Public Affairs
			Description Degree Offered Admission Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs Contact Info

Description

The Ph.D. in Public Affairs at the University of Central Florida provides a unique focus on public policy, planning, and administration. This interdisciplinary program draws from the strengths of faculty in five disciplines (Criminal Justice, Health, Nursing, Public Administration, and Social Work) in its preparation of mid-career professionals (for leadership and/or research positions in public, nonprofit, and private agencies) and more traditional students (for positions in colleges and universities). The integration of this dynamic mix of students creates a stimulating environment in which to examine contemporary organizational, community, and regional problems and issues.

The mission of the program is an important one: The complex social, economic, and demographic issues that compromise the health and welfare of the citizens of Central Florida and the nation require a new breed of professionals who are able to think and work across traditional boundaries with colleagues similarly committed to tackling the complex social challenges of tomorrow. UCF’s interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Public Affairs strives to fulfill that need and to meet the challenges of the future.

More specifically, the program brings together disciplines that address important and interrelated social problems confronting all communities. Too often, in the past, the interrelated problems of crime and justice, health services and social welfare delivery, and the administration of organizations that deal with these problems have been approached in a discipline-specific and fragmented way. By integrating knowledge base and intervention approaches, more realistic resolutions to social problems can be identified and implemented.

Degrees Offered

Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Graduate Catalog. Applicants are encouraged to apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs

The program will match career goals of students through the interdisciplinary nature of course content, the interaction with faculty from all four disciplines, and the flexibility inherent in the choice of electives. Those seeking advancement within public agencies or nonprofit organizations can choose a mix of electives, including course work from other UCF programs, while those seeking to teach at the college or university level can concentrate their course work more within a single discipline.

To accommodate the needs of both traditional students and working professionals, Public Affairs students may pursue the program on a full-time (9-12 credits per semester) or part-time (6 credits per semester) basis. Significant support is available for selected full-time students. All course work is offered in the evening hours.

Admission Requirements

Students applying to the Ph.D. program must have completed their master's degree prior to entering the program.

Applications for admission into the Ph.D. program in Public Affairs may be submitted online at www.graduate.ucf.edu. Admission decisions will be made only once per academic year. A complete packet for admission includes all of the following:

• An official admission application form
• Official copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• Official results of the Graduate Record Examination, taken within the last five years) and sent from ETS directly to UCF
• A narrative statement of 1000 words or less describing the applicant’s educational expectations, career aspirations, level of computer skills, and any special qualifications or experiences that may enhance the overall learning environment of the program
• A current resume
• Three letters of reference from professionals who can assess the applicant’s ability to succeed in a doctoral program
• International students and students whose native language is not English must score at least 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Transfer Credit

Course work accepted for transfer must be part of an approved plan of study for a doctoral program at UCF or elsewhere. The acceptance of transfer credit will be determined by the Ph.D. Coordinator on a case-by-case basis. A maximum of six hours may be transferred.

Assignment of Faculty Advisers

Upon acceptance of a student into the program, the Ph.D. Coordinator will provide an initial orientation and general advising session. The Coordinator will continue to advise the student throughout the foundation stage of the program assisting the student in the clarification of interests and goals and facilitating the introduction of the student to faculty with research interests that can facilitate the student’s program of study. In addition, the Chairperson from one of the participating departments (i.e., Criminal Justice, Health, Nursing, Public Administration, Social Work) will help the student select elective courses, finalize the program of study, and facilitate the discussion and review of dissertation topics. The dissertation chair should be selected by the student prior to the completion of the candidacy proposal.

Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships or assistantships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

	Program(s)		Fall Priority		Fall		Spring		Summer
	Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs   Jan 19  Jan 19

International Applicants

	Program(s)		Fall Priority		Fall		Spring		Summer
	Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs   Jan 19  Jan 19

Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs (Ph.D.)

Students must complete 57 credit hours beyond the master’s degree, including fourteen courses (42 credit hours) above the master’s level distributed in the following manner: (1) a six-course, 18-credit interdisciplinary core; (2) a two-course, 6-credit research tool; and (3) a six-course, 18-credit interdisciplinary specialization component that will be tailored to meet students’ individual goals. Fifteen credit hours of dissertation must also be completed.

To ensure that students more fully experience the interdisciplinary nature of the program, completion of no more than five elective courses from one discipline will be permitted.

A maximumm of 6 credit hours of Independent Study or 6 credit hours of Doctoral Research may be used for electives. Twelve credits of the elective portion of the Program of Study must be fulfilled by classroom-based courses (either discipline-specific or PAF electives).

If students receive grades below a “B-” in core courses, they may be reverted to non-degree status. All students who receive a grade of “C” or lower in a required core course must repeat the course and obtain a grade of “B-” or better prior to taking the qualifying examinations.

A minimum of a 3.0 GPA in the specified graduate program of study is required to maintain graduate student status and for graduation.

Required Courses—18 Credit Hours

• PAF 7000 Foundations of Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
• PAF 7110 Ethics and Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
• PAF 7230 Strategic Change and Management in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
• PAF 7250 Social Justice and Public Policy (3 credit hours)
• PAF 7300 Policy Analysis in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
• PAF 7982 Dissertation Seminar in Public Affairs (3 hours)

Research—6 Credit Hours

• PAF 7802 Advanced Research Methods in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
• PAF 7804 Advanced Quantitative Methods I (3 credit hours)

Disciplinary Electives—18 Credit Hours

Criminal Justice Track

• CCJ 6938 Special Topics in Criminal Justice (3 credit hours) (Course may be repeated with different content.)
• CCJ 7457 Seminar in Criminal Justice Theory (3 credit hours)
• CCJ 7930 Seminar in Criminal Justice Policy Analysis (3 credit hours)

Health Track

• HSA 6126 Principles of Managed Care (3 credit hours)
• HSA 7XXX Advanced Seminar in Health Care Finance (3 credit hours)
• HSA 7XXX Advanced Seminar in Health Care Economics (3 credit hours)
• HSA 7XXX Advanced Seminar in Community Health (3 credit hours)
• NGR 6XXX Patient Population Management (3 credit hours)
• NGR 7XXX Health Care Systems and Policy (3 credit hours)
• NGR 7XXX Vulnerable Populations (3 credit hours)
• NGR 7XXX Measurements (3 credit hours)

Public Administration Track

• PAD 7XXX Advanced Public Budgeting and Finance (3 credit hours)
• PAD 6934 Special Issues in Public Administration (3 credit hours) (Course may be repeated with different content.)
• PAD 7026 Advanced Seminar in Public Administration (3 credit hours)
• PAD 7419 Advanced Public Human Resource Management (3 credit hours)

Social Work Track

• SOW 6386 Seminar in Social Welfare Planning and Implementation (3 credit hours)
• SOW 6399 Advanced Administration in Social Welfare (3 credit hours)
• SOW 6492 Theory Building in Social Work (3 credit hours)
• SOW 6938 Special Issues in Social Work (3 credit hours) (Course may be repeated with different content.)

Research Electives

• PAF 7919 Doctoral Research
• PAF 7XXX Advanced Quantitative Methods II (3 credit hours)
• PAF 7510 Seminar in Program Evaluation in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
• PAF 7810 Seminar in Survey Research in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
• PAF 7820 Seminar in Qualitative Methods in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
• PAF 7840 Seminar in Secondary Data Analysis in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)

General PAF Electives

• PAF 6908 Independent Study
• PAF 7750 Pedagogy in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)

NOTE: Other 5000 and 6000 level courses may be accepted as electives per the approval of the Program Coordinator and Advisor.

Dissertation—15 Credit Hours

• PAF 7980 Dissertation Research

Minimum Hours Required for Ph.D.—57 Credit Hours

Qualifying Examination

Following successful completion of the required foundation and research courses, a student is required to pass a qualifying examination. This examination will test the student’s knowledge of the material in the foundation and research courses. The examination will be given once each fall and spring semester. The exam may also be given at the end of the summer term per the discretion of the Program Coordinator. Students are given two opportunities to pass all sections of the exam. Students who fail any section twice will be dropped from the program. However, prior to being officially dropped, students will be given the opportunity to appeal.

Candidacy Examination

Students who pass the qualifying examination, once all of their course work has been completed, must write and defend a candidacy proposal. Students officially enter candidacy when:

1. All course work is complete
2. The students has passed the qualifying exam
3. The student has successfully completed the candidacy proposal

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

• If you're interested in financial assistance, you're strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
• You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
• If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
• UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. All admitted graduate students are automatically considered in this nomination process. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. To receive need-based fellowship awards, the student must have demonstrated need as determined by FAFSA. Merit fellowship awards are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
• Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application).
• For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program coordinator of your major.

Contact Info

Eileen Abel, Ph.D. , Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-3967
phdpa@mail.ucf.edu