Program Requirements

I.    Total hours required:

The total number of hours will be established by the student's advisory committee; 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.

II.    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.

III.    Amount of transfer credit accepted:

The Program will accept up to two courses in the core curriculum as transfer credit from other regionally accredited doctoral institutions, providing that the Interdisciplinary Public Policy Committee determines that the course or courses to be transferred are equivalent to some course or courses offered in the core.  The grade in these transfer courses must have been 'A' or 'B'.  All of the dissertation work must be completed at UNC Charlotte. 

IV.    Qualifying examinations and admission to candidacy:

After completion of the ten core courses, the student will be required to write a qualifying exam covering the nature of the field, methodology, and applied skills.  Following successful completion of the core examination, students will be required to write a qualifying 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 oral defense stage.

V.    Dissertation:

The dissertation topic may be proposed after the student has passed the qualifying 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 Graduate School.  The student must then complete 18 hours of dissertation.  The student must complete and defend the dissertation based on a research program approved by the student's dissertation committee that results in a high quality, original, and substantial piece of research.

VI.    Residency requirement:

The student 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 to be continuous if the student is enrolled in one or more courses in successive semester until 21 hours are earned.

VII.    Subject matter specialty

In addition to completion of 30 core course hours and 18 hours of dissertation, the student is expected to have broad knowledge of a relevant subject matter specialty such as: 

• Health Policy
• Justice Policy
• Social Policy
• Urban Regional Development and Infrastructure

VII.    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. 

Foreign Language.  There is no foreign language requirement.

VIII.    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.

Specialty Areas

Students must also have significant specific knowledge of some policy sector (e.g., health, justice, social, urban or regional government, etc.) in order to address the conceptual and policy development issues required to produce and manage regional growth and development.  The Program features following major areas of policy specializations:
 

• Health Policy
• Justice Policy
• Social Policy
• Urban Regional Development and Infrastructure

Students may also develop a focus in other related fields or design their specialty based on faculty resources available.

Here is the list of courses that includes core and specialty areas.

Dissertation
PPOL 8900.  (18 semester hours required)

Length of the Program

All students must complete the program within 8 years. The Public Policy Ph.D. is dedicated to maintaining a full year-round program. Students carrying a full course load each semester could normally complete the Program within 3-4 years. The Program encourages applications from both fulltime and part-time student. All courses are scheduled during late afternoon and early evening.

IX.    Financial Assistance:

The Ph.D. in Public Policy strives to provide academic-year funding for all fulltime students. In addition, the program and faculty strive to provide additional support for those taking summer courses on a fulltime basis. Various options for funding include graduate assistantships, full and partial tuition waivers, fellowships, grants, and scholarships. For more information on funding options contact Dr. David Swindell, Director, Ph.D. in Public Policy.