Public Administration

Degrees Offered:
 Program Title 

 Ph.D. 

 Ed.D. 

 M.S. 

 M.A. 

Master 
of 

 M.Ed. 

 MFA 
Public Administration 

 Y 

   

   

   

 Y 

   

   

GRADUATE FACULTY

Director of Graduate Programs:
R. M. Berry-James, Box 8102, 9195155027, rmberryj@ncsu.edu, Political Science

William T. Kretzer Distinguished Professor:  T. A. Birkland

Professors: C. K. Coe, J. D. Coggburn, D. M. Daley, G. D. Garson, R. C. Kearney, M. Tschirhart; Associate Professors: R. M. Berry-James, J. R. Brunet, R. M. Clerkin, B. L. Nowell, J. E. Swiss, M. L. Vasu; Emeritus Associate Professors: E. O'Sullivan; Assistant Professors: H. Bae; Extension Assistant Professors: S. K. Straus; Teaching Assistant Professors: J. M. Simons-Rudolph

Fields of Graduate Instruction - Public Administration

Administrative specialties include: non-profit management, and urban/local government management. Specialized courses are offered in environmental policy, financial management, and human resource management. The only doctoral program in public administration in N.C., the Ph.D. prepares students for teaching and research positions in public management and related fields. The program offers graduate certificates in non-profit management and public policy, both of which may be included as part of the M.P.A., another graduate degree program, or taken independently.

Admission Requirements: Applicants to the M.P.A. should submit all materials by May 15 (for fall admission) and by November 1 (for spring admission). Ph.D. students are admitted only for the Fall semester; the Ph.D. application deadline is March 15. Applicants to either program are encouraged to submit all materials as soon as possible to assure consideration for fellowships and assistantships. Completed applications received by February 1 will receive consideration for all available university and department scholarships and assistantships. Admission to the doctoral program normally requires the completion of the M.P.A. or other relevant graduate degree.

Master's Degree Requirements: The M.P.A. degree is a 40-semester-hour program consisting of: (1) a core curriculum of 18 credit hours; (2) a choice of administrative specialties, or an individualized program, drawing on courses in public administration and other departments; and (3) an internship requirement for pre-service students. It is an option B Master's degree with a one-person committee and no final oral examination. Students who do not have at least two political science courses, including at least one American government course, a micro-economics course, and an intermediate-level statistics course must successfully complete equivalent coursework prior to graduation.

Doctoral Degree Requirements: The Ph.D. prerequisites are a graduate course in intermediate statistics, a course in methodology (covering research design, internal and external validity, sampling, and measurement), and at least one course in American government. Students are required to complete M.P.A. core courses in (a) budgeting or management systems, and (b) policy analysis or micro-economics unless they have equivalent courses from other institutions. Fifty-four hours beyond the Master's degree including research seminars (including PA 761, PA 762, PA 763, PA 803, and Ethics), four courses in methodology/statistics (including PA 715, PA 765, PA 766, and an elective), and dissertation research are required.

Student Financial Support: A limited number of fellowships and graduate assistantships are offered by the department. Contact the department for more information. Other forms of student aid are described in the financial aid section of the Graduate Catalog. 

Click on Graduate Courses for current course information.

NCSU Graduate Catalog