Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)
School of Public Service Leadership
General Public Administration specialization
Enhance your public leadership skills as you develop and apply research to address multidisciplinary public service issues within your community. This doctoral specialization uses course work, current case studies, advanced learning technologies, and field experiences to strengthen your collaboration and leadership skills and identify community issues that could benefit from an action-based research project. Working with a rich, global network of experienced faculty and professional peers, you will gain an in-depth understanding of your own field, plus insights from professionals in other fields, such as public safety and health care, who often collaborate with you to solve today's complex challenges. Convenient electronic textbooks lowers program costs and provides immediate access to course materials. People likely to choose this specialization include public administrators who want to pursue leadership positions in government agencies, public service organizations, or the political arena; or faculty positions in the fields of public administration, public affairs, and political science.
Residency requirement: none.
All courses taken in a prescribed sequence:
Core courses (each course 4 quarter credits unless noted)
- DPA8002 - Public Services Theory, Issues, and Research*
- DPA8400 - Theories of Leadership and Public Administration*
- DPA8404 - Principles of Organization Theory and Practice*
- DPA8408 - Ethics and Social Responsibility*
- DPA8412 - Global and Diverse Societies*
- DPA8416 - Public Administration and Community Collaboration*
- DPA8420 - Public Policy Analysis and Advocacy*
- DPA8424 - Theories and Practices of Public Human Resource Management*
- DPA8428 - Public Needs Assessment and Planning*
- DPA8100 - Fundamentals of Public Administration Research*
- DPA8103 - Theory Development in Public Administration Research*
- DPA8106 - Program Evaluation and Participatory Research*
- DPA8480 - Field Experience I: Conference*‡
- DPA8484 - Field Experience II: Legislative Interaction*‡
- DPA8488 - Field Experience III: Comprehensive Analysis*‡
- DPA9920 - Action Research Dissertation Courseroom* - non-credit
- DPA9921 - Action Dissertation Research 1* - 5 quarter credits
- DPA9922 - Action Dissertation Research 2* - 5 quarter credits
- DPA9923 - Action Dissertation Research 3* - 5 quarter credits
- DPA9924 - Action Dissertation Research 4* - 5 quarter credits
Three Elective Courses
Recommended elective course:
- DPA8450 - Finance Policies and Practices in Public Administration OR
- Choose any graduate course from the School of Public Service Leadership.
‡ Learners are responsible for the cost of their travel, accommodations, food, and other expenses associated with field experience course work.
* This course has a prerequisite. Contact an enrollment counselor for more information.
Course Descriptions
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Learn more about our related specializations:
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