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Department of Public Policy and Administration PLOs

Public Administration MPA

  1. To lead and manage in public governance
  2. To participate in and contribute to the public policy process
  3. To analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make decisions
  4. To articulate and apply a public service perspective
  5. To communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry

Public Policy and Administration PhD

  1. Exhibit, in a variety of written and oral presentation forms, mastery of key theories and concepts in public policy, public administration, and a content or emphasis area related to their doctoral work. This mastery of theories and concepts is measured primarily by a written and oral comprehensive examination.
  2. Demonstrate the ability to apply key theories and concepts from public policy and/or administration disciplines to the analysis of real-world policy and administration environments, including how to ascertain the relevance and accuracy of information; underlying assumptions, interests, and values; and consideration of the consequences of policy decisions and implementation options. This ability is measured through papers written in seminars, and through the dissertation and dissertation proposal.
  3. Master approaches to collecting, analyzing, and/or interpreting diverse kinds of social science data, including synthesing information from the social scientific literature. This approach is developed through course work, both theoretical and methodological, and applied in the dissertation.
  4. Consider substantive knowledge of public administration and policy, identify the gaps in knowledge to frame hypotheses and/or research questions, and select and articulate appropriate methodologies to address the gaps using relevant data and analytical processes. This skill is mastered through assignments in coursework, both theoretical and methodological, comprehensive exams, and the dissertation.
  5. Develop an extended, culminating research project that analyzes a significant problem, policy, or question in the fields of public policy and/or public administration, which contributes to knowledge-building in these fields. This is evaluated in the students’ final dissertation.