A job in public administration is a direct way to impact your community, be it on a large or a small scale. These jobs typically entail some kind of policy consulting or policy making, and to be well-versed in these skills, a student may pursue a doctorate in public administration. For students in Georgia, there are several options for doctoral programs in this field.
University of Georgia
Located in Athens, the University of Georgia offers a doctorate in public administration and policy. The program also focuses on general governance. This school has identified a gap in the role of academics in public administration and uses this program to fill that gap. Students in this program can enter careers in public service or academia, so that they may train future public administrators.
The faculty is recognized internationally in this field. Fulfillment of the curriculum includes two years of full-time coursework and up to two years of full-time dissertation work and comprehensive exams.
Your coursework is determined by which of four specialties you choose. They are public administration core field, management specialization, public policy field and methodology.
Courses offered include public administration and democracy, policy process, policy analysis, seminar in public budgeting and research methods in public administration.
Department of Public Administration and Policy
The University of Georgia
204 Baldwin Hall
Athens, GA 30602
(706) 542-9660
uga.edu/padp
Georgia State University
Georgia State University offers a doctorate with a major in public policy. It is a joint doctoral program that fuses Georgia State's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and the Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Public Policy. U.S. News ranked the Andrew Young School 26th overall among graduate programs in public affairs. This program also enjoys a proximity to the state capital of Atlanta.
Completion of the curriculum includes coursework in public policy, doctoral core, two areas of specialization, two qualifying exams and defense of a dissertation.
Doctoral students have a major and a minor specialization. Some of these areas of specialization include environmental policy, public finance and budgeting, public and nonprofit management and urban and regional economic development.
The majority of students also complete a research or teaching obligation as part of their funding package.
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 3992
Atlanta, GA 30302-3992
(404) 413-0000
aysps.gsu.edu
Georgia Tech
Located in Atlanta, the Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Public Policy confers a doctorate in public policy, training scholars in professional work or careers in academia. The program features three specialties, including science and technology policy, environmental policy and economic development policy.
The program emphasizes a strong mentoring relationship between faculty and students.
While it does have some required core classes--determined by the various areas of concentration--the rest of the curriculum remains relatively flexible. Students are also required to choose a minor field.
In addition to teaching assistantships and fellowships that many students receive, the program requires 39 hours of coursework. Courses offered include logic of political inquiry, scope and theory, and advance methods. In addition to the coursework, doctoral students must successfully defend a dissertation. Georgia Tech also boasts numerous opportunities for international study within this program.
Georgia Tech
D.M. Smith Building, Room 107
685 Cherry St.
Atlanta, GA 30332-0345
(404) 894-6822
spp.gatech.edu
Tags: Georgia State, public administration, University Georgia, doctorate public, Georgia State University