PhD in Public Policy & Public Administration
The PhD in Public Policy and Public Administration prepares students for research, administration and teaching positions in public policy.
The flexible curriculum allows students to customize coursework to their interests while developing sophisticated research skills. Students enter the PhD program with the intention of completing specialized research in one of the approved fields of study.
With about one-quarter of each cohort's students coming from countries outside of the United States, our interdisciplinary PhD program is diverse and progressive. Many PhD Students enroll in the program on a part-time basis while working at think tanks, research firms, international organizations, and the federal government.
Program Benefits
Material Customized to You
Whether you want to pursue a career in academia, advise leaders in local government or develop breakthrough research, TSPPPA will prepare you for what lies ahead. Alumni of the PhD program have pursued careers in teaching, research and analysis in government and the private sector.
Flexible Timeframe
Most TSPPPA doctoral students already have a graduate degree and significant experience in a policy-related environment. Many of our students are mid-career professionals. As such, the PhD is open to both full-time and part-time students. The program is rigorous, but many students appreciate the opportunity to study alongside other pursuits.
Subject Matter Mastery
Doctoral students at TSPPPA master the competencies needed to undertake sophisticated research in public policy and public administration. The interdisciplinary curriculum tackles subjects including politics, economics and quantitative and/or qualitative methods in policy research.
Fields of Study
Students enter the PhD program with the intention of completing specialized research in one of the approved fields of study:
- Public Budgeting & Finance
This field is designed for students who desire a greater depth and breadth of knowledge about those issues surrounding taxation, public expenditure, and the management of financial resources. The field generally draws on several intellectual traditions including economics, political science, accounting and public administration. As a student who successfully completes this field of study, you will be prepared to teach a wide variety of general courses in budgeting and public finance, and you will have a solid understanding of the research questions and methodologies that have defined this field.
Field Advisors
Curriculum
For specific curriculum information, please contact the field advisors.
Comprehensive Field Examination
Students in each field of study are required to complete a comprehensive exam. Please see the PhD handbook for exam and curriculum information.
- Education Policy
Education and training policies play an important role in the economic and social wellbeing of local communities, states and nations. From preschool to graduate school, improving the quality of education is a priority for policymakers worldwide. The education policy track draws on multidisciplinary tools from economics, education, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology to train researchers and practitioners to: identify education policy problems and opportunities, develop policy alternatives, analyze their costs and benefits, influence policy decisions, plan and guide the implementation of new policies, and evaluate the impacts of education programs and policies.
Field Advisors
Curriculum
For specific curriculum information, please contact the field advisors.
Comprehensive Field Examination
Students in each field of study are required to complete a comprehensive exam. Please see the PhD handbook for exam and curriculum information.
- Program Evaluation
The Program Evaluation field is designed for Ph.D. students who wish to develop both quantitative and qualitative research skills that may be applied to analyze and assess the performance of public and nonprofit programs. As a student in this field, you will be exposed to research methods from multiple disciplines that will prepare you for program evaluation and performance auditing professions.
Field Advisors
Curriculum
For specific curriculum information, please contact the field advisors.
- Public & Nonprofit Management
This field is for Ph.D. students with a generalist’s orientation towards conducting research on complex problems in public policy and administration. Students specializing in this field may carry out research on a variety of themes such as public and nonprofit management, and issues that lie at the intersection of traditional fields such as social policy, program evaluation, public budgeting and finance, education policy, health policy, and public administration.
The purpose of completing the field coursework is two-fold:
- To develop an overarching and integrated perspective on public and nonprofit management.
- To develop theoretical knowledge and methodological competencies that will be useful in conducting scholarly research in public and nonprofit management.
Students who have not already completed a Master of Public Administration/Policy (MPA/MPP) degree, either at the George Washington University or at another university, will be expected to complete selected MPA/MPP core courses before taking more advanced coursework in this field.
In the PNM field, the field advisors will work with you on an individual basis in identifying the appropriate coursework. Although most of your coursework will consist of public policy and administration courses, you may also include courses from other GW departments as well as courses at other universities participating in the Consortium of Washington Area Universities upon consultation with your advisor.
Although students may consult with any field advisor, we encourage PNM students to consult with the field advisor whose interests are closest to their dissertation research interests
Field Advisors
Curriculum
For specific curriculum information, please contact the field advisors.
Comprehensive Field Examination
Students in each field of study are required to complete a comprehensive exam. Please see the PhD handbook for exam and curriculum information.
- Science & Technology Policy
Field Advisors
The Science and Technology Policy field focuses on the interactions among scientific development, technological change, and governmental and private-sector activities at the domestic and international levels. This field of study trains students to understand and manage issues at the intersection of science, technology, industrial strategy and structure, and government policy. The field emphasizes a comparative approach to science and technology policy, founded on the twin poles of in-depth understanding of domestic policies and continuous coverage of policy developments around the world. Faculty from the Elliott School's Institute for International Science and Technology Policy and Space Policy Institute manage and advise this field of study. As a student, you will have frequent opportunities for involvement in the activities of these institutes and for collaboration with Elliott School students who are pursuing International Science and Technology Policy MA and certificate programs. For more information, please visit the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy's Academics page.
Curriculum
For specific curriculum information, please contact the field advisors.
Comprehensive Field Examination
Students in each field of study are required to complete a comprehensive exam. Please see the PhD handbook for exam and curriculum information.
- Social Policy with Specialization in Gender, Poverty and Inequality, Race and Ethnicity, or Urban Policy
The Social Policy field of study offers students the opportunity to study how the actions and decisions of government within the contexts of gender, ethnicity, or urban settings influence the wellbeing of individuals and of society, with a particular focus on poverty and income inequality. Most public policy discussions-local, national, or international-include explicit or implicit assumptions about gender, race and location. Scholarship across various disciplines has demonstrated the importance of studying the interconnections among gender, race, class, and other forms of social inequality. Conflicts associated with these topics affect all institutions and social interactions of every type, and frequently dominate a range of policy debates.
Drawing on interdisciplinary theories and methodologies, as a student in this field, you will gain a broad understanding of: historical trends in poverty and inequality, scholarship illuminating the causes of consequences of poverty and inequality, the current landscape of social welfare programs (defined broadly), and the politics of poverty and inequality in America. In addition, students choose an area of specialization from the following: (a) gender and social policy, (b) race, ethnicity, and public policy, or (c) urban policy. This specialization provides a theoretical lens for examining social policy.
Curriculum
For specific curriculum information, please contact the field advisors.
Gender and Social Policy Specialization
Field Advisors
Curriculum
For specific curriculum information, please contact the field advisors.
Comprehensive Field Exam
Students in each field of study are required to complete a comprehensive exam. Please see the PhD handbook for exam and curriculum information.
Race, Ethnicity and Public Policy Specialization
Field Advisors
Curriculum
For specific curriculum information, please contact the field advisors.
Comprehensive Field Exam
Students in each field of study are required to complete a comprehensive exam. Please see the PhD handbook for exam and curriculum information.
Poverty and Inequality Specialization
Field Advisors
Curriculum
For specific curriculum information, please contact the field advisors.
Comprehensive Field Exam
Students in each field of study are required to complete a comprehensive exam. Please see the PhD handbook for exam and curriculum information.
Urban Policy Specialization
Field Advisors
Curriculum
For specific curriculum information, please contact the field advisors.
Comprehensive Exam
Students in each field of study are required to complete a comprehensive exam. Please see the PhD handbook for exam and curriculum information.
Comprehensive Exams
Students in each field of study are required to complete a comprehensive exam. Please see the PhD handbook for exam and curriculum information.
PhD Course Requirements
The following requirements must be fulfilled:
The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate Programs.
The requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Program.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| Core Courses | ||
| PPPA 6014 | Microeconomics for Public Policy II * | |
| PPPA 8100 | Seminar: Literature of Public Administration * | |
| PPPA 8101 | Research Methods * | |
| PPPA 8105 | Public Finance and Human Capital | |
| PPPA 8174 | Seminar: Public Management | |
| PPPA 8190 | Philosophical Foundations of Policy and Administrative Research | |
| PPPA 8191 | Dissertation Workshop | |
| PSC 8229 | Politics and Public Policy * | |
| One of the following to fulfill the intermediate quantitative course requirement: | ||
| DNSC 6274 | Statistical Modeling and Analysis | |
| ECON 8375 | Econometrics I | |
| ECON 8379 | Laboratory in Applied Econometrics | |
| PPPA 6013 | Regression Methods for Policy Research * | |
| PSC 8102 | Empirical Political Analysis | |
| One of the following to fulfill the advanced quantitative course requirement: | ||
| DNSC 6275 | Advanced Statistical Modeling and Analysis | |
| ECON 8376 | Econometrics II | |
| ECON 8377 | Econometrics III | |
| PPPA 8022 | Econometrics for Policy Research | |
| One of the following to fulfill the qualitative course requirement: | ||
| EDUC 8122 | Qualitative Research Methods | |
| EDUC 8131 | Case Study Research Methods | |
| HIST 6030 | History and Its Uses in International Affairs | |
| PPPA 8023 | Mixed Methods in Research Design | |
| PSC 8104 | Qualitative Research Methods | |
| PUBH 8417 | Qualitative Research Methods and Analysis | |
| SOC 6232 | Qualitative Methods | |
| Additional requirements | ||
| A written qualifying examination covering designated core courses. * | ||
| A minimum of 12 credits and satisfactory completion of a field examination in one of the following fields: Education policy; budgeting and public finance; program evaluation; science and technology policy; public and nonprofit management; and social policy. ** | ||
| Dissertation research | ||
| PPPA 8999 | Dissertation Research (taken for 6 to 12 credits) | |
*Course is covered by the core comprehensive examination.
**The social policy field has four subfields, each with specific requirements: gender and social policy, poverty and inequality, ethnicity and public policy, and urban policy.