Ph.D. in Public Administration

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Administration is a theoretically grounded research degree designed to prepare students for an academic career. The degree is also appropriate for practitioners who want to conduct high level research and policy development in public and nonprofit agencies, foundations, and research institutes.

Our goal is to develop well-rounded, independent scholars who are grounded in the classic and current literatures of public administration and public policy, skilled in research methods, and ready to make a positive and important contribution to the field through teaching and research. We provide a balanced curriculum to ensure mastery of core ideas and materials, as well as the opportunity to develop specialized expertise in two specific subfields as determined by the student and his or her committee. These subfields can focus on any area related to public administration and public policy and can draw on faculty expertise from across the ASU campus. The Ph.D. in Public Administration with Urbanism Concentration permits students to draw upon the extensive resources in urban affairs at ASU. As a result, upon graduation, our doctoral students are poised for success as productive and active scholars, researchers and teachers.

Please stop by our offices located on the 4th floor of the University Center at the Downtown Phoenix campus, call us at 602-496-0450, send us an e-mail, or request that more information be sent to you.

If you are new to ASU and Downtown Phoenix, we encourage you to take a tour of campus - take an online tour or visit campus in-person.