| Total Program: |
55 semester hours minimum |
The program requires a minimum time commitment of three years of coursework which includes nine semester hours each semester. In addition to participation in cluster sessions each semester, all students must attend three weekend intensives each semester at the Central Campus. After successfully completing coursework students are required to produce and defend a dissertation of publishable quality.
| Program Coursework: |
54 semester hours |
First Year
Fall Semester
| Code |
Course Title |
Units |
| PADM 610 |
Foundations of Public Administration |
3 |
| PADM 611 |
Public Administration Theory |
3 |
| PADM 612 |
Quantitative and Qualitative Methods I |
3 |
Spring Semester
| Code |
Course Title |
Units |
| PADM 613 |
Quantitative and Qualitative Methods II |
3 |
| PADM 620 |
Organizational Theory |
3 |
| PADM 677 |
Ethics and Public Responsibility |
3 |
Second Year
Fall Semester
| Code |
Course Title |
Units |
| PADM 650 |
Administrative Process I |
3 |
| PADM 651 |
Administrative Process II |
3 |
| PADM 660 |
Capstone in Public Administration Theory |
3 |
Spring Semester
| Code |
Course Title |
Units |
| PADM 661 |
Capstone in Public Management Process |
3 |
| PADM 673 |
Strategic Management and Decision Making |
3 |
| PADM 674 |
Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement |
3 |
Third Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
| Code |
Course Title |
Units |
| PADM 692 |
Data Analysis II |
3 |
| PADM 695 |
Applied Research Methods and Techniques |
3 |
| PADM 698 |
Special Topics and Research Specialization |
3 |
| Dissertation Units: |
1-22 semester hours |
Students must be continuously enrolled in coursework until they have successfully completed their dissertation and it has been posted.
Semester 7 and 8
| Code |
Course Title |
Units |
| PADM 697C |
Dissertation I |
1 |
Semester 9 – 16
| Code |
Course Title |
Units |
| PADM 697D |
Dissertation II |
2 |
Applicants should possess a master’s degree, ideally in Public Administration or a closely related field. Applicants must also have a minimum of five years of work experience and must be working in an organization with permission and support from supervisors to conduct applied studies as required in their coursework. Students who are not employed may meet this requirement through a three-year internship (paid or unpaid) with organizations approved by the faculty.
Applicants are evaluated on undergraduate GPA, graduate GPA, letters of recommendation, and a personal interview. A standardized test score may be required, if recommended by the program chair. The department balances all of these measures in making a decision on admission. Students accepted into the D.P.A. Program will begin their coursework in the Fall Semester.
The Doctor of Public Administration is designed to develop scholarly practitioners as leaders committed to improving the quality of life and environmental sustainability of the Southern California region. Students learn to consciously integrate and apply current theoretical, moral, and institutional perspectives that contribute to the disciplined analysis and professional resolution of administrative problems. Students take coursework in clusters offered in a weekend or virtual format and in intensive seminars held on the central campus. They take a prescribed sequence of courses that are instructed and coordinated by a faculty team made up of both full-time department faculty members and practitioner adjunct faculty members.