Ph.D. in Public Affairs

Applicants should generally have a Master’s degree prior to their enrollment, though outstanding applicants with only a baccalaureate degree may also be considered. Admission is not restricted to students with prior course work in Public Administration. The program encourages applicants with diverse academic backgrounds, with preference given to those with grounding in the policy or administrative sciences. Applicants should ideally demonstrate knowledge of American political institutions and fundamentals of social research methods.

If you are interested in applying to the Ph.D. program please visit FIU's Graduate Admissions website to complete the online application.

For international students interested in applying to the Ph.D. program, please visit FIU's International Graduate Admissions website for additional information and resources related to the application process and document requirements.

The application materials required are as follows:

• FIU Application for Doctoral Programs (completed online).

• Official transcripts and evaluations or translations of transcripts by a NACES member credential evaluation service for international applicants (where appropriate). Applicants must demonstrate excellence in prior academic work by an earned GPA of 3.25 or better in either the undergraduate or the graduate degree from regionally accredited institutions.
  

• A personal statement describing the applicant’s background, career goals, and reasons for pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Affairs; the statement should also indicate how the applicant’s research and career interests fit with those of current faculty. Please indicate in your statement whether you intend to enroll as a full-time or part-time student.

• A current resume.

• Three references using the Graduate Admission's recommendation form included in the graduate application; two references should preferably be from academics.At least one writing sample.

•  At least one writing sample.

• The GRE is NOT required.

International applicants whose native language is not English are required to demonstrate English language proficiency through one of the following:

• 80 on the iBT TOEFL (equivalent to 550 on the paper-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language);
• 6.5 overall on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS);
• 53 Pearson Test of English - Academic;
• Cambridge English - Advanced;
• 110 Duolingo English Test – Combined;
• English Language Institute certification of satisfactory completion of all content areas with at least level six (6) proficiency;
• Applicants who hold an undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited institution where the language of instruction is English.

Students are generally admitted only for the Fall term. Although the FIU online application system allows for other semesters, the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs does not encourage such admission. Spring or Summer admissions will only be considered under special circumstances. All applicants will be required to complete an interview with the Public Affairs Ph.D. Committee during the admissions process. Virtual Interviews will be arranged for applicants where appropriate. 

To fulfill the Ph.D. degree in Public Affairs, admitted students must complete at least 63 credit hours beyond the Master’s degree or its equivalent (75 total credits). Admitted students may transfer a maximum of 12 semester credits from other institutions towards Ph.D. degree requirements, subject to the approval of the Ph.D. Program Committee. The credit hours include 48 hours of approved course work (including comprehensive examination) and 15 hours of dissertation work after admission to candidacy. In addition, there is a residency requirement of at least 18 semester hours in three consecutive semesters of study during the first year of enrollment, and a minimum of six hours in all subsequent semesters. Successful completion of course work and passing scores on the comprehensive examination are required in order for students to advance to Ph.D. candidacy and present a dissertation proposal. Students are advised to consult the doctoral program handbook for any additional information regarding benchmarks for student progress in grade point average, course completion, comprehensive examinations, and dissertation work.

Upon starting the program, students are assigned a faculty advisor who is a full-time faculty member, possibly relevant to the student’s area of research interest. When completing all coursework, students must demonstrate competence in the following areas: American political economy, advanced statistical and qualitative research methods, international development administration, organizational theory and design, and local economic development and urban management. The Program Director may assign specific coursework to students with deficiencies in any of the above-mentioned areas.

Principal Core Curriculum (21 credits)

• PAD 7277 Public Administration and the American Political Economy
• PAD 7155 Organizational Development and Change in Public and Nonprofit Organizations
• PAD 7703C Empirical Methods in Public Administration
• PAD 7705 Applied Quantitative Analysis I
• PAD 7707 Applied Quantitative Analysis II
• PAD 7055 Scope and Theory of Public Administration
• URS 7156 Research Practicum

Flexible Core Courses (6 credits)

• PAD 7808 Economic Development and Urban Management
• PAD 7865 Development Administration
• PAF 7002 Foundations of Policy Analysis
• URS 7644 Managing Public Financial Resources
• URS 7380 Contemporary Management Issues and Problems

Specialization Courses (15 credits)

Students are required to take five courses in an area of specialization to be designed with the advisor. Six of these courses must be at the 5000, 6000, or 7000 level and may be taken within the University. These specialization electives may also be especially designed courses developed in conjunction with the student’s faculty advisor and with approval of the Ph.D. Director. Specialization areas may include subfields within the realm of public affairs (e.g., public budgeting and financing, human resource management; local government policies, urban management, international and comparative public administration, etc.) or may involve cognate disciplines (such as health services administration, criminal justice administration, environmental management, etc.). At least three hours must be URS 7926 (Supervised Readings). In developing a specialization and program of studies, a student may consult with the faculty advisor, appropriate faculty members in public administration, as well as others related to the student’s area of interest. If the student’s principal area of interest is in a cognate discipline outside of the Department of Public Administration, the student and Ph.D. Director should consult with appropriate faculty in designing the program of studies. With the help of the Ph.D. Director, the student is required to identify an appropriate Ph.D. Dissertation Committee Chair and Co-Chair (if required), both of whom may or may not be the same as the faculty advisor. The Chair or Co-Chair should have substantive expertise in the student’s area of research interest. The Chair must be a faculty member with Dissertation Advisor Status.

Comprehensive Examination (6 credits)

Subsequent to completion of course work, students are required to pass a three-part comprehensive examination. The first component is a one-day long written examination testing for knowledge of the Ph.D. core and related materials. The second component is a research proposal that will form the basis of the student’s dissertation work. Students’ are required to consult with their dissertation chair (and committee) about their proposal. A faculty committee reviews both the written examination and the research proposal. The third component is the face-to-face oral examination with the faculty committee. In the oral exam, the committee would seek clarifications and further explanations about the answers. The student will then get a passing or failing grade in the overall comprehensive examination from the committee.

If the student passes, s/he can move forward with the dissertation. S/he should then submit the University Graduate School’s D-2 form (Program for Doctoral Degree and Application for Candidacy).  A student who fails the examination on the first attempt must retake the examination at its next offering. If a student fails the examination twice, s/he will be automatically dismissed from the program in accordance with general FIU policy.

Dissertation (15 credits)

Upon successful completion of the comprehensive examination, a student should select their Ph.D. Dissertation Committee with the help of their Ph.D. Dissertation Committee Chair. The student should then finalize their dissertation proposal in consultation with the Committee. Students are expected to defend their dissertation prospectus before the end of the first semester subsequent to passing the Comprehensive Examination. Upon the public defense and approval of the proposal, the student will initiate formal work on the dissertation. Students should contact FIU’s Institutional Review Board to ensure that their research meets the protocol for human subjects research before initiating their fieldwork. Then, the student is expected to make appropriate progress toward completing the dissertation, and to enroll continually (at least three credits per semester) until the degree is completed. Upon completion of the dissertation, the student should formally defend the research at a meeting conducted by the Ph.D. Dissertation Committee. The Ph.D. in Public Affairs degree will be awarded upon a positive recommendation of the Committee and compliance with all policies and procedures required by the University.

Award of Master’s Degree en route to Ph.D. Candidates: Under certain circumstances, students directly admitted into the Ph.D. program following completion of their bachelor’s degree, may be awarded a master’s degree in public administration. To be eligible, a student must satisfy the core requirements in the MPA program. Upon certification by the student’s faculty advisor that this requirement has been met, the MPA Director will approve the award of the master’s degree. Generally, the en route Master’s degree is given after passing the comprehensive examinations.

Further resources on estimating costs of attendance:

• FIU Office of the Controller: This website gives a detailed overview of current fee structure.

• FIU One Stop Enrollment Services: This website gives a detailed worksheet of cost of attendance at FIU.
• FIU’s Declaration and Certification of Finances form: This form gives the annual estimate of graduate costs, including maintenance, books and supplies, and medical insurance (the form is used for international students to demonstrate financial capacity to carry out their studies at FIU). You can find additional information by visiting International Graduate Admissions' webpage here.
• For information regarding funding and scholarships visit the University Graduate School's Graduate Funding Website or FIU's Office of Scholarships