Develop the substantive skills, knowledge and values necessary to become an executive-level leader in the government, public-sector or nonprofit arenas.
This 48-credit doctoral program is geared toward working public administration professionals, senior-level public managers and prospective faculty.
As a D.P.A. student, you will choose a specialization based on your specific area of interest and professional goals. You can customize your specialization or specialize in one of the following five areas:
- administration of justice
- global affairs and human security
- health-care systems administration
- program administration
- program evaluation.
Additionally, you will:
- develop a thorough knowledge of the legal, ethical and political environments of public administrators
- understand the administrative functions of governmental agencies and gain expertise in strategic planning, program evaluation, advanced management techniques, program implementation and results-based leadership
- write and publish a dissertation, a significant research paper that makes a theoretical and practical impact on the field.
View the D.P.A. degree requirements.
Helping pay for your degree.
- The Schaefer Center for Public Policy offers selective
fellowships and assistantships
for full-time students to work on various center projects, as well as paid internships through the
NextGen Leaders for Public Service
program.
- There are departmental
graduate assistantships
that can help fund part or all of your tuition, and you'll gain academic, professional or research experience while working on campus and making progress toward your graduate degree.
- Students who apply for financial aid may be awarded Federal Work-Study as part of their financial aid package, depending on their need and eligibility.
Our accomplished faculty members are a great strength of the program. They regularly publish articles in leading major journals, serve on committees for national professional organizations and are nationally and internationally recognized theorists and practitioners. You could take classes from:
- a leading scholar in public administration ethics
- a former CFO of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- a recognized expert on diversity in organizations
- a former administrator of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- or National Academy of Public Administration Fellows.
Student Spotlight
Congratulations to Doctor of Public Administration student, Georgia Noone-Sherrod, on being selected as a 2024 ASPA Founders’ Fellow by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). Georgia is one of 22 students selected for the fellowship from institutions around the world.
In his nomination letter to the Founders’ Fellow selection committee, Associate Professor Ed Gibson wrote:
“A review of Georgia’s history of involvement with and advancement of the aims of underserved communities reveals a rich portfolio of immense and impactful leadership. She led disaster relief efforts, administered national outreach and advocacy efforts, orchestrated and implemented 1st Amendment defense, and led development on behalf of constitutional awareness. She held leadership posts for organizations including National Field, NAACP, ACLU, and American Constitution Society. In addition, Georgia has served as a board member and advisor for numerous organizations that advance the aims to which she has devoted her career.”
ASPA's Founders' Fellows program supports the next generation of public service leaders through a series of professional development opportunities. The Fellows attend and present at the ASPA Annual Conference—which will take place this April in Minneapolis, Minnesota—on a subject matter paper on an issue related to their scholarship or work, which is also published in PA TIMES Online, if they wish.
Designed to accelerate the careers of promising, rising stars in public service, the Founders’ Fellows program is open to graduate students as well as new professionals who are in the first three years of their career. This is ASPA's most competitive Fellowship program of the year.
For more information about graduate admission, please contact the Office of Admission at gradadmission@ubalt.edu or 410.837.6565.