Note: Application deadline is April 30.
The revised PhD in Public Administration has recently been approved to be offered at the WMU-Battle Creek Campus. The application deadline for program start in fall 2008 is April 30, 2008.
Please contact Dr. Matthew Mingus at (269) 387-8938 for further information.
Program Description
The mission of the Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration program is to give students a deep and pervasive knowledge of the history, theory, practice, and future of the field. The curriculum encourages broad intellectual inquiry with a scholarly perspective and seeks to prepare students for careers in teaching, academia, administration, and consulting. The doctoral program is designed both for those who have experience in a supervisory or administrative position with a federal, state, or local government or nonprofit agency and for those wishing to teach public administration in a college or university setting. The program is structured to provide decision makers and future professors with a more sophisticated understanding of the governing process.
The curriculum incorporates a diversity of viewpoints, gathered from readings in the great books of the discipline, examination of the contributions of its seminal thinkers, an analysis of the institutions and processes of governance, exploration of emerging theories and trends, and an investigation of the challenges of leadership and public management in a democracy. Public administration is multidisciplinary and so during the coursework phase each student will also develop substantive and methodological knowledge of one of the many related disciplines, such as sociology, economics, educational leadership, health care administration, or political science.
Students should graduate with the ability to perform independent research on theoretical public administration concerns and substantive issues, to analyze a wider range of alternative policies, and to weigh competing choices in the decision-making process.
Program Benefits
The Ph.D. in Public Administration is intended to:
- advance the careers of those who already have full time work experience in the public, non-profit, and health care sectors
- prepare individuals for academic and research-based careers including positions in university faculty, think tanks, and/or major consulting firms
The program offers a convenient approach to advanced education because course work is conducted in the evenings at WMU's Battle Creek Campus.
Public Administration program alumni have served:
- in senior executive positions with the State of Michigan
- as city managers, county administrators and sheriffs
- as senior hospital and non-profit administrators
- in faculty positions at top academic institutions
- in research, consulting, and advocacy organizations
- in the Michigan legislature
Admission and Program Requirements
Admission Requirements and Procedures open close
Applicants should obtain a doctoral student information packet from the School of Public Affairs and Administration for complete details concerning admissions. The following criteria will be used to fill available spaces in the program with the best possible candidates. In order to be competitive, applicants must:
- Have an undergraduate degree with at least a 3.00 grade point average.
- Have a master's degree in public administration or a related academic discipline with at least a 3.25 grade point average in all graduate coursework.
- Have at least four years of experience in a supervisory or administrative position, preferably in public-serving organizations.
- Provide three letters of recommendation using the WMU graduate reference form, at least one of which should be from a person acquainted with the applicant's professional work and at least one of which should be from a person acquainted with the applicant’s graduate-level academic work.
- Submit the completed Departmental Application Form, including responses to the required essay questions.
- Submit a complete and up-to-date professional resume.
- Provide Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing components of the examination.
All application materials should be submitted by April 30th to ensure consideration for the fall 2008 semester. Late applications may be considered on a space-available basis while earlier applications may be required for a student to meet university financial aid deadlines.
Students should meet with the Doctoral Director after being accepted into the program and before the end of their first term of coursework to develop an initial Program of Study. Forty-eight semester hours of credit are required beyond the master’s degree, including:
- the statistics requirement (3)
- the five courses in the public administration core (15)
- the methods requirement (9)
- the elective requirement (6)
- the dissertation seminar (3)
- the minimum hours of dissertation credit (12)
This may be reduced to 45 semester hours if the statistics requirement is deemed to have been met at the time of admission to the program. Successful performance on the comprehensive examination and article requirement is required of all students in order to continue in the program. Finally, successful annual reviews are required of students at all stages in the program.
