Ph.D. in Public Policy
704-687-4520
http://www.uncc.edu/ppol/
Degree
Ph.D./Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy
Director
Dr. Gerald L. Ingalls, Interim
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
Graduate
Faculty
Criminal Justice
Bruce Arrigo
Beth Bjerregaard
Paul Friday
Vivian Lord
Economics
John Gandar
Benjamin Russo
Peter Schwarz
Jennifer Troyer
Geography and Earth Sciences
Harrison Campbell
Owen Furuseth
Bill Graves
Edd Hauser
Gerald Ingalls
Ronald Kalafsky
Jiyeong Lee
Tyrel Moore
Heather Smith
Wei-Ning Xiang
Health Behavior and Administration
William McAuley
Lutchmie Nurine
Gerald "Jerry" Pyle
Shirley Travis
History
Gregory Mixon
Management
Beth Rubin
Philosophy
Rosemarie Tong,
Political Science
Theodore Arrington
William Brandon
Ken Godwin
Gary Johnson
Suzanne Leland
Schley Lyons
Tiffany Manuel
Gary Rassel
David Swindell
Richard Waterman
Sociology
and Anthropology
Charles Brody
Yang Cao
Scott Fitzgerald
Rosemary Hopcroft
Janet Levy
Roslyn Mickelson
Stephanie Moller
Teresa Scheid
Joseph Whitmeyer
Diane Zablotsky
The Ph.D. in Public Policy at UNC Charlotte is an interdisciplinary program focusing on the study of urban regional development. It stresses the development of skills, tools, and specialties that contribute to our understanding of the structure of urban/regional systems and sub-systems and of how policy should be shaped within urban regions.
The Ph.D. in Public Policy at UNC Charlotte prepares students to be researchers, decision makers and policy analysts in academia, local, state or federal government and not-for-profit and for-profit institutions. The Program stresses applied and empirical policy research that is grounded in an interdisciplinary theoretical foundation. Students will become versed in analytical techniques suitable for research and policy analysis to address substantive issues and problems in the context of urban regions. The intellectual focus of the Program is guided by three overarching themes: (1) Interdisciplinary Perspective: Effective policy analysis and policy formation are not informed by any single discipline. Rather, public policy requires knowledge of the historical, cultural, political, institutional, geographic, and economic dimensions of urban places. (2) Applied and Empirical Policy Analysis: Public policy is an inherently applied endeavor that seeks practical solutions and cogent analysis. While all research and analysis is informed by theory, the purpose of policy research is to elevate public discourse and improve public decision-making. (3) Place-Based Research: To exercise applied policy analysis in an interdisciplinary context, policy research must be place-based. Real policy analysis, based on real data, applied to actual urban settings is a strength of the Program.
Admission
Requirements
The following are general guidelines for successful admissions into the Ph.D. in Public Policy:
1) A master's degree in a social science or other field related to policy studies is required for admission to full standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy.
2) Exceptional performance at the master’s level is required. This means a GPA of at least 3.3 in a master’s degree program is required for admission. Students with baccalaureate degrees may be admitted on a conditional basis if they have an overall undergraduate GPA of at least 3.2 and are currently enrolled in a master’s level program at UNC Charlotte in a field related to policy studies. But such students will not formally be admitted to the Ph.D. program until completion of the requirements for the master's degree.
3) Admission to the program will require strong scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytic sections of the Graduate Record Examination. The Graduate Record Examination is a required part of the application package.
4) Three strong, positive letters of recommendation, at least two of which must come from faculty in the student’s previous academic programs. All letters should be written by individuals in a position to judge the applicant’s likely success in a Ph.D. level program. Letters should address the applicant's suitability for a Ph.D. program and ability to complete the program in a timely fashion. Letters from the student’s master’s level program are preferred.
5) Admission to the program of students who are not native English speakers will require strong scores on the TOEFL exam. The TOEFL exam is a required part of the application package for non-native English speakers.
6) Students entering the program will be expected to remedy any course work deficiencies identified by their advisory committee in the first semester after enrolling in the program. The amount and kinds of remedial course work required for the program will depend on the background of the student and will be established by the Graduate Admissions Committee and the student’s advisory committee. Possible deficiencies are indicated in the prerequisites for the required core courses of the program. However, it is important to note that this program will emphasize the quantitative and analytical skills necessary to confront the challenges of urban and regional growth and development.
Documents to be submitted for
application for admission:
1)
Official transcripts from all colleges and
universities attended
2)
Official GRE scores (verbal, quantitative, and
analytical)
3)
The UNC Charlotte application for graduate
admission form
4)
Three letters of reference from academics who
have taught or worked directly with the applicant.
5)
An essay that addresses professional goals and
motivation for pursuing the degree, suitability for the program, career goals
following the degree, and the policy specialty the applicant would pursue
within the Program.
6)
TOEFL scores (if the student is not a native
English speaker)
Admission Assessment
1) An Admissions Committee will review applications and recommend to the Program Director whether each applicant should be admitted and, if so, under what conditions.
2) The Program’s Admissions Committee will assess each student's previous academic coursework in light of the student’s stated direction of study. This assessment will be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the student’s previous academic history and to suggest specific course work for the student’s public policy program. Any remedial course work required for the program will depend on the student’s background and will be established by the Admissions Committee and confirmed by the Program Director. The Admissions Committee may also suggest specific coursework based on the student’s intended direction of study within the program. The Admissions Committee will conduct this assessment upon the student’s acceptance and formal declaration of intent to attend. For each entering student, a member of the Public Policy Faculty will be selected to serve as his or her major advisor for the first year in the Program.
Student Responsibility
Students entering the program must present evidence that their background is sufficient to undertake the coursework required of them. Such evidence must include:
1) familiarity with political and legal processes, behaviors, and institutions;
2) familiarity with the nature of urban regions;
3) a graduate level social science methods or statistics course;
4) college course work in both macro- and micro- economics;
5) a course in Geographic Information Systems (GIS); and
6) substantial background in a public policy specialty area.
Students may have completed appropriate courses to provide this background elsewhere. Normally, transcripts will provide the evidence required by the Admissions Committee. However, if the student’s previous experience is offered as evidence, the student must document such experience. A more detailed list of the types of pre-requisite coursework can be found on the Program’s website.
Admission
to Candidacy Requirements
After completing the core courses, students will be required to write a qualifying exam covering the nature of the field, methodology, and applied skills. After completing the core examination, students will be required to write a comprehensive exam covering their area of specialty expertise. Successful completion of both core and specialty examinations allows students to proceed to the dissertation proposal preparation and defense stage.
Assistantships
The Ph.D. in Public Policy is committed to year around funding for all fulltime students. Available options for funding include graduate assistantships, full and partial tuition waivers and scholarships. For more information on funding options contact Dr. Gerald Ingalls, Director, Ph.D. in Public Policy.
Tuition
Waivers
A limited number of out-of-state tuition waivers are available for the qualified students.
Degree Requirements
The total number of hours will be established by the student's advisory committee according to a plan of study that must be presented after the successful completion of 18 hours of coursework. However, the Ph.D. Program requires: 30 hours of core course credit, 18 hours of dissertation credit (enrollment contingent on admission to candidacy) and a minimum of 15 hours credit for specialty electives. It is unlikely that students will be able to complete this degree, including mastery of a subject-matter specialty, in 65 hours; 70 - 75 hours is a more likely norm.
Core Courses:
The Ph.D. program requires 30 hours of core course credit.
The Nature of the
Field
PPOL8600 Policy Process I
PPOL8602 Research Design
PPOL8635 Ethics of Public Policy
PPOL8690 Seminar in Public Policy*
Methods of Analysis
PPOL8620 Quantitative Analysis I
PPOL8621 Quantitative Analysis
II
PPOL8622 Qualitative Analysis
PPOL8630 Advanced Program Evaluation
Economic Analysis
PPOL8640 Economic Analysis I
PPOL8641 Economic Analysis II
PPOL8801 Dissertation
* PPOL8690 is a one credit hour course. Students must enroll in it three separate times.
Track Descriptions
In addition to completing 30 core course hours and 18 hours of dissertation, the student is expected to have broad knowledge of a relevant subject matter specialty. Students are required to complete a minimum of 5 classes in a coherent specialty area. The Public Policy Ph.D. program has the following specialty areas: health policy, social policy, urban regional development, criminal justice policy, and environment/infrastructure policy. A student may design a program of study with a different focus by combining classes in several of these specialty areas with the approval of the student’s advisor and the Program Director. While the particular courses required in each specialty area may vary according to pre-requisites needed by the student or individual programs of study, the minimum number of required courses in any given specialty area is 5 for 15 credit hours.
Urban Regional Development and Infrastructure
The Urban & Regional Development Specialization stresses applied and empirical policy research that is grounded in an interdisciplinary theoretical foundation. Students will be prepared in analytical techniques suitable for research and policy analysis through courses addressing several topics at the neighborhood, city and regional levels, including: Economic Development; Transportation Policy; Infrastructure Provision ; Public Service Delivery ; Growth Management ; Regionalism and Governance
Required courses for
this specialty include:
PPOL8610 Urban Regional Environment
PPOL8611 Metropolitan Governance and Administration
PPOL8613 Transportation Policy
Two Additional Courses from These Choices:
PPOL8612 Theory of Urban Development
PPOL8614 Colloquium in 20th Century Black Urban History
PPOL8615 The
PPOL8616 Urban Planning Theory and Practice
PPOL8617 Law and Management
PPOL8618 Growth Management Systems
PPOL8642 Regional Economic Development
PPOL8643 Rural Development Issues
PPOL8644 Public Budgeting and Financing
Environmental Policy
The Specialization in Environmental Policy focuses on environmental issues impacted by energy production and consumption, growth, pollution, and population change. This specialty allows interested students to gain knowledge on the economic factors related to environmental degradation and improvement. It also allows them the opportunity to become familiar with the scientific aspects of urban air, water, and earth systems. Policy making and policy analysis related to these issues will all be covered by courses in this specialty.
Required courses for
this specialty include:
PPOL8613 Transportation Policy
PPOL8650 Environmental Policy
PPOL8652 Energy and Environmental Economics
Select two additional classes from the list below:
PPOL8653 Urban Air Quality
PPOL8655 Watershed Science and Policy
PPOL8656 Earth Systems Analysis: Biogeochemical cycles
Health Policy
The Specialization in Health Policy focuses on applied research in the organization, delivery and financing of health care and population-based issues in health (including mental health). A multidisciplinary faculty in epidemiology, health economics and finance, health policy, medical sociology, bioethics, and health law is ideally suited to prepare quantitative health service researchers and health policy analysts. Qualified students without a relevant Master’s degree can prepare for the Ph.D. by completing coursework in the masters in health administration (MHA), the MA in medical sociology, or the MS in Health Promotion while enrolled in the PhD with a Specialization in Health Policy.
Required courses for
this specialty include:
PPOL8661 Social Organization of Health Care
PPOL8663 Health Policy
PPOL8665 Analytic Epidemiology
PPOL8667 Economics of Health and Health Care
PPOL8669 Investigating Health and Health Services
Justice Policy
The Justice Specialization provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of crime and society's response to it. This concentration prepares students to conduct research and policy analysis on local, state, and national policies and policy initiatives and provide information for policy makers. The primary goal of this specialization is to provide students with the tools necessary for critically and objectively assessing policies related to the administration of justice. Toward that end, students gain the appropriate analytical skills, an understanding of the nature of criminal behavior and its impact, and knowledge about the criminal justice system as well as about a variety of issues related to the control of crime. They also become familiar with the process of making and implementing justice policy and with those organizations involved in this process.
Required courses for
this specialty include:
PPOL8671 Criminal Justice Policy
PPOL8672 Theories of Crime and Justice
PPOL8673 Law and Social Control
PPOL8681 Race, Gender, Class and Public Policy
One other class from the other specialties
Social Policy
The Specialization in Social Policy prepares scholars, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to address crucial social issues facing communities and our nation including social welfare, education, poverty, housing and homelessness and the role of public, nonprofit, and private sectors in alleviating and contributing to such problems. In addition to dealing with these topics in their own right, the social policy specialization focuses on the complex interrelationships among these issues and the manner in which they are influenced by--and in turn influence--prevailing patterns of racial, ethnic, and gender stratification. The social policy specialization provides the theoretical background, methodological training, and substantive knowledge that will allow students to make important contributions to the development, implementation, and evaluation of public policies addressing these most vexing and important social issues of our time.
Required courses for
this specialty include:
PPOL8681 Race, Gender, Class and Public Policy
PPOL8682 Stratification and Social Policy
PPOL8683 Population Dynamics and Social Policy
The student needs to select two additional classes from the list below:
PPOL8685 Aging and Social Policy
PPOL8687 Education Policy
PPOL8688 Political Economy & School Reform
PPOL8689 The Social Context of Schooling
Students may also develop a focus in other related fields or design their specialty based on faculty resources available. As with all programs, such a program would need the approval of the student’s advisor and the Director of the Program. Program faculty will continue to develop additional substantive and methods courses.
Advising/Committees
Students will be assigned to an advisor soon after enrolling in the Program and will work closely with that advisor on suggested schedules of classes, research options, and other issues important to success. Students will be responsible for forming their dissertation committees. Following completion of the comprehensive and qualifying examinations, students will choose a dissertation advisor and form a dissertation committee.
Grades
Required
A student must maintain a cumulative average of 3.0 in all course work taken for graduate credit. An accumulation of two C grades will result in termination of the student’s enrollment in the graduate program. If a student receives a grade of U in any course, enrollment in the program will be terminated.
Transfer
Credit
The Program will accept up to two courses in the core
curriculum as transfer credit from other regionally accredited doctoral
institutions, providing that the Admissions Committee determines that these
courses are equivalent to those offered in the core or one of the specialty
areas. The acceptance of transfer credit is subject to the approval of the
Language
Requirement
There is no foreign language requirement.
Dissertation
The program requires that the student complete 18 hours of
dissertation credit. Enrollment in dissertation credit is contingent on
admission to candidacy. The dissertation topic may be proposed after the
student has passed the qualifying and comprehensive exams. The doctoral student advances to candidacy
after the dissertation proposal has been defended to, and approved by, the
student's advisory committee and reported to the Director of the Ph.D. in
Public Policy and the Dean of the
Other
Requirements
Public Policy Seminar Series. Students in the Program will develop their appreciation of the varied nature of policy applications and improve their communications skills by participating in at least three seminar series throughout the course of their program. Each term a series of guest speakers will prepare monthly seminars reflecting a range of policy issues and challenges.
Research Opportunities
The Ph.D. Program in Public Policy has an extensive pool of professors to enhance the research opportunities and experiences for the students. Each program of study could be individually tailored for the research of the student with the possibility of individual studies under the supervision of an advisor.
Application
for Degree
Students must apply for the degree when they are close to completing the Program. After successful defense of the dissertation, a student will be conferred with the doctoral degree.
Residency
Requirement
Students must satisfy the residency requirement for the program by completing 21 hours of continuous enrollment, either as course work or dissertation credits. Residence is considered continuous if the student is enrolled in one or more courses in successive semesters until 21 hours are earned. All 18 hours of dissertation credit must be earned at UNC Charlotte.
Time
Limits for Completion
The student must achieve admission to candidacy within six years after admission to the program. All requirements for the degree must be completed within eight years after first registration as a doctoral student. These time limits are maximums; full-time students will typically be expected to complete the degree requirements in five years.
Courses in
Public Policy
PPOL 8000. Topics in Public Policy. (1-4) Pre-requisites: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Study of selected topics in Public Policy. Maybe repeated for credit. (On Demand)
PPOL 8600.
PPOL 8601. Policy Process II. (3) Pre-requisite: PPOL 8600.
Continuation of Policy Process
PPOL 8602. Research Design in Public Policy. (3) Introduces students to various quantitative and qualitative approaches to doing policy research. Considers such major issues in philosophy of science as causality, measurement, and post-positive approaches to research. Students may use the course to prepare their dissertation proposals or research grant and contract proposals. Students should have completed at least two quantitative analysis courses and one qualitative analysis course before registering for PPOl 8602. (Spring)
PPOL 8610. Urban Regional Environment. (3) Prerequisite: Prior course work or experience relevant to the nature of urban regions. Examination of the nature of urban regions. The basic factors that shape urban regions as they grow. Impact of: geography; history; social factors; economic factors; concerns about gender, race and ethnicity, and class; and other determinants of the nature of urban regions, their problems, and possible policy solutions. (Fall)
PPOL 8611. Metropolitan governance and administration. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Introduction of major issues in urban politics and related trends and problems in urban governance and administration. (Spring)
PPOL 8612. Theory of Urban Development. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Analysis of urban economics and politics within the context of public policy and planning. Focuses on theory and application to understand the rationale for and effects of urban policy, urban economic development, and planning. Provides basic understanding of the operation of urban real estate markets and the motivation for public sector interventions. Applies theoretical foundations to the study of current urban problems and controversies. Familiarity with introductory microeconomics is required. (Fall)
PPOL 8613. Transportation Policy. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the instructor. This course examines surface transportation from a broad public policy perspective with a special focus on its institutional components and the changing role of government in transportation policy-making including the evolution of, and relationships among, various federal, state and local policies that affect investment decisions in transportation infrastructure. (On demand)
PPOL 8614. Colloquium in 20th Century Black Urban History. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Examination of major and topical monographic works in African-American urban history during the twentieth century. The focus will be on such topics as” classical urban examinations by black scholars, ghettoization and alternative theories, community and its institutions, riot sand urban rebellions, biography, black mayors, and urban policy. (Fall as needed)
PPOL 8615. The
PPOL 8616. Urban Planning Theory and Practice. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Alternative planning theories and application of theories in urban planning practices. (Alternate years)
PPOL 8617. Law and Management. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Constitutional and administrative law issues, including a survey of academic debates over contested issues, and selected areas in constitutional law on civil liberties and civil rights. (Spring)
PPOL 8618. Growth Management Systems. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Exploration of growth management programs, legal and planning issues, and legislation to determine their merits, weaknesses and abilities to promote more sustainable development patterns. Will emphasize difficulty of changing traditional procedures of development and land use. (On demand)
PPOL 8620. Quantitative Methods in
PPOL 8621. Quantitative Methods in Public Policy II. (3) Prerequisite: PPOL 8620, Quantitative Methods in Public Policy I. Advanced quantitative methods as applied to analysis and solution of public problems. Use of quantitative methods to analyze public problems; to devise appropriate, effective, acceptable public policies; to evaluate public programs; and to present the results of quantitative analysis to appropriate audiences. (Spring)
PPOL 8622. Qualitative Methods in Public Policy. (3) Advanced qualitative methods as applied to analysis and solution of public problems. Use of qualitative methods to analyze public problems, devise appropriate, effective, and acceptable public policies; evaluate public programs; and present the results of qualitative analysis to appropriate audiences. (Spring)
PPOL 8625. Advanced Seminar in Spatial Decisions Support Systems . (3) Pre-requisite: GEOG 5120 or consent of the Instructor. Theoretical aspects of spatial DSS including technical, social, political and psychological considerations; system s design; systems manipulation; and case studies. Three hours of lecture and one-two hour lab per week. (Fall)
PPOL 8630. Advanced Program Evaluation. (3) Development and application of policy analysis to the evaluation of existing public policies. Particular attention to the use of multiple techniques of analysis and presentation of program evaluations to relevant audiences. (Fall)
PPOL 8635. Ethics of Public Policy. (3) Ethical questions in the study, formation, implementation, and evaluation of public policies. Ethical dilemmas faced by the public policy analyst, and the importance of use of values analysis. Emphasis on understanding how values are communicated by a variety of stakeholders in policy systems and how communicating public policy solutions involves an understanding of the role of values in successful policy formation and implementation. (Spring)
PPOL 8640. Economic Analysis of Public Policy I. (3) Economic role of government, efficiency versus equity, externalities, and public goods, market failures and government failures, economics of centralized versus decentralized decision making, public choice theory, economics of privatization, economic role of non-profits and non-governmental organizations. (Fall)
PPOL 8641. Economic Analysis of Public Policy II. (3) Prerequisite: PPOL 8640. Economics of taxation and government borrowing, benefit-cost analysis, regional growth and development, econometric analysis of local and regional public policy issues. (Spring)
PPOL 8642. Regional Economic Development. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy; PPOL 8610; Intermediate microeconomics; or permission of the Instructor. Course covers classical, neo-classical and contemporary theories of trade, economic geography, and regional development. Topics include theories of urban and regional growth, location theories, human capital, labor force and entrepreneurial contributions to growth. Policy dimensions of urban growth and development are addressed from theoretical and empirical perspectives. (Fall)
PPOL 8643. Rural Development Issues. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. This course provides research experiences that focus on policy formulation, and demographic, economic and planning issues in rural areas. (Fall)
PPOL 8644. Public Budgeting and Financing. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Focus is on the public budget process as a means of policy development, analysis and implementation. It will also address in more depth issues of financing the policies authorized in the budget and for which appropriations are sought. (Spring)
PPOL 8650. Environmental Policy. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. This course draws upon concepts and tools from economics, geography, law, sociology, political science, and planning to explore the concept of sustainable development, a central tenet of environmental policy. Environmental policy will be analyzed within the federalist framework. (On demand)
PPOL 8652. Energy and Environmental Economics. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Economics issues of both energy and environment. Energy issues include the historical development of energy resources, supply and demand considerations, and projections of the future energy balance. Environmental issues are externalities, common property resources, and government regulation. Policy considerations include environmental standards, pollution charges, and property rights. Cost-benefit analysis and microeconomic theory are applied. (On demand)
PPOL 8653. Urban Air Quality. (3) Pre-requisites: Ph.D. student and permission of instructor. Examination of the relationships between climatic processes and urban air quality with emphasis on trends and patterns. Topics will include health and environmental effects of air pollution, ozone climatology, pollutant transport, transportation related emissions, risk assessment, and air quality management. (Fall)
PPOL 8655. Watershed Science Policy. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Examination of the cycling of water and chemical elements within forested, agricultural and urbanized watersheds. Land use regulations designed to protect water quality are examined with respect to hydrologic and biogeochemical process that operate at the watershed scale. (On demand)
PPOL 8656. Earth Systems Analysis: Biogeochemical Cycles. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. This course examines the Earth’s water and major elemental cycles including those of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus and the major crustal elements. Uncertainties in the current state of global elemental cycles are examined. Special emphasis is placed on how these cycles are currently being modified through human activities. (On demand)
PPOL 8661. Social Organization of Health Care. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Focuses on the structures and operations of health care institutions and providers. The topics covered include the socio-historical development of the existing health care system, health care occupations and professions, professional power and autonomy, professional socialization, inter-professional and provider-client relations, health care organizations, and how change affects the delivery of health care services. (Summer)
PPOL 8663. Health Policy. (3)
Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy and a
graduate level course providing an adequate introduction to the
PPOL 8665. Analytic Epidemiology. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy and a graduate level courses such as HPKD 6189 and HADM 6103 or permission of the Instructor. Principles and methods of studying advanced epidemiology, with emphasis on analytical approach. Includes advanced techniques in the establishment of disease causation in groups and communities. Such topics as risk assessment, environmental exposures, stratification and adjustment, and multivariate analysis in epidemiology are covered. (Fall)
PPOL 8667. Economic of Health and Health Care. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy, PPOL 8640 and PPOL 8641 or permission of the Instructor. This course will use economic theory and econometrics to analyze the functioning of the health care sector and appropriate public policy. Topics will include: how markets for medical care differs from other markets, the demand for medical care, the demand and supply of health insurance, the role of competition in medical markets, managed care, managed competition, and the role of the public sector in regulating and financing health care. (Fall)
PPOL 8669. Investigating Health and Health Services. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy and PPOL 8620 and PPOL 8621 or permission of the Instructor. The emphasis of this course is how to conduct and evaluate research necessary to health policy. Students will be expected to conduct research utilizing a variety of methodologies and will also learn how to access available secondary data sets relevant to health care and policy. The specific topics include: multidisciplinary collaboration, measurement of health related constructs and health care outcomes, and health evaluation (cost, quality, access). Students will be expected to develop their dissertation proposals as one outcomes of this class. This class is designed to be a seminar, and active participation in class discussion and activities is essential. (Fall)
PPOL 8671. Criminal Justice. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Examination of the criminal justice subsystems (law enforcement, courts, corrections) with particular focus on the development of policy and the effectiveness of current policies aimed at reducing crime. (Fall)
PPOL 8672. Theories of Crime and Justice. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. This course is designed to expose students to mainstream and critical theoretical approaches to crime, justice, and criminal behavior. An emphasis on both broad conceptual orientations allows us to assess the development of criminology within an array of historical and philosophical contexts during the past three centuries. (On demand)
PPOL 8673. Law and Social Control. (3) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Examines how the criminal law functions as a powerful tool of social control in our society. Particular emphasis is given to understanding the constitutional limitations placed on construction of law, the elements of criminal offenses, and criminal defenses. (Spring)
PPOL 8681. Race, Gender, Class and Public Policy.
(3) Prerequisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy
or permission of the Instructor. This course is designed as an overview of
major theories, trends and debates on the topic of gender, race and economic
inequality in the contemporary
PPOL 8682. Stratification and Social Policy.
(3) Prerequisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy
or permission of the Instructor. This course examines (a) structures and
processes underlying social stratification in the
PPOL 8683. Population Dynamics and Social Policy. (3) Prerequisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Basic population characteristics, such as age distribution, life expectancy, fertility, and trends in these characteristics are relevant to nearly all social policy. This class is an introduction to basic concepts and tools of demographic analysis and how they may be applied to the study of social policy including family policy, aging policy, and minority groups’ policy. (On demand)
PPOL 8685. Aging and Social Policy. (3) Prerequisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. This course is designed to utilize the concepts of social gerontology as a Springboard for examining social policy for an aging population. Examination of the public policy making process with attention to aging policy. Consideration of determinants of aging policy and institution and actors in the policy making process and piecemeal development of legislation will be analyzed as factors related to the making of policy for the aged. (On demand)
PPOL 8687. Education Policy. (3) Prerequisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. This course examines equity, efficiency, and diversity tradeoffs among alternatives systems of delivering K-12 education. The course also examines how to evaluate educational policies and programs. (On demand)
PPOL 8688. Political Economy of School Reform. (3) Prerequisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. This course examines between business leaders’ vision for school reform and the school restructuring movement, the reforms which arise from their construction of the problem, local educational restructuring efforts within the context of the larger national reform movement, and the opportunities and dangers of corporate-inspired educational policies. (On demand)
PPOL 8689. The Social Context of Schooling. (3) Prerequisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. The purpose of this course is to examine the relationships among certain aspects of the contemporary social structure and educational processes and outcomes. It explores the ways that the social class structure, race, and gender stratification affect the ways individuals experience, understand, and acquire education. (On demand)
PPOL 8690. Seminar in Public Policy. (1) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy or permission of the Instructor. Series of guest speakers giving monthly seminars on a range of policy issues. Designed to increase familiarity with the variety of topics and methods covered by policy making and analysis. Student participation and oral critique of a selected speaker and their topic. (Fall/Spring)
PPOL 8800. Independent Study in Public Policy. (1-6) Pre-requisite: Full graduate standing in the Ph.D. in Public Policy and the permission of the Instructor. (On demand)
PPOL 8801. Dissertation. (1-9) Prerequisite: passage of qualifying examinations, and approval of dissertation topic by the student’s advisory committee. In-depth study of a practical problem in public policy. Analysis of the problem, preparation of a policy solution, and presentation of the solution to appropriate stakeholders and the public. Pass/no credit grading. Maximum of 18 hours allowed under this course designation. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
PPOL 8802. Dissertation Residence. (1) Prerequisite: completed enrollment in 18 hours of dissertation with grade of IP, In Progress. This course is to allow a student who has taken all permissible 18 hours of dissertation to remain in residence to finish work on the dissertation. Pass/no credit grading. Credit for this course does not count toward the degree. (Fall, Spring)
Changes to the core or
the specialty area courses can be found on the Program’s website:
http://www.uncc.edu/ppol/
or at the
http://www.uncc.edu/gradmiss/
Notes on course frequency and
prerequisites:
1) The core courses listed above are available only to students admitted into the Ph.D. in Public Policy or to students admitted to other Ph.D. programs.
2) Consent of the instructor is required on all classes in the Public Policy Ph.D.
3) There are no specific prerequisites for many of the courses listed above; however the general levels of preparation are described in greater detail on the program’s website.
Many of these courses will be offered during one of the summer sessions as well as during the semester specified in the course description.