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Academics < Ph.D. < Degrees < Ph.D.
PA
Ph.D. in Public Affairs
The School of Public and Environmental Affairs has two different
Ph.D. programs that address the analysis and administration of public
policies: the Ph.D. in Public Affairs
and the Joint Ph.D. in Public Policy. Our
doctoral programs emphasize research, with in-depth study to assure
grounding in the scholarship—past and current—of students’ chosen fields,
and careful attention to the research skills needed to make their own
contributions. Graduates most commonly pursue academic careers, conducting
research and teaching in universities. A smaller number choose careers in
public, nonprofit, and private research centers, or in public service.
The Joint Ph.D. in Public Policy is ideal for students with strong
public policy interests who also desire to ground their research in
Political Science theory. The program is flexible, with relatively few
explicit course requirements. Instead, a student works closely with a
committee of faculty from both Political Science and SPEA to design his or
her program. The main requirements are that students choose one field of
study from Indiana University's Political Science Department, another
field of study from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and
the public policy field with faculty participation from both Political
Science and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Students in the Public Affairs Ph.D. program obtain strong
grounding in both research methods and theory; however, unlike the Joint
program, the disciplinary linkage to political science is not a necessity.
Students choose two of four fields offered in SPEA—public management,
policy analysis, public finance, or environmental policy. In addition,
students are required to obtain a minor that broadens their academic
training. Minors may be selected from other departments at IUB—Economics,
Political Science, or Sociology are common choices—or from such choices as
Finance in I.U.'s Kelley School of Business. Or, students may choose from
one of four Doctoral
Minors in SPEA. Course work in the Public Affairs program is a bit
more prescribed than that of the joint degree program, though there is
still considerable flexibility.
A majority of students in the two programs are supported by
research or teaching assistantships. Students in each program have the
opportunity to work with faculty in a variety of research centers
associated with either the School of Public and Environmental Affairs or
the Political Science Department and on independent faculty research
projects. The School's large undergraduate program provides many
second-and third-year students the opportunity to teach independent
sections of undergraduate courses. This experience is particularly
desirable for students planning academic careers since it gives them the
chance to have developed one or two courses prior to taking a faculty
position. Most students working on their dissertations are funded through
outside grants and fellowships.
Ph.D. in Public
Affairs
1. Overview of Program
The School of Public and Environmental Affairs concept of
public affairs includes public policy analysis, public finance, public
management, and environmental policy. Our belief is that integration
increases the body of analytic and empirical knowledge about public
affairs problem solving. The course of study encourages mastery of the
concepts and methodologies necessary for graduates to have the capacity to
identify, research, and solve public sector problems.
2. Degree Requirements
The Ph.D. degree requires the completion of at least 90
credit hours in advanced study and research beyond the baccalaureate.
Typically, one-half to two-thirds of the 90 hours are taken in formal
course work and one-third in thesis credit. Students completing a Master's
in Public Administration or similar degree may be allowed to transfer some
of their graduate course work (30 hours maximum) if approved by their
Progress Review Committees, though a prior Master’s degree is not required
for admission.
Core Courses
The following three courses are required for all Public
Affairs students:
Research Design and Methods in Public Affairs
(V680)
Seminar in Teaching Public and Environmental
Affairs (V621)
This course prepares students for college teaching and
their professional responsibilities toward current and future students. It
is taken in a student’s first year in the program.
Workshop in Public Policy (V691)
Each student is required to take this one-credit-hour
course for three semesters. The workshop features research presentations
by faculty, visiting scholars, and advanced students. Its intent is to
prepare students to critique current literature in the field, learn to
prepare manuscripts for presentation and publication, and to defend their
ideas and theories.
Research Tool Skills
Required research skills include a two semester
quantitative analysis sequence and two additional elective courses or
proficiency in a foreign language.
The two-semester quantitative analysis sequence can be
fulfilled a number of different ways including one of the sequences listed
below.
Statistics for Research in Public Affairs I and
II (V606 and V607) (SPEA)
Econometric Methods in Business I and II (G651
and G652) (School of Business)
Statistical Techniques in Economics II and
Econometrics I (E572 and E671) (Economics)
Political Data Analysis II and Advanced Topics in
Political Data Analysis (Y576 and Y577) (Political Science)
Statistical Techniques in Sociology I and II
(S554 and S650) (Sociology)
In addition, students must demonstrate either (1) advanced
proficiency in quantitative analysis or specialized research skills by
completing two additional courses approved by the student's Progress
Review Committee or (2) proficiency in a language appropriate to his/her
field of study and approved by the Progress Review Committee. To qualify
as language proficient, a student must take a language proficiency exam
from the appropriate language department at Indiana University.
Major Fields
Students select two of the four SPEA Public Affairs major fields
to prepare for their qualifying examinations. For each field, the student
must complete required courses and approved electives. The fields, their
required courses, and principal faculty are:
Public Management: the design and operation of government
and not-for-profit institutions, including strategic/operations management
and interrelationships between public, private, and civil society
organizations.
Required Courses:
- Public Organization and Management I (V671 Public
Management Theory) and
- Public Organization and Management II (V672
Organization Theory and Research)
Among the faculty whose areas of research include Public
Management
are Professors Robert Agranoff (emeritus), A.
James Barnes, Wolfgang Bielefeld*, Lisa Bingham, Sergio
Fernandez,
Beth Gazley, Kirsten Grønbjerg, Sheila Kennedy*, Les
Lenkowsky*,
Michael McGuire, Debra Mesch*, Sam
Nunn*,
Patrick O'Meara, James Perry, Richard Rubin (emeritus), Frank
Vilardo (emeritus),
Charles Wise, and Lois Wise. (Some faculty listed in the
other
fields also have interests in Public Management. Faculty
research
interests may be found by clicking here
[*denotes faculty member at SPEA
IUPUI].)
the theory and practice of fiscal
administration, including public budgeting, revenue administration, and
financial management.
Required Courses:
- Public Revenue (V666) and
- Seminar in Public Budgeting (V668)
Among the faculty whose areas of research include Public
Finance
are Professors Anthony Blasingame, Alfred Ho*, Craig
Johnson,
Joyce Man, John Mikesell, Clint Oster,
Rafael
Reuveny, and Kurt Zorn. (Some faculty listed in the
other
fields also have interests in Public Management. Faculty
research
interests may be found by clicking here
[*denotes faculty member at SPEA
IUPUI].)
research methods and quantitative
techniques for policy analysis, including the content, design, and
evaluation of public programs.
Required Courses:
- Seminar in Policy Analysis (V664) and
- Policy Analysis and Management/Operations Research
(V673)
Among the faculty whose areas of research include Public
Policy
Analysis are Professors David Audretsch, Michael
Gleeson*, David
Good, Karen Harlow*, Bill McGregor, Ted Miller (emeritus), Sam
Nunn*, John
Ottensmann*, Roger Parks, Maureen Pirog, Edwardo Rhodes,
David
Reingold, and Barry Rubin. (Some faculty listed in the
other
fields also have interests in Public Management. Faculty
research
interests may be found by clicking here
[*denotes faculty member at SPEA
IUPUI].)
economic, law, politics, and
implementation of environmental policies in the U.S. and abroad.
Required Courses:
- Economics:
Environmental Economics (V625)
- Law:
Environmental Law (V645) or
International Environmental Law (B783)
Policy:
Domestic Environmental Policy (V710) or
International Environmental Policy (V710)
Among the faculty whose areas of research include
Environmental
Policy are Professors Matt Auer, Greg Lindsey*, Elinor
Ostrom
(Political Science), Kerry Krutilla, Vicky Meretsky,
Kenneth
Richards, and Evan Ringquist. (Some faculty listed in
the other
fields also have interests in Public Management. Faculty
research
interests may be found by clicking here
[*denotes faculty member at SPEA
IUPUI].)
Students select a minor field according to their research
interests.
A three- to four-course sequence is negotiated between the student
and
the Progress Review Committee, following the requirements of the
department or school
offering the minor. Among the minor fields chosen by students
currently in the program are
Economics, Finance, Political Science, Sociology, Geography,
Economic Development, and Environmental Science.
3. Major Junctures
Progress Review Committee
Each student is assigned an advisor when s/he arrives in
Bloomington.
If the advisor sufficiently reflects a student's research
interests,
then the student can request that the advisor serve as his or her
chairperson
of the Progress Review Committee.
If the student finds another professor is more suited to his/her
research interests
then the student may switch advisors.
At the end of the first year, the student develops a Progress
Review Committee.
The committee, in cooperation with the student, defines program
objectives, supervises
the selection and completion of the minor field and monitors
overall progress toward
completion of course work requirements, and administers the
qualifying exams.
Members of the Progress Review committee should be scholars who
know the student's
academic record and who are recognized experts in the fields in
which the student
will stand examination. The committee will consist of four to five
members chosen
by the student in consultation with the director of the Ph.D.
program. At least
one member of the Progress Review Committee will be chosen from
each of the student's
two major fields. It is required that one member of the Progress
Review Committee be a
non-School professor and represent the outside minor.
Third Semester Review
In his/her third semester each student holds a Third Semester
Review meeting with his/her committee.
The purpose of the meeting is to reach an agreement between the
student and the committee about
the character and status of the student's program. This meeting
also serves as a formal evaluation
of the student's performance and prospects and includes a
presentation of a research paper prepared by the student.
In this progress review meeting the committee members review the
student's record of past and
planned courses, the likely dissertation topic, and the quality of
the research paper and its
presentation. The committee determines whether the proposed
program of courses will prepare the
student for the examinations to be taken at the end of the course
work as well as for the dissertation.
The principal objective of the research paper is to allow the
faculty to judge whether
the student has the ability to complete all requirements for this
research-oriented degree
in a timely fashion. Thus, of most importance will be that the
paper demonstrates the
student's ability to carry out reasonably independent research and
write the results
in a well-reasoned and coherent fashion. The paper should also
demonstrate that the
student has a good command of the literature in the area and has
the ability to use
appropriate research methods in carrying out the analysis. It is
anticipated that the
progress review paper will be a revision of a substantial research
paper prepared
to fulfill a requirement for a regular course. (The student can,
however, submit an
entirely new paper to fulfill this requirement.) It should be of a
quality warranting
presentation at a professional society meeting.
Qualifying Examinations
After completion of course work, students take a written exam in
each of their two major fields.
An oral examination may also be required by the examination
committee but is not mandatory.
If there is an exam requirement in the minor department, then the
student must also complete
a third exam. Once the examinations are successfully completed,
the student is formally admitted to candidacy.
Dissertation
After filing for candidacy status, the doctoral candidate forms a
Research Committee
consisting of at least four faculty members, including one
representative of the
candidate's minor field. This committee may, but will not
necessarily, be identical
to the Progress Review Committee. Instead, the selection of
committee members should
reflect the dissertation topic and expertise of the faculty
chosen.
The candidate prepares a dissertation proposal which s/he then
presents and defends
in a meeting of the Research Committee. The committee will review
the research proposal and make changes as needed.
Once the dissertation research is completed, the candidate defends
the thesis in an
open oral examination meeting. The Research Committee is
ultimately responsible for
determining whether the dissertation is acceptable.
4. Placement
The Ph.D. Office, the director of the program, and individual
faculty work hard to ensure that graduates of the program
are placed in academic or research organizations. Although the
Public Affairs program has been operational only since 1993,
graduates have been very successful recently in obtaining such
positions. Recent placements include:
North Carolina State University, San Francisco State,
University of Colorado, University of Nebraska, UNC-Wilmington,
Iowa State University, U.S. Department of Labor,
National Taipei University, and Yonsei
University.
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