Certificate in Nonprofit Management
Students
seeking the Certificate of Nonprofit Management normally complete four
core courses: 26:834:577 Nonprofit Human Resources, 26:834:576 Resource
Development for Nonprofit Organizations, 26:834:570 Theory and Practice
of Nonprofit Management, and 26:834:571 Nonprofit Budgeting. These
courses are offered in the summer.
Three of those courses
(Human Resource Administration, Resource Development for Nonprofit
Organizations, and Nonprofit Budgeting) count toward the core
requirements and Theory and Practice of Nonprofit Management counts as
an elective for students who decide to matriculate into the M.P.A.
program. Certificate students must receive a grade of B or better in
each of the certificate courses, and all certificate courses must
be taken at Rutgers-Newark.
Certificate of Advanced Professional Training in Public Administration
Students who complete successfully a 12-credit sequence of designated
courses are awarded a certificate of advanced professional training.
The certificate program is particularly useful for professionals
holding a master`s degree in areas such as nursing, education, or
social work. Students seeking the Certificate of Advanced Professional
Training in Public Administration normally complete four core courses:
26:834:501 Introduction to Public Administration, 26:834:522 Public
Organizations, 26: 834:541 Political Economy and Public Administration,
and 26:834:542 Government Budgeting Systems.
Certificate
students must receive a grade of B or better in each of the
certificate courses, and all certificate courses must be taken at
Rutgers-Newark.
Doctor of Philosophy
The
doctor of philosophy program in public administration trains
prospective faculty, researchers, and public sector leaders. Before
enrolling, applicants must have received an M.P.A. degree or other
relevant master`s degrees. In addition to public administration, the
Ph.D. program considers applicants holding advanced degrees from a
variety of degree areas, including political science, social work,
education, law, or public health.
Areas of possible
concentration include productive public management and e-governance,
budgeting and public finance, public policy analysis, and urban
systems. Specialized courses also are available in such areas as
organization theory and behavior, leadership, quantitative methods,
human resource management, and educational leadership and
administration.
Most core curriculum classes typically meet on
Monday through Thursday afternoons. Electives and courses offered
through the other departments usually meet in the early evenings.
Students may also take elective offerings as courses of independent
study or at other Rutgers campuses.
Consideration of
applications begins in early February and continues after that on an
open basis. Applicants, particularly those in need of financial aid,
are encouraged to apply as early as possible. It is particularly
important for applicants without recent entrance exams (such as the GRE
or GMAT) to have prepared for and taken the GRE before submitting an
application.
Approximately 10 students are accepted each year,
and all are required to complete at least 6 credits of course work per
term before they sit for the examinations.
The academic
requirements for the doctorate include at least 48 credits of course
work beyond the master`s degree, successful completion of a series of
comprehensive examinations, and the completion of an acceptable
doctoral dissertation.
A limited number of graduate
fellowships, providing for tuition and a stipend, are awarded on a
competitive basis through the Graduate School-Newark.
Residency Requirements
All students must enroll for at least 6 credits of course work for each
term prior to taking comprehensive exams. Full-time students, including
those on financial aid, must enroll for 9 credits per term.
Financial aid is awarded on a competitive basis, and expectations are
that students will normally be supported for up to four years.
However, renewal of financial aid is subject to availability,
satisfactory academic progress, and the satisfactory and timely
completion of assignments as teaching assistants or graduate
assistants. Students who do not receive financial aid commitments at
the beginning of their first term, but who later receive support, may
be considered for continued financial assistance only after those
students to whom initial four-year commitments were made; remaining or
additional financial aid will then be allocated according to the
criteria above.
Possible Schedule of Progress for Full-Time Students
year 1 +
summer
21-24 course credits
year 2 +
summer
21-24 course credits
year 2 +
mid-end
comprehensive exams
year 3
fall
dissertation proposal
year 3-year
4
dissertation
Students may take longer to complete the degree
depending upon the number of credits taken each term, progress on the
exams, development and approval of the dissertation proposal, and
completion of the dissertation.
Comprehensive Examination Procedure. Doctoral
students become formal candidates for the degree only after successful
completion of the comprehensive examination and defense of the
dissertation prospectus. The application for admission to candidacy for
the degree is to be obtained by the student from the Graduate School-
Newark office (Hill Hall, 4th floor) and submitted to the director of
the Ph.D. program at the time of completion of exams and the
prospectus. This form should then be returned, properly signed, to the
graduate school office. The purpose of the comprehensive examination is
to test basic working familiarity with concepts in the field of public
administration.
The comprehensive examinations in public
administration will consist of the following parts, each of which may
be taken only upon completion of all required course work, including
resolution of incomplete grades in the relevant area of examination.
The program recommends that students who complete all of their course
work on a full-time basis sit for part(s) of the examination at the
conclusion of the spring term of their second year, and complete all
parts of the examination as early as possible in the fall term of their
third year; all students (including those who have enrolled on a
part-time basis for some terms) should plan to complete the examination
process by the end of their third year. Students normally complete the
examination process using computers (although examinations may be
handwritten and then transcribed).
1. Theoretical Foundations. A
one-day, in-class, closed-book written examination, consisting of two
three-hour answers. Each option will be based upon one of the courses
in this sequence. Students will choose to answer two questions from
three options.
2. Performance Applications. A
one-day, in-class, closed-book written examination, consisting of two
three-hour answers. Each option will be based upon one of the courses
in this sequence. Students will choose to answer two questions from
three options.
3. Specialization Area. Development
of a research design on a particular subtopic in this field. The
student will have one week to complete this part of the examination.
This examination may be taken at any time subsequent to the completion
of Parts I and II.
Within Parts I and II, examinations will be
graded on an anonymous basis (i.e., a student will be identified by a
code number, not by name) by the faculty member who had taught each
core course and had written the corresponding question, and by a second
faculty member assigned by the director of the Ph.D. program. If one
faculty member evaluates the exam as a pass and the other as a failure,
a third faculty member will be assigned to grade that exam, and the
majority opinion shall prevail. If both faculty members evaluate the
exam as a failure, the student must repeat the exam for that question
at the next regularly scheduled date. In preparation for the
examination, sample questions will be available.
Parts I and
II of the examination will be offered one week apart, with the Part III
question available immediately after the conclusion of Part II.
However, students may take each part of the exam at the end of
different terms. For example, a student may choose to sit for the
examination in theoretical foundations at the end of the spring term
(June), and the exam in performance applications at the end of the
summer term (September). Upon notice of at least seven days, students
may take one or more of the examinations during three examination
periods: June, September, and January. As a student applies to take the
examination, the director of the Ph.D. program may appoint a committee
of two faculty members to assist the student in preparation for the
examination. Thus, students should provide notice of intent to take the
examination as early as possible.
Each question will be graded
as High Pass, Pass, or Fail. A passing grade on the comprehensive
examination requires a passing grade in all sections: High Pass or
Pass. Students shall be informed of the outcome of each part of the
examination within four weeks of completing that part. Each student who
takes the examination is counseled by the director of the Ph.D. program
once the grading process is complete for each section. A student may
retake a section subsequent to a failure, but will be required to take
additional course work after a second failure on a section and prior to
a third examination in that section. If a student fails a section three
times, the student will automatically be asked to leave the program,
but may appeal that decision to the program`s Executive Committee.
Dissertation. Once
a student has completed all course work, he or she must maintain
student status by registering in either dissertation research (when
applicable) or matriculation continued. Either registration will keep
students on the active roles when they have not registered for course
work.
Each candidate for the doctorate shall produce, under
faculty direction, a dissertation that is an original investigation of
a problem or a collection of problems leading to a significant
contribution in the field of concentration. Students must register for
a total of 24 dissertation credits prior to graduation. The decision on
how many credits a student registers for each term is subject to
discussion with the program director.
Every student must
submit a formal proposal representing the projected content of his or
her dissertation. The dissertation proposal committee shall act as an
advising group for the candidate. After he or she completes
successfully the comprehensive examinations, each student then selects
an adviser, who becomes chairperson of that student`s dissertation
committee. The student is required to work with the faculty adviser on
developing the proposal and should look to that adviser as a primary
source of guidance and supervision. As the work progresses, the student
is encouraged to consult with other potential members of the
Dissertation Proposal Committee.
The Dissertation Proposal
Committee normally consists of four or five members, one of whom should
be a member of a graduate faculty at an institution other than Rutgers.
Prior to the defense of the proposal, the composition of the
dissertation committee must be approved by the Ph.D. director in
consultation with the Executive Committee.
Once the student
has worked out a draft proposal, he or she meets with the faculty
adviser and other members of the Dissertation Proposal Committee to
discuss the draft. As the research progresses, the student must keep
the Dissertation Proposal Committee informed on how the research is
progressing and allow the committee members to assist in its
development. The committee agrees to give ample and early warning of
any reservations it might have about the student`s progress. The panel
must specify in writing any changes it will require for dissertation
acceptance.
Dissertation Defense. An oral defense
of the dissertation is required after submission of the final document
to the dissertation committee for approval. The date for the defense is
set by the dissertation adviser in conjunction with the Ph.D. director.
The dissertation must be on file in the department office for at least
three weeks prior to the formal defense. The student must get
signatures of all members of the dissertation committee for final
approval of the dissertation to be granted.
Doctoral Core Curriculum in Public Administration
Theoretical Foundations (12 credits)
26:834:601 The Study of Public Organizations (3)
26:834:602 Decision Making and Policy Analysis (3)
26:834:603 Public Administration in a Democratic Society (3)
26:834:611 Administrative Politics (3)
Performance Applications (12 credits)
26:834:604 Performance Improvement in Public Administration (3)
26:834:605 Government Budgeting and Resource Acquisition (3)
26:834:606 Administrative Law (3)
26:834:612 Performance Measurement and Program Evaluation (3)
Prerequisite for Methods Sequence
Analytic Methods. All students should have taken an introductory
statistics course before entering the program. In addition, each
student must pass a placement examination at orientation or present
evidence of strong preparation (i.e., multiple courses) in quantitative
methods. As a result of his or her exam scores, a student may be
required to take analytic methods at the M.P.A level in the first term.
If so, this course will not count toward the doctoral methods
requirement.
Acceptable preparation would include (1) measures
of central tendency, (2) frequency distributions, (3) measures of
dispersion (e.g., the standard deviation), (4) elementary probability
theory, (5) normal and binomial distributions, (6) elementary sample
theory, (7) confidence intervals, (8) tests of hypotheses and
significance, (9) chi-square test, (10) correlation analysis, (11)
simple regression, and (12) use of statistical computer programs.
Research Methodology (12 credits)
26:834:561 Analytical Methods (0) (Required for students without
adequate preparation in statistical skills; may be waived for students
with significant quantitative background.)
26:834:607 Quantitative Methods I (3)
26:834:609 Qualitative Methods in Public Administration (3)
26:834:610 Logic of Inquiry in Public Administration (3)
26:834:611 Administrative Politics (3) Students must take another
3 credits in either qualitative or quantitative research methods, such
as the courses below, to fulfill this requirement:
26:834:608 Quantitative Methods II (3) The Department of Economics
also offers a course that may fulfill this requirement:
26:220:507 Econometrics I (3) With the approval of an adviser, a
qualitative or quantitative research methods course also may be elected
from other departments throughout the university.
Area of Specialization (12 credits; may include additional methodology courses)
1. Productive Public Management and E-Governance
2. Budgeting and Public Finance
3. Public Policy Analysis
4. Urban Systems
5. Other areas if approved by the program director
Dissertation Research (24 credits)
