Boise State University’s new Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration is designed to prepare students for senior level positions in public, non-profit and international organizations or positions in an academic or researching setting. The degree provides a sound foundation in current administrative practice in public administration and its cognate disciplines within the fields of public policy and management. Doctoral students will be expected to demonstrate significant research capacity in the discipline through the writing of a dissertation.

 The Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration Degree

The Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration is a 67 credit program with seven required courses (21 credits), three courses within  the methods sequence (9 credits), three courses within the student’s choice of specialization (9 credits),  electives (6 credits), and dissertation (22 credits). The program is designed to provide the individual student with maximum flexibility to, in consultation with their advisor, design a concentration area which reflects their professional interests. Often these concentration areas involve drawing upon the faculty resources of the departments from throughout the university. Download the flier for the Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration Degree (PDF).

Successful completion of coursework and a passing score on the comprehensive examination are required before students can advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. and present a dissertation proposal. The program is designed to accommodate the needs of both individuals planning to pursue an academic career and senior level professionals in the public policy service sector.

Contact Information

Dr. Gregory Hill
Chair, Department of Public Policy & Administration;
Director, Ph.D. in PPA; Associate Professor

Twyla Perkins
Administrative Assistant, Department of Public Policy & Administration;
Please submit application material to DPPA or email to Twyla Perkins

Department Organizational Chart  (PDF)

The program and services of the Department of Public Policy and Administration reflect the nature of the discipline of public administration, a mixture of theory and practice. The Department offers a professional graduate degree in public administration – Master of Public Administration (MPA) – and is involved in a wide range of consulting services for the public sector through the Public Policy Center. Recent research projects by MPA faculty include: the Idaho Public Policy Survey and the Mountain West Municipal Clerks and Treasurers Institute.

The Master of Public Administration Degree

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) is the most widely recognized educational degree focused on public and nonprofit management. Boise State University’s MPA is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NSPPAA, formerly known as NASPAA), and is designed to prepare individuals for positions of leadership in public service. The program provides the theoretical and practical dimensions of public management necessary to assist students who are seeking careers, and professionals who want to enhance their existing careers. Administrators and other staff members in all levels of government and nonprofit organizations take advantage of the general administrative and policy analysis skills offered in the MPA curriculum.

MPA graduates serve in all levels of government in a variety of administrative, research, and policy positions for such diverse agencies as: City of Boise, U.S. Forest Service, Boise State University, Idaho Department of Commerce, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ada County Department of Development Services, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Ada County Highway District, Idaho Department of Labor, Idaho Attorney General’s Office, Idaho Human Rights Commission, Boise City Police, St. Alphonsus Hospital, Idaho Tax Commission, Legislative Budget Office, City of Myrtle Beach SC, and the Bureau of Land Management.

Taking MPA Classes Prior to Formal Admissions to the Program

Enrollment in up to nine credits of MPA courses is open to students with an undergraduate degree upon their acceptance to the Graduate College at Boise State and with permission of the instructor.  The core classes, except for PUBADM 500, are restricted to admitted MPA students, students with negotiated projected schedules in MHLTHSCI and COBE on interdisciplinary Master degrees.

MPA Degree Requirements

Requirements for an MPA degree include the completion of 39 semester hours of approved graduate course work. This includes 21 hours of public administration core courses and 18 hours of elective graduate study. The program also requires students without public or nonprofit administrative experience to take an additional six credits of supervised internship in an administrative or policy analysis capacity. Internships are waived for those students with appropriate, documented public or nonprofit experience.

Transfer of Graduate Courses: Because of a cooperative agreement made with Idaho State University and the University of Idaho, the MPA credits earned at those institutions can, with approval, be accepted into the Boise State University program. Transfer of credit from all other institutions is limited to 9 semester credits.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must present an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 in conjunction with a combined Graduate Record Examination (verbal and quantitative) of 1000 (for exams taken before August 2011) or 300 (for exams taken with the revised GRE testing pattern in 2011) to be considered for regular admission.  In addition, three letters of recommendation, transcripts from all previous academic institutions, and a comprehensive career goals statement are required for admission.  Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply to our program.   Boise State University and the Department of Public Policy and Administration are strong advocates of equal opportunity and diversity.

Curriculum Requirements

Core Courses

Core courses are intended to insure that each student acquires a broad range of policy analysis and management skills necessary for the changing public service working environment. These courses are based upon the core component requirements established by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. All students must take the following seven courses.

• PUBADM 500 Administration in the Public Sector
• PUBADM 501 Public Policy Process
• PUBADM 502 Organizational Theory
• PUBADM 503 Research Methods in Public Administration (will be replaced with the new FIVE one-credit, five-week MPA Methods Series courses Beginning Fall 2013)
• PUBADM 504 Public Budgeting and Financial Administration
• PUBADM 505 Public Personnel Administration
• PUBADM 692 Capstone
  

Areas of Emphasis

In addition to the core requirements, students must specialize in a selected area of public administration, completing 18 credits of elective courses (selected in consultation with the student’s academic advisor). The electives may include a six-credit research project. Students may study in one of three tracks: (1) general public administration, (2) environmental and natural resources policy and administration, or (3) state and local government policy and administration. The general emphasis allows students to construct their own specialty that serves their academic interests and career objectives. Elective courses typically taken by MPA students include:

• PUBADM 520 Community and Regional Planning
• PUBADM 530 Administrative Law and Regulation
• PUBADM 532 Grant Writing
• PUBADM 540 Contemporary Issues in Natural Resource & Environmental Policy & Administration
• PUBADM 541 Environmental and Regulatory Policy and Administration
• PUBADM 542 Science, Democracy and the Environment
• PUBADM 543 Public Land and Resource Policy and Administration
• PUBADM 550 The Executive and the Administrative Process
• PUBADM 560 State and Local Government Policy and Administration
• PUBADM 570 Public Management Skills and Techniques
• PUBADM 571 Ethics in the Public Sector
• PUBADM 596 Directed Research

Selected topics courses are offered on an irregular basis. Graduate courses from other disciplines may also be used as electives toward the MPA degree with approval of a student’s academic advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies per department policy.

Directed Research

Students may choose to include a six-credit directed research project in their 18 credits of electives. This advanced tutorial is a study in a specialized area according to the students’ needs and interests. The student conducts research, discusses the subject matter and procedures with a designated professor, and prepares a paper covering the subject.

Internship

The required internship for students without substantive administrative experience in the public or nonprofit sectors offers an opportunity to link academic experiences with professional practice. It can also be a valuable start to a professional career. Internships are served in local, state, or national offices or in appropriate governmental affairs departments, or in not-for-profit organizations. Six hours of academic credit are required. Internships are taken close to the end of the student’s course work.  Admitted MPA students with substantive administrative experience in the public or nonprofit sector may petition to have the internship waived. Please review the department guidelines and contact the Director of Graduate Studies.

Contact Information

Director of Graduate Studies: Dr. Elizabeth Fredericksen

Boise State offers two academic certificate programs for people interested in improving their ability to effectively manage conflict with others.

• The undergraduate 12-credit Dispute Resolution Certificate Program focuses on developing knowledge and skills in mediation and interpersonal conflict management.*

• The graduate-level 12-credit Conflict Management Certificate Program focuses on developing knowledge and skills in interpersonal conflict management, group and intercultural conflict management, negotiation, and mediation.

Both Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management are certificate programs. That is, students who have both completed a program and earned a college degree receive a certificate of completion from Boise State University. Additionally, Boise State lists completed certificate programs on University transcripts.

Faculty in both programs have professional experience as both university teachers and conflict management practitioners. Almost all have earned Certified Professional Mediator status through the Idaho Mediation Association.

For more information, please see About the Undergraduate Dispute Resolution Program or About the Graduate Conflict Management Program.

*Note: Students who have earned an associate’s degree may take the Dispute Resolution Certificate Program by itself. For students pursuing a bachelor’s degree, the Certificate Program is taken concurrently and the Certificate is awarded after students’ complete their degree.

Standard Occupation Classification

The program leading to the Graduate Certificate in Conflict Management develops skills for productive response to interpersonal and group conflict. These skills are relevant to a very broad set of occupations, including but not limited to many of the detailed occupations listed under the following major groups of the Standard Occupational Classification code (SOC codes in parentheses): Management Occupations (11-000), Business and Financial Operations Occupations (13-000), Community and Social Services Occupations (21-000), Legal Occupations (23-0000), Education, Training, and Library Occupations (25-000), Healthcare Support Occupations (31-000), and Protective Service Occupations (33-000). Information on SOC-coded occupations is available at www.bls.gov/soc/major_groups.htm and subsidiary links. The normal time to complete the certificate requirements is 1 year, the tuition and fees for normal time completion are estimated to be $3,744 (part-time status), and the typical cost for books and supplies not included in tuition and fees is estimated to be $450. It is very important that interested students consult the graduate program coordinator for clarification of this information, especially the role of the certificate in preparing individuals for employment in specific occupations.

Boise State offers two academic certificate programs for people interested in improving their ability to effectively manage conflict with others.

• The undergraduate 12-credit Dispute Resolution Certificate Program focuses on developing knowledge and skills in mediation and interpersonal conflict management.*

• The graduate-level 12-credit Conflict Management Certificate Program focuses on developing knowledge and skills in interpersonal conflict management, group and intercultural conflict management, negotiation, and mediation.

Both Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management are certificate programs. That is, students who have both completed a program and earned a college degree receive a certificate of completion from Boise State University. Additionally, Boise State lists completed certificate programs on University transcripts.

Faculty in both programs have professional experience as both university teachers and conflict management practitioners. Almost all have earned Certified Professional Mediator status through the Idaho Mediation Association.

For more information, please see About the Undergraduate Dispute Resolution Program or About the Graduate Conflict Management Program.

*Note: Students who have earned an associate’s degree may take the Dispute Resolution Certificate Program by itself. For students pursuing a bachelor’s degree, the Certificate Program is taken concurrently and the Certificate is awarded after students’ complete their degree.

***NOTE*** Dispute Resolution Certificate Curriculum Change

Students may now earn a Dispute Resolution Certificate (a 12-credit undergraduate program) without completing an internship. This option—called the Life Skills Focus—allows students to replace the Internship and Competency exam (3 credits total) with either of the following:

—  DISPUT 401 Negotiation (3 credits)

—  DISPUT 402 Culture and Conflict (3 credits)

Both the newly-approved Life Skills Focus and the original curriculum, the Mediation Focus, integrate skill development in conflict management, negotiation and mediation with relevant theory and research. Both focus areas have 9 credits in common:

—  DISPUT (COMM/SOC) 390 Conflict Management (3 credits)

—  DISPUT 400 Basic Mediation Skills (3 credits)

—  Three credits selected from a variety of DISPUT 494 workshops that provide training in specialized areas of conflict management and mediation

The new Life Skills Focus is intended to help those students who want to earn a Dispute Resolution Certificate, but cannot take time from work to complete the field internship—which most often occurs during weekdays in civil mediation programs provided at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise.

For more information please contact Dr. Bayard Gregory,via email at bayardgregory@boisestate.edu or phone at 208-426-2513.

Boise State is Idaho’s metropolitan research university, located in the state’s population center and capital city. Boise is an ideal place to live – the hub of government, business, the arts, recreation, health care, industry and technology. The campus is home of 11 Idaho Professor of the Year honorees since 1990 and the 2011 national champion student debate and speech team. Boise State is the largest university in Idaho with 22,678 students.

The university offers studies in nearly 200 fields of interest. Undergraduate, graduate and technical programs are available in seven colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, and Social Sciences and Public Affairs. Students can also study abroad, participate in one of the largest internship programs in the Northwest, and work with professors on health-related research to fight cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease, among others.

Campus life offers adventure and activity. More than 200 student organizations, new residence halls along the Boise River Greenbelt and a state-of-the-art Student Recreation Center provide opportunities for both individual development and fun. More than one million visitors come to campus annually for Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning speakers, Bronco football, Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Celebration and other events.

Boise State University is a public, metropolitan research university offering an array of undergraduate and graduate degrees and experiences that foster student success, lifelong learning, community engagement, innov

ation and creativity. Research and creative activity advance new knowledge and benefit students, the community, state and nation.Boise State aspires to be a research university known for

the finest undergraduate education in the region, and outstanding research and graduate programs. With its exceptional faculty, staff and student body, and its location in the heart of a thriving metropolitan area, the university is an engine that drives the Idaho economy, providing significant return on public investment.

With an enrollment of 22,678 students, Boise State is a progressive learning-oriented, student focused university dedicated to excellence in teaching, innovative research, leadership development and community service. Students are benefiting from a renewed emphasis on the undergraduate experience and reaching graduation day better prepared for the challenges of the 21st century.

Boise’s University

In its 81st year, Boise State University is truly coming of age in higher education. Our faculty, students, alumni and staff have put Boise State on the map with their breakthrough research and record of achievement. We are stretching beyond our regional roots and extending our academic and athletic influence to a national level.

But more importantly, we are deepening our partnerships and relationships close to home, where we serve as an urban university dedicated to the research and student experiences that drive economic development and contribute to a vibrant and healthy community. We are proud to be Boise’s university.

Boise State University is a partner in Boise 150 and is joining its city in celebrating this milestone. Our faculty are leading a number of activities – from “Thinking 150” events held in February to upcoming “Sesqui-Speaks” lectures on topics ranging from immigration to the environment. Boise State and The Story Initiative also are partners in Read Me Treasure Valley, which focuses on the city’s sesquicentennial.

To find out more about Boise 150, including upcoming events, projects and background, please visitboise150.org.

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In its 81st year, Boise State University is truly coming of age in higher education. Our faculty, students, alumni and staff have put Boise State on the map with their breakthrough research and record of achievement. We are stretching beyond our regional roots and extending our academic and athletic influence to a national level.

But more importantly, we are deepening our partnerships and relationships close to home, where we serve as an urban university dedicated to the research and student experiences that drive economic development and contribute to a vibrant and healthy community. We are proud to be Boise’s university.

Boise rises spectacularly from a lush, green valley as the City of Trees, surrounded by an outdoor playground of mountainous high desert. Nationally recognized for its safety, quality of life, outdoor recreation and beautiful sunny climate, Boise is many things to many people. It’s a big city but offers small-town warmth. It’s fast paced but also laid back. It’s sophisticated but friendly, too.

Boise is one of the most livable cities in the country with highly touted attributes

One of the “Healthiest Cities” (Women’s Health/Men’s Health)
One of the “Top 10 Places to Live” (Relocate America)
One of the “Best Places to Live 2011″ (Triathlete)
One of the “Best Cities for Raising a Family” (Forbes)
One of the “Best Places to Retire” (CNN Money)
The bridges that span the Boise River connect the university and the city in a mere 10-minute walk from the Quad to downtown. Located in the business, governmental and cultural center of Idaho, Boise State is a critical part of the region’s knowledge economy, culture and diversity. Together, Boise and Boise State make a great place to live, learn and work.

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