Ph.D. Courses

26:834:601 Study of Public Organizations (3) This course covers such topics as public sector organization theory and behavior at the micro and macro levels, networking, and interorganizational relations.

26:834:602 Decision Making and Policy Analysis (3) Logic, form, use, and critical assessment of decision making and policy analysis in public administration. Development of a practical yet critical perspective on policy analysis and its role in public administrative decision making and behavior.

26:834:603 Governance and Politics (3) This course covers such topics as bureaucratic politics, democratic theory, and public sector governance.

26:834:604 Performance Improvement in Public Administration (3) Assessment and improvement of organizational performance. Topics include the specification of goals and objectives; the identification of outputs and outcomes; and impact analysis, including unintended consequences of public programs. Emphasis is placed on management improvement strategies.

26:834:605 Government Budgeting and Resources Acquisition (3) This course addresses the macro and micro aspects of budgeting and finance from both the normative and descriptive views in the fields of public management, political science, and economics.

26:834:606 Administrative Law (3) Administrative aspects of law making and interpretation, with particular attention to the relevant functions of public agencies. Emphasizes contemporary issues of the workplace, of products, and of environmental standards. Examines due-process rights within many contexts, rights, and responsibilities toward anyone in a public or quasipublic role, and personal responsibilities as professionals.

26:834:607 Quantitative Methods I (3) Addresses basic issues in research design and then reviews basic statistics concepts as a stepping-stone for linear regression analysis. The major part of the course will be devoted to multiple regression analysis. Theoretical derivation of multiple regression results, inference and interpretation of explanatory variables, model diagnostics, and other related issues will be covered. As more advanced models, two-stage least square model (2SLS) and limited dependent model (Logit and Probit) will be introduced.

26:834:608 Quantitative Methods II (3) Surveys various types of statistical techniques necessary for public administration type research. The statistical techniques that will be covered in the course include limited dependent variable models, panel data analysis, factor and path analysis, and structural equation models. Students are welcome to bring any topic they are interested in and/or is necessary for their dissertation. The primary and major goal of this course is to provide an opportunity for students to evaluate published articles in terms of quantitative methods and thereby encourage them to make their own quantitative research proposal. Prerequisite: 26:834:607.

26:834:609 Qualitative Methods I (3) The purpose of this course is to introduce doctoral students to the philosophy and methods of qualitative research.  Through an examination of the evolution of qualitative methods, the various forms of qualitative research, and the ways to conduct qualitative inquiry, students will receive a foundation in qualitative research.  Also a focus of the seminar will be mixed-methods research, survey development (open and close-ended questions), and research design.  Students will develop qualitative research protocols, which will be implemented during the Qualitative Methods II course.

26:834:610 Research Design (3) Covers the fundamentals of research in the social sciences: philosophy of science; theory construction; alternative research designs and methods for gathering data, writing, scholarly criticism, and the publishing process.  Students will gain an understanding of the types of research methods which fit research questions.

26:834:611 Administrative Politics (3) Bureaucratic power as a function of expertise, information, and coalition building. The importance of administrative discretion, political sensitivity, and skill. Political relationships among individuals, work groups, agencies, and other entities. American political institutions and processes.

26:834:612 Performance Measurement and Program Evaluation (3) The assessment of organizational performance, with particular attention to concepts of efficiency, effectiveness, outputs, and outcomes. Evaluation design, data-collection procedures, and data analyses.

26:834:613 Citizen Participation and Productive Management (3) Analyzes various approaches to the relationship between citizen participation and productive public management. Explores factors influencing citizen involvement. Examines potential benefits and dysfunctions of an active citizenry. An important focus is on the role of public administrators in creating structures and networks to encourage citizens to work with officials in policy development and implementation.

26:834:617 Intellectual History of Public Administration (3) This course examines the field of public administration through historical lenses, focusing on the periods of development from "the Orthodoxy" to New Public Management and beyond. 

26:834:618 Leadership, Equity, and Diversity (3) This course addresses governance from a human resources perspective, focusing on such topics as leadership and diversity in the public sector.

26:834:619 Qualitative Methods II (3) The purpose of this course is to give doctoral students a more in-depth understanding of the various ways to gather qualitative data. This course will differ from Qualitative Methods I in that it will be a seminar where students will read intensively about, and examine examples of, individual data-gathering techniques. These focused readings will be coupled with a lab experience in which students must implement their protocols developed in Qualitative Methods I.  Analyzing qualitative data and ethical considerations will also be discussed. Prerequisite: 26:834:609.

26:834:665 Selected Topics in Public Administration (3) Examination of selected issues and problems in public sector administration and management. Students should check with the department to determine the precise curriculum to be offered in a given semester.

26:834:690 Internship in Public Administration (3) Participation in activities of an agency or institution under supervision of a faculty member and supervisor in the agency. Requires reports and analyses of activities.

26:834:698 Independent Study in Public Administration (3) Independent research on a topic related to public administration under the guidance of an adviser.

26:834:701 Dissertation Research in Public Administration (3) The Dissertation Proposal Committee normally consists of three to five members, one of whom should be a member of a graduate faculty outside the School of Public Affairs and Administration. Prior to the defense of the proposal, the composition of the dissertation committee must be approved by the Ph.D. director.

26:834:800 Matriculation Continued (1)

26:834:811 Graduate Fellowship (BA)

26:834:877 Teaching Assistantship (BA)