is defined as a combination of duration in position and rank. Excellence is awarded to any combination of the following:
- Four (4) or more years of (4 year-college) teaching experience in a management field at the instructor level or above and excellent performance evaluations.
- Four (4) or more years as a senior executive (C.E.O., C.O.O., V.P., Facility Manager, or Department Head) of an organization employing ten or more FTEs requiring executive-level skills such as fiscal and human resource management.
- Eight (8) or more years of public sector employment in mid-level or higher positions. The committee may consider combinations of the above. Oral and/or written interviews are required for admission to the doctoral program if requested by the program’s admission committee.
Deficiencies
Students who matriculate successfully in the Ph.D. Program in Public Administration must demonstrate a knowledge base of the American intergovernmental system, research methodology and computer applications, and fiscal resource and budgeting administration. Persons entering the program from academic disciplines without these subjects will be administered preliminary exams or other evaluative methods to determine the need for compensatory work. Compensatory work will not be counted toward the major program of students.
Degree Requirements
A minimum of 48 semester hours above the Master’s degree, plus 12 hours in dissertation credits, is required to complete the Ph.D. in Public Administration coursework. The 48 semester hours are divided as follows:
- 24 hours of public administration core courses
- 12 hours of urban management concentration courses
- 12 hours of elective concentration courses
- 12 hours of dissertation (which may be counted toward the degree)
The three elective concentration areas are:
- Policy Analysis
- Program Management
- Environmental Management and Planning.
Program Management
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Public Administration Core | ||
| PPAD 705 | THE SCOPE OF PUBLIC ADMIN | 3 |
| PPAD 707 | MNGT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS | 3 |
| PPAD 748 | PUB PERSONNEL HUM RES ADMIN | 3 |
| PPAD 760 | FINANCIAL MNGT TO PUBLIC ORGN | 3 |
| PPAD 776 | THEORIES OF PUBLIC ORGNZTN | 3 |
| PPAD 777 | PUBLIC POLICY FORMU & IMPLEMTN | 3 |
| PPAD 796 | ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS I 1 | 6 |
| Urban Management Concentration | ||
| Select 12 hours from the following: | 12 | |
| URBAN MNGT AND URBAN SRVCS | ||
| SEMINAR IN STATE POLITICS | ||
| URBAN POLITICS | ||
| SEM IN PROG DEVLPMNT AND EVAL | ||
| URBAN PROBLMS& NON-TRAD OPTS | ||
| SEMINAR IN URBAN PROBLEMS 2 | ||
| URBAN MNGT AND URBAN SRVCS | ||
| URBAN POLITICS AND POLICIES | ||
| PROB OF COUNTY ADMINSTRN | ||
| PROB OF STATE ADMINSTRAT | ||
| URBANIZTN SOC CHG & POLI | ||
| COMMUNITY ANALYSIS | ||
| Program Management Concentration | ||
| Select 12 hours from the following: | 12 | |
| HEALTH CARE FINANCE AND ADM | ||
| SEM IN CONTEM TPCS IN PUBL ADM | ||
| SEMINAR IN EXECUTIVE LDRSHP 2 | ||
| THE ADMIN OF HEALTH AGENCIES | ||
| STATE & LOC GOVT BUD&FIN | ||
| ADMIN OF NON-PROFIT ORGANIZA | ||
| SEM IN COMMUNITY DEV & ECO DEV | ||
| SEM IN PROG DEVLPMNT AND EVAL 2 | ||
| Dissertation | ||
| Twelve hours of dissertation (which may be counted toward the degree) | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- 1
Six hours include Advanced Research Methods I and II
- 2
Required Course: Unless granted an exemption, one must take at least six hours in concentration before enrolling in a seminar course.
Policy Analysis
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Public Administration Core | ||
| PPAD 705 | THE SCOPE OF PUBLIC ADMIN | 3 |
| PPAD 707 | MNGT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS | 3 |
| PPAD 748 | PUB PERSONNEL HUM RES ADMIN | 3 |
| PPAD 760 | FINANCIAL MNGT TO PUBLIC ORGN | 3 |
| PPAD 776 | THEORIES OF PUBLIC ORGNZTN | 3 |
| PPAD 777 | PUBLIC POLICY FORMU & IMPLEMTN | 3 |
| PPAD 796 | ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS I 1 | 3 |
| Urban Management Concentration | ||
| Select 12 hours from the following: | 12 | |
| URBAN MNGT AND URBAN SRVCS | ||
| SEMINAR IN STATE POLITICS | ||
| URBAN POLITICS | ||
| SEM IN PROG DEVLPMNT AND EVAL | ||
| URBAN PROBLMS& NON-TRAD OPTS | ||
| SEMINAR IN URBAN PROBLEMS 2 | ||
| URBAN MNGT AND URBAN SRVCS | ||
| URBAN POLITICS AND POLICIES | ||
| PROB OF COUNTY ADMINSTRN | ||
| PROB OF STATE ADMINSTRAT | ||
| URBANIZTN SOC CHG & POLI | ||
| Policy Analysis Concentration | ||
| Select 12 hours from the following: | 12 | |
| QUANTITATIVE METHODS | ||
| SEM IN CONTEM TPCS IN PUBL ADM | ||
| SEMINAR IN EXECUTIVE LDRSHP 2 | ||
| EPDMLGY &TOXICO FOR PUB MNGRS | ||
| SEM IN PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS 2 | ||
| SEM IN PROG DEVLPMNT AND EVAL 2 | ||
New Courses | ||
| Dissertation | ||
| Twelve hours of dissertation (which may be counted toward the degree) | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 57 | |
- 1
Six hours include Advanced Research Methods I and II.
- 2
Required Course: Unless granted an exemption, one must take at least six hours in concentration before enrolling in a seminar course.
Environmental Management and Planning
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Public Administration Core | ||
| PPAD 705 | THE SCOPE OF PUBLIC ADMIN | 3 |
| PPAD 707 | MNGT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS | 3 |
| PPAD 748 | PUB PERSONNEL HUM RES ADMIN | 3 |
| PPAD 760 | FINANCIAL MNGT TO PUBLIC ORGN | 3 |
| PPAD 776 | THEORIES OF PUBLIC ORGNZTN | 3 |
| PPAD 777 | PUBLIC POLICY FORMU & IMPLEMTN | 3 |
| PPAD 796 | ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS I 1 | 3 |
| Urban Management Concentration | ||
| Select 12 hours from the following: | 12 | |
| URBAN MNGT AND URBAN SRVCS | ||
| SEMINAR IN STATE POLITICS | ||
| URBAN POLITICS | ||
| SEM IN PROG DEVLPMNT AND EVAL | ||
| URBAN PROBLMS& NON-TRAD OPTS | ||
| SEMINAR IN URBAN PROBLEMS 2 | ||
| URBAN MNGT AND URBAN SRVCS 2 | ||
| URBAN POLITICS AND POLICIES | ||
| PROB OF COUNTY ADMINSTRN | ||
| PROB OF STATE ADMINSTRAT | ||
| URBANIZTN SOC CHG & POLI | ||
| Environmental Management and Planning Concentration | ||
| Select 12 hours from the following: | 12 | |
| FINANCIAL MNGT TO PUBLIC ORGN 1 | ||
| SEMINAR IN EXECUTIVE LDRSHP 1 | ||
| SEM IN COMMUNITY DEV & ECO DEV 2 | ||
| EPDMLGY &TOXICO FOR PUB MNGRS | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE | ||
| ENV TOXICOLOGY & RISK ASSESSME | ||
| Dissertation | ||
| Twelve hours of dissertation (which may be counted toward the degree) | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 57 | |
- 1
Six hours include Advanced Research Methods I and II.
- 2
Required Course: Unless granted an exemption, one must take at least six hours in concentration before enrolling in a seminar course.
Other Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PPAD 798 | DISSERTATION | 3-6 |
| PPAD 799 | INDEPENDENT STUDY | 1-3 |
Qualifying Exam
A qualifying exam must be taken by students after 18-21 hours of course work in selected courses (see Policy and Procedure Manual). This examination will determine the feasibility of a student continuing pursuit of the doctoral degree in Public Policy and Administration.
Students who do not pass the qualifying exam will be asked to exit the program.
Comprehensive Exam
The Graduate Faculty will administer a Comprehensive Exam. The student is expected to use the examination to creatively demonstrate his/her ability to integrate the various fields of study effectively and apply them to his/her professional area. The Comprehensive Examination will be administered upon completion of course work and before submitting a dissertation proposal.
Dissertation and Defense
To be awarded the Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration degree, the candidate will be required to present and have approved a dissertation on a pertinent research problem in his/her area of concentration and pass an oral examination in defense of the research. The student's plan for independent research will be developed with the assistance and active participation of the student's dissertation committee. The dissertation must demonstrate the student's competency in scholarly research.
Graduation Requirements
- Completion of 48 hours of coursework.
- Passage of the qualifying examination.
(Given Fall, Spring, and Summer) - Passage of the comprehensive examination.
(Given Fall and Spring only) - Maintenance of a G.P.A. of not lower than 3.0 with no more than two grades of C.
- Completion and Defense of the Dissertation.
- Proposal and Dissertation.
Sample Matriculation Schedule of a Typical Ph.D. Student
Semester I
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PPAD 705 | THE SCOPE OF PUBLIC ADMIN (C) | 3 |
| PPAD 760 | FINANCIAL MNGT TO PUBLIC ORGN | 3 |
| PPAD 796 | ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS I (C) | 3 |
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Semester II
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PPAD 777 | PUBLIC POLICY FORMU & IMPLEMTN (C) | 3 |
| PPAD 796 | ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS I (C) | 3 |
| PPAD 776 | THEORIES OF PUBLIC ORGNZTN | 3 |
| PPAD 781 | SEM IN COMMUNITY DEV & ECO DEV | 3 |
| PPAD 782 | SEM IN PROG DEVLPMNT AND EVAL | 3 |
| PPAD 785 | SEMINAR IN URBAN PROBLEMS | 3 |
| PPAD 786 | URBAN PROBLMS& NON-TRAD OPTS | 3 |
| Total Hours | 21 | |
Semester III
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PPAD 707 | MNGT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS | 3 |
| Qualifying Examination to be taken | ||
| Total Hours | 3 | |
Semester IV
Submission of the student’s Plan of Study
Semester V and VI
In subsequent semesters, the typical student will complete the urban concentration and elective concentration. Students must sit for the Graduate Area Comprehensive Examination after all coursework.
Semester VII to X
Upon successful passage of the Graduate Area Comprehensive Examination, the dissertation is initiated. After the dissertation is written and completed, the student graduates.