Description
The doctorate in the Public Affairs program 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 four disciplines (Criminal Justice, Health, Public Administration, and Social Work) in its preparation of graduates for academic positions in colleges and universities as well as research and leadership positions in public, nonprofit and private agencies. The dynamic mix of an interdisciplinary faculty with students of varied backgrounds creates a stimulating environment to examine contemporary organizational, institutional and community problems and issues.
The mission of the Public Affairs program is to prepare future scholars and leaders to deal with complex social, health, and governance issues that cut across traditional disciplinary boundaries. The curriculum comprises an interdisciplinary core with advanced studies in criminal justice, health and public administration and social work. The program has a community-based focus with an emphasis on collaborative relationships across public, private and nonprofit sectors of the community. Graduates possess the theoretical, analytical and ethical foundation to produce new knowledge that impacts policies and programs and enhances institutional and community performance.
More specifically, the program creates an environment for interdisciplinary study that enhances student understanding of the myriad important and interrelated public affairs issues that confront 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 providing an integrated broad-based theoretical and methodological base, the program aims to prepare its graduates to hold leadership positions in the field of public affairs.
The program matches 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 organization 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 and selected courses offer reduced seat time.
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 Admissions and Registration section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs
Students applying to the doctoral program in Public Affairs must have completed a master's degree from an accredited institution prior to entering the program. Preferably, the degree should be in a field related to criminal justice, health, public administration or social work. Applicants who do not have a master's degree in a field directly related to public affairs may be required to take courses at the master's level in preparation for doctoral level study. This preparatory course work requirement will be communicated at the time of acceptance into the program. These courses will not substitute for the doctoral degree requirements and will generally be taken prior to beginning the doctoral level course work. Admission decisions are made twice per academic year (in fall and spring). A complete application of admission includes all of the following:
- An official UCF admission application form—completed online
- Official copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts
- Competitive score on the Graduate Record Examination or GMAT, taken within the last five years. Official test results need to be sent from ETS directly to UCF
- A narrative statement of 1000 words or less describing your educational expectations, career aspirations, level of computer skills, and any special qualifications or experiences that may enhance the overall learning environment of the PAF program
- A current resume
- A sample of a written document, i.e. academic paper, report, etc.
- Three letters of reference from faculty or professionals who can assess your ability to succeed in a doctoral program
- International students and students whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL and obtain a 220 score on the computer test or a 560 score on the paper examination.
Application Due Dates
All application materials must be submitted by the appropriate deadline listed below.
All students applying for fellowships 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 15 | Apr 23 | Nov 4 |
International Applicants
| Program(s) | Fall Priority | Fall | Spring | Summer |
| Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs | Jan 15 | Jan 15 | Jul 1 |
International Transfer Applicants
| Program(s) | Fall Priority | Fall | Spring | Summer |
| Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs | Jan 15 | Mar 1 | Sep 1 |
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs
Transfer Credit
Course work accepted for transfer must have been taken as part of an approved plan of study for a doctoral program at UCF or elsewhere. A maximum of 6 credit hours taken at the doctoral level may be considered for transfer. The acceptance of transfer credit will be determined by the Program Director and Coordinators.
Assignment of Faculty Advisers
Upon acceptance of a student into the program, the Program Director will provide students with an initial orientation and a general advising session. The director will continue to advise students throughout the foundation stage of the program, assisting in the clarification of interests and goals and facilitating the introduction of students to faculty with research interests that can advance the student’s program of study. Subsequently, students with clearly defined interests in criminal justice, health, public administration or social work will be advised by the appropriate Program Director who is a faculty member in one of these disciplines. Students who have broader and more general interests will be assigned to the Public Affairs faculty member who serves as Program Adviser. The Program Adviser 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 dissertation prospectus.
Degree Requirements
Minimum Hours Required for Ph.D.—57 Credit Hours
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:
- a five-course, 15-credit required interdisciplinary core
- a four-course, 12-credit required research methods and quantitative analysis
- a five-course, 15-credit electives, configured into a specialization component tailored to meet students’ individual goals
- 15 credit hours of dissertation minimum
A maximum of 6 credit hours of Independent Study or 6 credit hours of Doctoral Research may be used as electives with adviser approval.
If students receive grades of "C+" or lower in a required course, they may be dismissed from the program. Also, all students who receive a grade of “C+” or lower in a required course must repeat the course and obtain a grade of “B-” or better prior to taking the qualifying examination.
A minimum of a 3.0 GPA in the specified graduate program of study is required to maintain graduate student status and for graduation.
Interdisciplinary Core Courses—15 Credit Hours
- PAF 7000 Foundations of Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
- PAF 7110 Ethics and Social Justice in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
- PAF 7230 Strategic Change and Management in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
- PAF 7300 Policy Analysis in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
- PAF 7315 Public Policy: Microeconomic Applications (3 credit hours)
Research Methods Courses—12 Credit Hours
- PAF 7802 Advanced Research Methods in Public Affairs I (3 credit hours)
- PAF 7806 Advanced Research Methods in Public Affairs II (3 credit hours)
- PAF 7804 Advanced Quantitative Methods in Public Affairs I (3 credit hours)
- PAF 7805 Advanced Quantitative Methods in Public Affairs II (3 credit hours)
Electives —15 Credit Hours
Criminal Justice
- See advisers for appropriate CJ course
Health
- See advisers for appropriate HSA course
- NGR 7190 Healthcare Systems and Policy (3 credit hours)
- NGR 7661 Healthcare for Vulnerable Populations (3 credit hours)
- NGR 7820 Innovative Technologies in Healthcare(3 credit hours)
Public Administration
- See advisers for appropriate PAD course
Social Work
- See advisers for appropriate SOW course
Research
- PAF 7919 Doctoral Research
- PAF 7510 Seminar in Program Evaluation in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
- PAF 7809 Applied Quantitative Methods in Public Affairs
- 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)
PAF Electives
- PAF 6908 Independent Study
- PAF 7750 Pedagogy in Public Affairs (3 credit hours)
- PAF 7055 Public Affairs in State and Local Government
- PAF 7600 Legal Foundations of Public Affairs
- PAF 7601 Comparative Analysis in Global Public Affairs
Note: Other 5000- and 6000-level courses may be accepted as electives per the approval of the Program Director, Adviser, and Coordinator.
Dissertation—15 Credit Hours
- PAF 7980 Dissertation Research
Qualifying Examination
Following successful completion of all required courses, students are required to pass a qualifying examination. The examination will be given at the end of fall or spring semesters. Students are given two opportunities to pass all sections of the exam. Students who fail any section twice will be dropped from the program.
Candidacy Status
Students officially enter candidacy when the following has been accomplished:
- Completion of all course work, except for dissertation hours.
- Successful completion of the qualifying examination.
- Successful defense of the dissertation prospectus.
Equipment Fee
Students in the Public Affairs Program pay a $40 equipment fee each semester that they are enrolled.
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 are interested in financial assistance, you are 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. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. University graduate fellowships are awarded based on academic merit and therefore 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 university fellowship applications, see Financing Grad School.
- For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program director of your major.
Contact Info
Thomas T. H. Wan, Ph.D., Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-3678
twan@mail.ucf.edu