Table of Comparison
Current Curriculum
Credits Distribution
Core
18
Research Total
24
Research Rqd
12
Research Elect 12
Track Totals
47-50
Track Required 12-23
Track Electives 24-36
Dissertation
27
TOTAL
116-119
Revised Curriculum (Begins AY 2014-2015)
Credits Distribution
Core
18
Research Total
24
Research Rqd 12
Research Elect 12
Track Total
48
Track Required 12-16
Track Electives 32-36
Dissertation
27
TOTAL
117
Core Courses (18 credits)
PAP 611 Theor Fdns Gov (3)
PAP 612 Gov, Soc Chg, Rule of Law (3)
PAP 614 Cont Governance (3)
PAP 620 Amer Pol Inst (3)
PAP 656 Adv Pol Econ (3)
PAP 607 Org Theo Beh (3)
Core Courses (18 credits)
PAP 611 Normative Foundations of Governance (3)
PAP 613 Organization Theory and Behavior (3)
PAP 614 Contemporary Governance (3)
PAP 616 Policy Process (3)
PAP 620 American Political Institutions (3)
PAP 621 Comparative Political Institutions (3)
Research Methods Rqd (12 credits)
PS 593 Phil Soc Sci (4) or SOC 591 Theo of Soc (4)
USP 630 Research Design (4)
USP 634 Data Analysis I (4)
Research Methods Rqd (12 credits)
PS 593 Phil Soc Sci (4)
PAP 690 Res Des P&P (4) (or approved substitute incl USP 630)
PS 595 Res Methods PS (4) (or USP 634 or one course from
approved courses in data analysis/statistics that cover basic
statistical central tendency and dispersion, descriptive inferences,
statistical sampling, probability, point estimation, and simple
regression) (4)
Politics & Public Policy Track Rqd (16 credits + 32 electives )
PAP 616 Policy Process (3)
PS 559 Pol Eco Dec (3)
USP 615 Eco Ana Pub Pol (4)
PAP 653 Policy Analysis: Theoretical Foundations (3)
USP 536 Policy Eval (3)/ PAP 654 Policy Analysis Research
Politics & Public Policy Track Rqd (13 Credits + 35 electives)
PAP 653 Policy Analysis: Theoretical Foundations (3)
PS 559 Political and Economic Decision-Making (3)
PAP 656 Advanced Political Economy (3)
PAP 630 Proseminar in International Relations (4)
Public Admin & Policy Track Rqd (12 credits + 36 electives)
PAP 616 Policy Process (3)
PAP 615 Admin Process (3)
PA 534 Admin Law (3)
PAP 653 Policy Analysis: Theoretical Foundations (3)
Public Admin & Policy Track Rqd (12 credits + 36 electives)
PAP 653 Policy Analysis: Theoretical Foundations (3)
PS 559 Political and Economic Decision-Making (3)
PAP 615 Administrative Process/ PA 540 Admin Theory and
Behavior (3)
PA 534 Administrative Law (3)
Criminology & Criminal Justice Rqd (23 credits + 24 electives)
Criminology & Criminal Justice Rqd (16 credits +32 electives)
CCJ 615 Theories of Crime (4)
CCJ 625 Criminal Justice Theory (4)
CCJ 630 Criminal Justice Research (4)
CCJ 635 Criminal Justice Policy (4)
PAP 616 Policy Process (3)
CCJ 615 Theories of Crime (4)
CCJ 620 Analysis of Crime and Justice Data (4)
CCJ 625 Criminal Justice Theory (4)
CCJ 630 Criminal Justice Research (4)
CCJ 635 Criminal Justice Policy (4)
Community Health and Social Change Rqd (16 credits + 34
elect)
PAP 616 Policy Process (3)
PHE 513 Health, Behavior, and the Environment (3)
PHE 517 Community Organizing (3)
PHE 520 Qualitative Research Design (3)
USP 654 Data Analysis II (4)
(relocated to SPH)
Proposal For Change in Existing Program, Ph.D. in Public Affairs and Policy
Existing Catalog Statement in Full
Doctoral program
Doctor of Philosophy in public affairs
and policy.
The Ph.D. in public affairs and
policy is an interdisciplinary program
designed to prepare individuals to pursue
research, teaching, and/or consulting in a
variety of settings ranging from universities
to policy research organizations, public
agencies, and private consulting firms. The
degree may be pursued on a full- or parttime
basis.
The degree program is administered by the
Hatfield School of Government, but draws
on faculty from the entire College of Urban
and Public Affairs. Faculty members are
drawn from public administration, political
science, economics, community health,
criminal justice, policy sciences, and urban
studies.
The curriculum focus is governance, the
integrated study of administrative and policy
processes in the public sector. This curriculum
is taught against the backdrop of globalizing
economies and political systems seeking
to recognize governance in a modern
world characterized by both cooperation and
conflict among the public, private, and nonprofit
organizations.
The doctoral program in public affairs and
policy is designed to enable students to
approach governance as an applied area of
knowledge in which theory informs and is
informed by real-world practice.
Admission requirements
More information about the public affairs
and policy Ph.D. program and all application
forms are available at www.pdx.edu/hatfieldschool.
For further assistance, contact
the program administrator at papphd@pdx.
edu or 503-725-4044. Application materials
should be sent (not emailed) to: Public
Affairs and Policy Ph.D. Program, Hatfield
School of Government, Portland State
University, P. O. Box 751, Portland, OR
97207-0751. Applications are accepted for
fall admission only; the application deadline
is 15 January.
Degree requirements
Prerequisites. All students entering the doctoral
program must have completed a basic
course in statistics either upon entering or
within the first year of study. No degree
credit will be awarded for this coursework.
Credit requirements. The Ph.D. in public
affairs and policy requires 89-92 credit hours
of required and elective coursework. In addition,
the student receives 27 credits for dissertation
research and writing.
The credits are distributed as follows:
Credits
Core Coursework..................................................... 18
Field of Specialization (Tracks 1-4).................... 47-50
Research Methods................................................... 24
Subtotal 89-92
Dissertation Credits................................................. 27
Total 116-120
To meet these credit requirements, relevant
past academic coursework and previous professional
experience is recognized in these
ways:
• Up to 30 credits of coursework related
to public policy, public administration,
or research methods completed at
the master’s level may be counted
toward the Ph.D. degree.
• Up to 12 additional credits may be
waived from the student’s dissertation
field based on the individual’s related
master’s-level work or professional experience.
• Students with extensive academic background
and/or experience in using quantitative
or qualitative research methods
may waive one or more required research
methods courses with permission of their
academic adviser and substitute other
coursework.
Core coursework. The core curriculum
must be completed during the first year.
Core courses Credits
PAP 611 Theoretical Foundations
of Governance........................................................... 3
PAP 612 Governance, Social Change,
and Rule of Law Systems.......................................... 3
PAP 614 Contemporary Governance........................ 3
PAP 620 American Political Institutions .................. 3
PAP 656 Advanced Political Economy...................... 3
PAP 607 Organizational Theory and Behavior........ 3
Subtotal 18
Specialization fields (Tracks 1-4).
Students must choose one of the following
tracks as their primary domain of study.
1. Public Administration and Policy (48 credit
hours). Students focus on the functioning, management,
and leadership of organizations in the governmental,
health, and nonprofit sectors. Required
courses:
PAP 616/USP 660 Policy Process (3)
PAP 615 Administrative Process (3)
USP 661 Policy Analysis: Theoretical
Foundations (3)
PA 534 Administrative Law (3)
Electives (12)
2. Politics and Public Policy (48 credit hours).
Coursework in this track emphasizes the political
and economic processes affecting public policy at
the local, national, and international levels.
Required courses:
PAP 616/USP 660 Policy Process (3)
USP 661 Policy Analysis:
Theoretical Foundations (3)
PS 558/USP 636 Economic and Political DecisionMaking (3)
USP 615 Economic Analysis of Public Policy (4)
USP 536 Policy Evaluation Methods (3)
3. Community Health and Social Change (50 credit
hours). The focus of this track is the socioeconomic,
cultural, and political factors affecting public
health and health promotion policy. Required
courses:
USP 654 Data Analysis II (4)
PHE 620 Qualitative Research Design (3)
PHE 513/613 Health, Behavior, and the Social
Environment (3)
PHE 517/617 Community Organizing and Social
Change (3)
PAP 616/USP 660 Policy Process (3)
Students in this track who enter the doctoral program
without an M.P.H. degree must take the following
courses in lieu of 16 elective credit hours
(18 elective credits remain)::
PAH 574 Health Systems (3)
PHE 512 Health Behavior (3)
PHE 535 Epidemiology (3)
PHE 510 Introduction to Biostatistics (4)
PHE 580 Environmental Health (3)
4. Criminology and Criminal Justice (47 credit
hours). Students concentrate on the causes, prevention,
and control of criminal activity and public
policy as it affects law enforcement and corrections.
Required courses:
CCJ 615 Theories of Crime (4)
CCJ 620 Analysis of Crime and Justice Data (4)
CCJ 625 Criminal Justice Theory (4)
CCJ 630 Criminal Justice Research (4)
CCJ 635 Criminal Justice Policy (4)
PAP 616/USP 660 Policy Process (3)
Research Methods. Coursework in
research methods is normally completed
concurrently with field specialization coursework.
Methods courses Credits
PS 593 Philosophy of Social Science or Soc 591
Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology................... 4
USP 630 Research Design...................................... 4
USP 634 Data Analysis........................................... 4
Electives................................................................ 12
Subtotal 24
Dissertation Research. Students must register
for a minimum of 27 credits of 603
Dissertation to represent the work of
researching and writing the doctoral dissertation.
Comprehensive examinations. In order to
evaluate one’s ability to integrate, analyze,
and critique the diverse materials and ideas
presented in the PAP curriculum, students
are required to complete a two-part comprehensive
examination. Part A of the examination
(core exam) covers the 18 credit hours
of foundational core courses. Part B (field
exam) covers all coursework done in the student’s
specialization field (Tracks 1-4).
Dissertation requirements. The dissertation
process is designed to evaluate the student’s
ability to successfully conduct a significant,
independent applied research project.
The dissertation thesis represents the culmination
of a student’s doctoral studies.
Program Rules
A more comprehensive set of rules governing
satisfactory completion of field area examinations,
presentation of dissertation, and
timely completion of doctoral program
requirements appear in the General
Handbook for the Public Affairs and Policy
Doctoral Program issued to incoming students.
Limitation on graduate/undergraduate
courses. Students in the PAP program are
strongly advised to use no more than 12
credits of courses offered simultaneously at
the 400- and 500-level in support of their
degree programs. These courses must be an
integral part of the student’s program, and
courses with the same content must not be
available on a purely graduate basis.
Limitation on by-arrangement courses.
Admitted Ph.D. students may utilize no
more than 12 credits of Research and/or
Reading and Conference credits (501/601
and 505/605). In cases where more than 12
credits are needed because of the lack of regularly
scheduled classes, the student must
submit a written request waiver to their
adviser for approval.
Continuous enrollment and leave of
absence. All students admitted to the Ph.D.
program in public affairs and policy must be
continuously enrolled until graduation,
except for periods in which they are absent
for an approved leave. Taking a minimum 3
credits per term during the regular academic
year will constitute continuous enrollment.
Failure to register without an approved leave
may result in termination of a student’s
admission. Students may have no more than
six terms of approved leave.
Grade requirement. A student who
receives more than 9 credits of C+ or below
in all coursework attempted after admission
to the Ph.D. program will be dropped from
the program.
Performance in core courses. A grade of
C+ or below received for work performed in a
core course is not considered passing. A PAP
doctoral student who receives a grade of C+ or
below in one of the core course offerings during
fall or winter terms may not proceed to
take the core course offerings in the subsequent
term until the course in which a failing
grade was received has been repeated, and the
failing grade is replaced with a passing grade
of B- or better.
Research and Teaching Opportunities
The doctoral degree in public affairs and
policy offers a number of research and teaching
opportunities.
Hatfield Residency Program. This program,
conducted in cooperation with the
Hatfield School’s Executive Leadership
Institute, places qualified doctoral students
in public and not-for-profit agencies as paid
residents. Agency placements provide students
opportunities to conduct dissertation
research, gain advanced research experience,
and receive assistance in financing their educational
objectives.
Graduate research assistantships.
Dependent on available funds, a number of
graduate research assistantships are available
each year. Students must apply for these by
February 1 of the academic year in which
the assistantships are desired. Assistantships
pay tuition and a small additional stipend.
Teaching opportunities. All doctoral students
in the program are strongly encouraged
to teach prior to completing their
Ph.D. programs. There are a number of
opportunities available in this regard.
Teaching apprenticeships with a university
faculty member. These duties can include
teaching one or more class sessions, assistance
in preparing courses, and correction of
examinations.
Teaching in the University Studies Program.
Advanced doctoral students may also teach
in sophomore inquiry coursework sponsored
by the Hatfield School of Government. This
coursework deals largely with citizen participation
and leadership. Advanced doctoral
students may also propose and teach a senior
Capstone course at the undergraduate level.
These are interdisciplinary community-based
courses required of all PSU seniors. These
students will develop and implement strategies
to deal with a community issue in cooperation
with one or more community organizations.
Proposed Catalog Statement in Full
Noting Changes
Doctoral program
research and writing.
Doctor of Philosophy in public affairs
and policy.
The Ph.D. in public affairs and
policy is an interdisciplinary program
designed to prepare individuals to pursue
research, teaching, and/or consulting in a
variety of settings ranging from universities
to policy research organizations, public
agencies, and private consulting firms. The
degree may be pursued on a full- or parttime
basis.
The degree program is administered by the
Hatfield School of Government, but draws on faculty from
the entire College of Urban
and Public Affairs. Faculty members are
drawn from public administration, political
science, economics, ,
criminal justice, policy sciences, and urban
studies.
The curriculum focus is governance, the
integrated study of political, administrative, and policy
processes. This curriculum
is taught against the backdrop of globalizing
economies and political systems seeking
to recognize governance in a modern
world characterized by both cooperation and
conflict among public, private, and nonprofit
organizations.
The doctoral program in public affairs and
policy is designed to enable students to
approach governance as an applied area of
knowledge in which theory informs and is
informed by real-world practice.
The credits are distributed as follows:
Credits
Core Coursework..................................................... 18
Field of Specialization (Tracks 1-3)........................... 48
Research Methods................................................... 24
Dissertation Credits................................................. 27
Total 117
Admission requirements
More information about the public affairs
and policy Ph.D. program and all application
forms are available at www.pdx.edu/hatfieldschool.
For further assistance, contact
the program administrator at papphd@pdx.
edu or 503-725-4044. Application materials
should be sent (not emailed) to: Public
Affairs and Policy Ph.D. Program, Hatfield
School of Government, Portland State
University, P. O. Box 751, Portland, OR
97207-0751. Applications are accepted for
fall admission only; the application deadline
is 15 January.
Degree requirements
Prerequisites. All students entering the doctoral
program must have completed a basic
course in statistics either upon entering or
within the first year of study. No degree
credit will be awarded for this coursework.
Credit requirements. The Ph.D. in public
affairs and policy requires 90 credit hours
of required and elective coursework. In addition,
the student receives 27 credits for dissertation
9/2007:OAA/swh
Up to 30 credits of coursework relatedto governance
or research methods completed at the master’s level may be
counted toward the Ph.D. degree. In addition, students with
extensive academic background and/or experience in using
quantitative or qualitative research methods may substitute one
or more required research methods courses with other
coursework with permission of their academic adviser.
Core coursework. The core curriculum must be completed during
the first year.
Core courses and Credits
PAP 611 Normative Foundations Of Governance .......... 3
PAP 613 Organization Theory and Behavior…..……………3
PAP 614 Contemporary Governance............................. 3
PAP 616 Policy Process…………………………………………...3
PAP 620 American Political Institutions …….................. 3
PAP 621 Comparative Political Institutions………………….3
Subtotal 18
Specialization fields (Tracks 1-3).
Students must choose one of the following three tracks as their
primary domain of study.
1. Public Administration and Policy (48 credit hours). Students
focus on the functioning, management, and leadership of
organizations in the public sector as well as the analysis of public
policy.
Required courses:
PAP 653 Policy Analysis: Theoretical Foundations (3)
PS 559 Political and Economic Decision-Making (3)
PAP 615 Administrative Process or PA 540 Administrative Theory
and Behavior (3)
PA 534 Administrative Law (3)
2. Politics and Public Policy (48 credit hours). Students focus on
the political and economic determinants as well as the analysis of
public policy at the local, national, and international levels.
Required courses:
PAP 653 Policy Analysis:Theoretical Foundations (3)
PS 559 Political and Economic Decision-Making (3)
PAP 656 Advanced Political Economy (3)
PAP 630 Proseminar in International Relations (3)
3. Criminology and Criminal Justice (48 credit
hours). Students focus on the causes, prevention,
and control of criminal activity and public
policy as it affects law enforcement and corrections.
Required courses:
CCJ 615 Theories of Crime (4)
CCJ 625 Criminal Justice Theory (4)
CCJ 630 Criminal Justice Research (4)
CCJ 635 Criminal Justice Policy (4)
scheduled classes, the student must
submit a written request waiver to their
adviser for approval.
Research Methods. Coursework in research methods is normally
completed concurrently with field specialization coursework.
Approved substitutes for methods coursework will be listed in the
PAP Course Planner each year.
Continuous enrollment and leave of
absence. All students admitted to the Ph.D.
program in public affairs and policy must be
continuously enrolled until graduation,
except for periods in which they are absent
for an approved leave. Taking a minimum 3
credits per term during the regular academic
year will constitute continuous enrollment.
Failure to register without an approved leave
may result in termination of a student’s
admission. Students may have no more than
six terms of approved leave.
Methods courses and Credits
PS 593 Philosophy of the Social Sciences............... 4
PAP 690 Research Design for Politics and Policy…..4
PS 595 Research Methods for Political Science….... 4
Electives................................................................ 12
Subtotal 24
Dissertation Research. Students must register
for a minimum of 27 credits of 603
Dissertation to represent the work of
researching and writing the doctoral dissertation.
Comprehensive examinations. In order to
evaluate one’s ability to integrate, analyze,
and critique the diverse materials and ideas
presented in the PAP curriculum, students
are required to complete a two-part comprehensive
examination. Part A of the examination
(core exam) covers the 18 credit hours
of foundational core courses. Part B (field
exam) covers coursework done in the student’s
specialization field (Tracks 1-3).
Dissertation requirements. The dissertation
process is designed to evaluate the student’s
ability to successfully conduct a significant,
independent applied research project.
The dissertation thesis represents the culmination
of a student’s doctoral studies.
Program Rules
A more comprehensive set of rules governing
satisfactory completion of field area examinations,
presentation of dissertation, and
timely completion of doctoral program
requirements appear in the Student
Handbook for the Public Affairs and Policy
Doctoral Program issued to incoming students and available
online.
Limitation on graduate/undergraduate
courses. Students in the PAP program are
strongly advised to use no more than 12
credits of courses offered simultaneously at
the 400- and 500-level in support of their
degree programs. These courses must be an
integral part of the student’s program, and
courses with the same content must not be
available on a purely graduate basis.
Grade requirement. A student who
receives more than 9 credits of C+ or below
in all coursework attempted after admission
to the Ph.D. program will be dropped from
the program.
Performance in core courses. A grade of
C+ or below received for work performed in a
core course is not considered passing. A PAP
doctoral student who receives a grade of C+ or
below in one of the core course offerings during
fall or winter terms may not proceed to
take the core course offerings in the subsequent
term until the course in which a failing
grade was received has been repeated, and the
failing grade is replaced with a passing grade
of B- or better.
Research and Teaching Opportunities
The doctoral degree in public affairs and
policy offers a number of research and teaching
opportunities.
Hatfield Residency Program. This program,
conducted in cooperation with the
Hatfield School’s Executive Leadership
Institute, places qualified doctoral students
in public and not-for-profit agencies as paid
residents. Agency placements provide students
opportunities to conduct dissertation
research, gain advanced research experience,
and receive assistance in financing their educational
objectives.
Graduate research assistantships.
Dependent on available funds, a number of
graduate research assistantships are available
each year. Students must apply for these by
February 1 of the academic year in which
the assistantships are desired. Assistantships
pay tuition and a small additional stipend.
Limitation on by-arrangement courses.
Admitted Ph.D. students may utilize no
more than 12 credits of Research and/or
Reading and Conference credits (501/601
and 505/605). In cases where more than 12
Teaching opportunities. All doctoral students
in the program are strongly encouraged
to teach prior to completing their
Ph.D. programs. There are a number of
opportunities available in this regard.
Teaching apprenticeships with a university
credits are needed because of the lack of regularly
faculty member. These duties can include
9/2007:OAA/swh
teaching one or more class sessions, assistance
in preparing courses, and correction of
examinations.
Teaching in the University Studies Program.
Advanced doctoral students may also teach
in sophomore inquiry coursework sponsored
by the Hatfield School of Government. This
coursework deals largely with citizen participation
and leadership. Advanced doctoral
students may also propose and teach a senior
Capstone course at the undergraduate level.
These are interdisciplinary community-based
courses required of all PSU seniors. These
students will develop and implement strategies
to deal with a community issue in cooperation
with one or more community organizations.
9/2007:OAA/swh
Mark O. Hatfield School of Government
Ph.D. in Public Affairs and Policy
Proposal for Change in Existing Program
Rationale for Proposed Program Change
General
The attached program changes are intended to clarify, simplify, and update the doctoral
program in public affairs and policy to take account of recent changes in faculty, course
offerings, and university and school-level institutional changes. The program aims and
substantive content remain the same. These changes are a housekeeping exercise to keep the
program aligned with the resources and needs of students and faculty. The proposed revisions
to the curriculum were approved by the PAP Committee on 22 April 2013. These curricular
changes are planned to come into effect in Fall 2014.
Specific
The changes require no additional faculty of budgetary resources. Rather, on net they involve a
modest slimming down of the requirements and courses in the program, although the total
credits remain the same. The specific changes and their justifications are as follows:
1. Replacement of PAP 612 Governance, Social Change, and Rule of Law with PAP 616 Policy
Process in the core curriculum. This is intended to bring one public policy course into the
core. PAP 616 was previously taught in the PAP core. The change also is driven by the
planned retirement of the PAP 612 instructor from the PAP program. Some of the PAP 612
course materials will be brought into PAP 614 Contemporary Governance.
2. Replacement of PAP 656 Advanced Political Economy with new course PAP 621
Comparative Political Institutions in the core curriculum. This is intended to split the
“contemporary governance” theme between one course on institutions and the existing
course on governance processes. PAP 656 is seen as more specific to students in the
Politics & Public Policy track. PAP 621 is a new course, but the substantive content has
been used for teaching PAP 614 in recent years by the faculty who will now shift to
teaching it as PAP 621.
3. SOC 591 Theoretical Perspectives on Sociology is being dropped as a substitute for PS 593
Philosophy of Social Science since the latter is now being taught with a focus on PAP
students.
4. USP 630 Research Design is being replaced by PAP 690 Research Design for Politics and
Policy, a new in-house course, although it will remain an approved substitute.
5. PS 595 Research Methods for Political Science replaces USP 634 Data Analysis which was
previously taught with a subsidy from the PAP program. The subsidy is being ended
following the 2013-2014 academic year. In order to widen the options and flexibility for
students in completing their “basic statistics” course, there will be a list of pre-approved
substitute data analysis courses including USP 634.
9/2007:OAA/swh
6. The Community Health and Social Change track is removed as a result of migration of this
program to the new School of Public Health. References to SCH faculty and concentration
removed from program description.
7. Each of the remaining three tracks has been revised so that each requires four courses. This
is intended to simplify the track requirements for students and to bring equality across
tracks.
8. The Politics & Public Policy track has been changed to better reflect the fields of political
science and public policy. The existing graduate-only seminar in international relations PAP
630 is added to ensure coverage of the international-level of governance. The policy
research course (previously USP 536 Policy Evaluation but recently PAP 654 Policy Analysis
Research) has been dropped although PAP 654 remains a PAP research methods elective.
USP 615 is dropped to avoid duplication of policy analysis in the track. PAP 656 Advanced
Political Economy is added.
9. The Public Administration & Policy track has been revised to include PS 559 Political and
Economic Decision-Making to replace the policy process core moved to the core. The
previous track course PAP 615 Administrative Process now has an alternative substitute of
PA 540 Administrative Theory and Behavior since the PA chair may decide not to offer PAP
615 due to low enrolment.
10. The reference to “health” as a research specialization within the PA track is removed as
part of the creation of a new health policy doctoral program in the SPH.
11. The Criminology and Criminal Justice track remains the same except for the elimination of
CCJ 620 Analysis of Crime and Justice Data in order to be consistent with the four course
totals in other tracks and to avoid duplication with required and elective methods courses.
9/2007:OAA/swh
Mark O. Hatfield School of Government
Ph.D. in Public Affairs and Policy
Proposal for Change in Existing Program
Transitional Plan for Affected Students
The proposed changes to the doctoral program in Public Affairs and Policy are for the most
part a simplification of the program. The tracks require one to two less courses and there is
more flexibility in the research methods requirements. Students who entered the program
under the existing approved program but have not yet completed their course of study (nondissertation credits) will have the option of following the revised curriculum or the former one.
In practice, the group most likely to take advantage of this transitional option will be the
cohort entering the program in the 2013-2014 academic year since the new curriculum would
come into effect in the second year of their coursework. In particular, the following transitional
plan will be offered for such students:
1) Completion of the six core courses offered under the existing curriculum by the end of the
2013-14 academic year and successful completion of the core examination (Comprehensive
Examination Part A) by Fall 2014 will be deemed acceptable in fulfillment of the new core
curriculum. This will be done through the approved substitution of PAP 612 (the core
course being phased out) for PAP 621 (the new core course) in the approved core course of
study.
2) Completion of the policy process course PAP 616 will be a required elective for all students
in addition to the four required electives in each of the three tracks of the new curriculum
since it is required for all students as part of their field tracks under the existing curriculum
and in the core courses of the new one. This means that PAP 616 will have a double cohort
number of students during the 2014-15 academic year.
9/2007:OAA/swh