Admission Requirements

The following are general guidelines for successful admissions into the Ph.D. in Public Policy Program:

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 3.5 and are currently enrolled in a master’s level program at UNC Charlotte in a field related to policy studies. However, 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 requires strong scores (at least at the fiftieth percentile) 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 requires 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 are expected to remedy any coursework deficiencies identified by the Admissions Committee and Program Director in the first semester after enrolling in the Program. The amount and kinds of remedial coursework required for the program depends on the background of the student and are established by the Admissions Committee and the Program Director. Possible deficiencies are indicated in the prerequisites for the required core courses of the program. This program emphasizes the quantitative and analytical skills necessary to confront the challenges of contemporary policy dilemmas that communities face at the local, state, federal, and international levels.

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 reviews applications and recommends to the Program Director whether each applicant should be admitted and, if so, under what conditions.
2. The Program’s Admissions Committee assesses each student’s previous academic coursework in light of the student’s stated direction of study.This assessment is used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the student’s previous academic history and to suggest specific coursework for the student’s public policy program. Any remedial coursework required for the program depends on the student’s background and will be established by the Admissions Committee and 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 conducts this assessment upon the student’s acceptance and formal declaration of intent to attend. For each entering student, the Director of the Public Policy Program serves as his or her major advisor for the first year in the Program before the student chooses his or her committee chair.

Student Responsibility
Students entering the program must present evidence that their background is sufficient to undertake the coursework required of them. Such evidence ideally should include some combination of:

1. Familiarity with political and legal processes, behaviors, and institutions
2. A graduate level social science methods or statistics course
3. College coursework in both macro- and micro-economics
4. Substantial background in a public policy specialty area

Students may have completed appropriate courses to provide this background elsewhere. Normally, transcripts 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 prerequisite coursework can be found online at publicpolicy.uncc.edu.

Admission to Candidacy Requirements

After completing the core courses, students are required to write a qualifying examination covering the nature of the field, methodology, and economic analysis skills.  After completing the qualifying examination, students take their policy field courses.  Successful completion of core courses and the qualifying examinations allows students to proceed to the dissertation proposal preparation and defense stage.  The dissertation proposal defense includes an oral presentation and written proposal.  Prior to the proposal defense, with the guidance of their advisor, students develop a topic paper that outlines the policy area on which their dissertation will focus.  After a topic approval meeting, students develop that topic paper into a full proposal.  During the oral component of the proposal defense, the student addresses not only the specific research topic about which they will write but situates that topic in the larger body of  relevant policy literatures; the defense serves as the comprehensive examination.  Procedures for establishing the dissertation committee are addressed in the Student Handbook and in the Public Policy Seminar course.

Assistantships

The Ph.D. in Public Policy is committed to academic year funding for all full-time students. Additional support for summer sessions may be available through program funds and research grants working with program faculty. Available options for funding include graduate assistantships, teaching assistantships for those interested in careers in academia, and scholarships. For more information on funding options, contact the Director of the Public Policy Program.

Tuition Waivers

For full-time students with a Graduate Assistantship or Teaching Assistantship, full or partial tuition support is also available from the Graduate School’s competitive Graduate Assistant Support Plan (GASP). GASP is a highly competitive multi-year support package. Students enrolled are eligible to receive full payment of in-state tuition, non-resident tuition (if required), and health insurance.

Degree Requirements

The total number of hours is established by the student’s advisor according to a plan of study that must be presented after the successful completion of 18 credit hours of coursework.  The Ph.D. Program requires 26 credit hours of core course credit, at least 6 credit hours of advanced analysis coursework, 18 credit hours of dissertation credit (enrollment contingent on admission to candidacy), and a minimum of 15 credit hours for specialty elective courses.  It is unlikely that students will be able to complete this degree, including mastery of a subject-matter specialty, in 65 credit hours; 70-75 credit hours is more likely.  Students progress through the program in five stages:

1. Core Courses
2. Qualifying Examination
3. Advanced Analysis Coursework and Specialty Policy Field Courses
4. Dissertation Proposal Defense
5. Dissertation

Core Courses:

The Ph.D. program requires 26 credit hours of core courses.

Advanced Analysis Coursework

Prior to defending a dissertation proposal, students must complete at least six (6) credit hours of advanced analysis coursework at the doctoral level. These credits may be taken outside the PPOL program with the approval of the Program Director. Students are encouraged to choose courses that cover the types of analysis that are prevalent in the student’s policy area of interest.

Policy Application

After students have completed the 26 core course hours and the 6 advanced analysis course hours, they are prepared to select a substantive application for their dissertation research.  Students, in consultation with their advisor, take a minimum of 5 courses (15 credit hours) in a substantive area on which their dissertation will focus.  While the core courses prepare students to develop, implement, and evaluate policy, the dissertation research provides the opportunity to put those tools into a substantive context.  Public Policy at UNC Charlotte is in Charlotte’s Urban Research University and the program is particularly strong in studying the various aspects of urban policy, including issues of economics, social inequality, education, health, development, criminal justice, and other aspects of urban life locally and globally.  Thus, students should, in consultation with their advisor, develop a set of research questions and substantive interest on which their dissertation will focus.  Students are encouraged to work with their advisor and the Program Director to design a program of study tailored to their policy interests by combining courses in several of these policy areas.  While the particular courses required in each policy area may vary according to prerequisites needed by the student or individual programs of study, the minimum number of required courses in any given policy area is five (5) for 15 credit hours.

Examples of such areas and typical course sequences include:

Advising/Committees

While the Program Director serves as the de facto advisor for each student for the first year, the Program Director works with the students and faculty to help the student work with a suitable advisor. Once the student is matched with the advisor, they work closely with that advisor on suggested schedules of classes, research options, and other issues important to success. After approximately one year in the program, each student is expected to have identified the faculty member with whom they would like to mentor, with the expectation that this mentor would ultimately serve on the student’s committees. Following completion of the policy field courses, students establish their dissertation advisor and form a dissertation committee. The procedures for establishing these committees are in the Student Handbook and are addressed in the Public Policy Seminar.

Grade Requirements

A student must maintain a cumulative average of 3.0 in all coursework taken for graduate credit. An accumulation of three 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 Graduate School. The grade in these transfer credits must have been A or B. All of the dissertation work must be completed at UNC Charlotte.

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 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 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.

Other Requirements

PPOL 8690 Public Policy Seminar Series 
Students in the program develop their appreciation of the varied nature of policy applications and improve their communication skills by participating in at least three seminar series throughout the course of their program. This seminar also serves as a clearinghouse, introducing students to the varied faculty in the program. Each term a series of guest speakers prepare monthly seminars reflecting a range of policy issues and challenges. Students engage in activities aimed at professional development for both practitioners and for those interested in pursuing careers in academia.

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

Each student should make application for his/her degree by completing the online Application for Degree through Banner Self Service no later than the filing date specified in the University Academic Calendar. 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 coursework 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 complete the degree requirements in five years.