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Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration and Public Affairs

USA

3

What will I learn?

The mission of the Virginia Tech Center for Public Administration and Policy (CPAP) is to promote good governance and the advancement of capable and ethical public service by providing outstanding education, research and outreach in the theory and practice of public administration, management, and policy.

CPAP seeks:

To provide qualified public service professionals currently in service and pre- or early-career students who plan to become public service professionals with a rigorous program of study for developing managerial, analytical and normative evaluation skills in public management and public policy.

To prepare teachers and scholars for faculty service in colleges and universities around the country and the world, thereby broadening the scope of knowledge in public administration and policy studies among administrators and citizenry.

To engage faculty, practitioners, and graduate students in systematic research and study designed to improve the quality of policy making and public service within the varied jurisdictions of government in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the national capital region, as well as nationally and internationally.

CPAP offers two degrees: the Master of Public Administration (MPA) and the PhD. in public administration and public affairs. The Ph.D. is offered in Blacksburg and Arlington.

A minimum of 90 credit hours is needed for the Ph.D. in Public Administration and Public Affairs. A maximum of one half of the coursework required for the CPAP Ph.D., or 30 of 60 credit hours, may be transferred from an accredited university other than Virginia Tech upon approval by two core faculty evaluating the student's program of study. The 60 credit hours of required coursework encompasses foundation courses, advanced topics and capstone courses, measurement courses, and research concentration courses. Students must also take 30 hours of research and dissertation credit, three hours of which must be constituted by participation in 15 sessions of the Doctoral Mentoring Program (DMP) or other activities approved by the faculty for DMP credit.

Which department am I in?

College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences

Study options

Full Time (90 credit hours)

Tuition fees
US$30,702.00 per year
Start date

September 2025

Venue

Virginia Tech

925 Prices Fork Road,

BLACKSBURG,

Virginia,

24061, United States

Full Time (90 credit hours)

Tuition fees
US$32,863.00 per year
Start date

September 2025

Venue

National Capital Region - Arlington Campus

900 North Glebe Road,

ARLINGTON,

Virginia,

22203, United States

Entry requirements

For students from United States

Students must have a minimum GPA: 3.0.

For international students

Admission to the Graduate School is contingent upon receipt of a four year (or 3 year degree recognized by the Bologna process) bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university and the presentation of evidence of potential to pursue graduate work.

Minimum GPA: 3.0

Testing Requirements:

TOEFL Paper 550.0

Computer 213.0

iBT 80.0

A minimum IELTS score of 6.5 is required for admission.

Application Deadlines: Fall: May 01; Spring: Nov 01.

*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.

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