Current Students

This handbook is intended to provide current students in the PhD Program in Public Policy and Administration in Boise State’s School of Public Service with a detailed set of program policies, procedures, and timelines.  Our hope is that this handbook will help you to be successful in the program.

It answers the most frequently asked questions for students during the various stages of the program from application through graduation and provides basic guidelines for you to use to track your progress through the program. We encourage you to read this handbook carefully and refer to it as you plan and make choices.  Students should frequently meet with their advisors early in the program for planning purposes, and then with their Supervisory Chair once they begin preparing for comprehensive exams and the dissertation proposal.  

The policies and proposals in this handbook frequently refer to these important resources:

1. the Boise State University Graduate Catalog and Graduate College website
2. the PhD Program Website

Forms and information are frequently updated, so students should always refer to these online resources for the most up-to-date information.  Additional resources and procedures such as student services and policies on plagiarism can also be found online.

The PhD Program in Public Policy and Administration (PPA) is housed within the School of Public Service at Boise State University.  The program is designed to prepare students for senior level positions in public, non-profit, civic, and international organizations. Occasionally students also seek positions in academic or researching settings. The degree provides a sound foundation in current administrative practice in public administration and in the practice of public policy and management.

Students move through the program in stages: application, coursework, comprehensive examination, dissertation proposal, dissertation writing, and dissertation defense.  Faculty in the School of Public Service work closely with students, first as professors in seminars and coursework, then as supervisory committee members who mentor students through the exam and dissertation processes.

The study and practice of public policy and administration is inherently interdisciplinary, and students will have the opportunity to work with faculty from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds in the School of Public Service and beyond.  For information on SPS faculty, please visit our website.

At the same time, the curriculum is organized to ensure that students receive a strong foundation in policy analysis that will prepare them for careers in public policy and administration. The culminating activity, the dissertation or the three-essay  project, must be centered around this foundation.

Upon admission to the program, the program graduate coordinator will assign a temporary academic advisor to each student in order to advise on initial course work. After taking coursework for a year or so, this procedural advisor and/or the Program Director will work with the doctoral student to identify a Supervisory Committee Chair with expertise in the student’s emphasis area. From that time on, the Chair of the Supervisory Committee serves as the student’s principal advisor, and will guide the student through remaining coursework, the comprehensive exams, and the dissertation.

The major advisor (Supervisory Chair) is the primary mentor for the student and must be a member of the graduate faculty of Boise State with an endorsement to chair a supervisory committee from the Graduate College. The Supervisory Chair and students will fill out an annual evaluation form, found on the program website, detailing their progress in the program while also updating their PDF if need be. This process is outlined below.  

The supervisory committee for students in the PhD program in PPA is composed of members of the Graduate Faculty who are appointed by the Graduate College and charged with the guidance of a student admitted to a specific graduate degree program. The committee consists of a major advisor who serves as Supervisory Chair plus at least two (2) but no more than four (4) additional members who are chosen to provide a broad range of knowledge and expertise to the student. 

When assembling a supervisory committee, students should choose faculty members who will best be able to guide them successfully through the comprehensive exam, dissertation proposal, dissertation writing, and dissertation defense processes in Public Policy and Administration.  Following Graduate College policy, a majority of the committee members must hold appointments in the academic unit(s) responsible for the program, which for PPA is the School of Public Service.  Furthermore, each supervisory committee must feature at least one faculty member with expertise in Public Policy and Administration (i.e., either teaches or has taught in the MPA or PPA curriculum, or has disciplinary expertise or training in this area).

All committees and Chairships will need to be approved by the Program Director and the Graduate College through the Supervisory Committee Form, as required by the Graduate College.

It is important to note that it is possible that students may want to change their Supervisory chair as their research interests evolve. Students are encouraged to talk to the Program Director about these changes to help guide that process. 

In the beginning of Spring semester, students need to update their Program Development Form, and they must complete a self-evaluation. Both of these are due to their advisor (your dissertation chair, if you have one, and your procedural advisor otherwise) by January 15. The advisor will complete their evaluation of the student, and have a meeting to discuss the evaluation (unless the student chooses to waive the meeting after reading their comments and if the advisor indicates you are making good progress). However, please note that if the student is evaluated as Needs Improvement or Further Action Required in any category, the student is required to meet with their advisor, and the Program Director is available to join that meeting at  request of the student or the advisor.  This process should be completed by February 15, at which time the program development form should also be completed. The student should email these forms, cc’ing their advisor, to the Program Director and the program graduate coordinator, to be placed in the student’s file.

According to the Boise State Graduate Catalog:

“The program of study leading to a Ph.D. degree must satisfy the following minimum credit requirements: 66 total, at least half of which need to be earned in courses exclusive of dissertation. All credit applied to meet the credit requirements must be graduate academic credit except that a limited number of credits earned in undergraduate courses outside the major field of study are allowed (see Restrictions on Certain Courses). In all cases, at least two thirds of the total credit requirement must be earned at Boise State University after admission to the program. All credit must be approved for application by the supervisory committee.” 

Students who have not yet been admitted to the program may take up to 9 credits of coursework with instructor’s permission, excluding 600-level seminar courses.  Pending approval by the student’s advisor and the Program Director, these credits may be used toward the student’s total required credit hours for the PhD program and are considered part of transfer credits.   These classes may be any combination of PUBADM 501, 503 or 500-level elective credits when space is available on the roster and with instructor permission. 

According to Boise State’s Graduate Catalog:

“A Ph.D. student must be proficient in English and may be required to demonstrate a prescribed level of ability in one or more other languages. If language ability beyond proficiency in English is required, the means of verification are defined by the academic unit responsible for the program… All Ph.D. programs must be consistent with the following restrictions. An academic unit responsible for a particular Ph.D. program may impose more stringent restrictions for that program.”

An undergraduate course may be applied to meet the credit requirements of a Ph.D. degree subject to the following restrictions: 

1. The course must be an upper-division course and must be in a discipline outside the major field of study of the Ph.D. program.
2. A grade of B or better must be earned in the course.
3. The course cannot represent effort for an undergraduate thesis, internship, practicum, independent study or research, conference or workshop, experiential learning, study abroad, seminar, or colloquium. 

In general, any course applied to a previously earned degree or certificate of any type at any institution cannot be applied to meet the credit requirements of a Ph.D. degree. The only exception is a course applied to a master’s degree previously earned at a regionally accredited U.S. institution or non-U.S. institution approved by the Graduate College and the Registrar. Each course allowed under this exception is subject to the following additional restrictions: 

1. A grade of B or better must have been earned in the course.
2. The course cannot represent effort for a graduate culminating activity or for experiential learning. 

Courses allowed under this exception are limited by the fundamental requirement that at least two thirds of the total credit requirement for the Ph.D. degree must be earned at Boise State University since admission to the program. 

No more than one third of the total credit requirement exclusive of culminating activity credit (693 Dissertation) can be met by the sum of credits earned in undergraduate courses, pass-fail courses, and university-wide courses numbered 590, 594-596, 598, and 696 (or equivalent courses that may appear as transfer credits). An exception to this restriction may be considered when the courses are outside the major field of study, are taken to expand interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary educational experiences, and are approved by the academic unit and the Graduate College by an academic adjustment.

After being admitted, students should schedule a time to meet with their procedural advisor to fill out the Program Development Form (PDF), which can be found on the PhD program website.  The PDF aids students and their advisors in mapping out which courses the student will take when, given the student’s interests and the program’s course offerings.  Understanding which courses are required, course progressions (including co-requisites and prerequisites), and other program requirements can ensure students complete their coursework in a timely manner. This PDF will then be reviewed and approved by the Program Director.

A course rotation form can be found on the program website; there, students will find a list of courses, along with when courses can reasonably expect to be offered.  Students should understand that sometimes events occur—such as faculty sabbaticals or curricular changes—that may affect the predicted course rotation.  Therefore, PDFs should be treated more as a map for navigating the curriculum than as a contract.  

Students and advisors are also encouraged to consider graduate course offerings provided by the School of Public Service and the university in general, provided they satisfy the student’s interests and course of study.  Students are allowed to take a maximum of 12 credits of electives outside the PPA program (as long as the rest of their credits come from the program) and credits must be related to a student’s field of study. The PhD program requires that classes taken outside the program must be taken for a grade, and students must earn an A or B to have these credits count toward their PhD. See the University Registrar’s official grading system.

For all Boise State classes taken outside the School of Public Service, students must complete a petition. An Academic Adjustment Form is not necessary unless the Boise State credits are being used to substitute for an existing program requirement or to supplant a previously filed Candidacy Application. Students must have prior approval from their advisor and the program director to take such courses. 

The program provides quite a bit of flexibility to students when it comes to the selection of elective courses in PPA that a student may take.  The program is more prescriptive, however, when it comes to the core curriculum and the methods sequence.  Students, with their cohort, should plan to enroll in PUBADM601 during their first semester of admittance to the program. With the exception of SPS 609, students must finish all core courses and the method sequence the semester before they take their comprehensive exams. More information about the methods sequence can be found on the program’s website and on the program development form.

According to the Graduate College Catalog:

“The minimum duration of study for the Ph.D. degree is three academic years beyond the baccalaureate degree. All requirements for a Ph.D. degree (including courses completed at another college or university) must be started and completed within a single continuous interval of no more than ten years. “ 

However, Boise State does not have a continuous enrollment policy, so students can stop out for a semester (for up to five total semesters) and they are still considered in good standing and can come back and enroll in a subsequent semester without penalty. It is important to pay attention to the time clock if you do pursue this option.

Students may complete up to 6 credits of Directed Research (PUBADM 696) as elective credits. Students work with a single professor (who is a member of the graduate faculty) to complete a research paper of publishable quality that includes original research. Directed Research requires a clear statement of a hypothesis or proposition, a review of the relevant literature, analysis, and synthesis of data or scholarly evidence, and inference of conclusions. Completion of an Application for Directed Research is required prior to the deadline specified in the University’s semester schedule. The application must include outcomes (e.g., paper to be presented at conference; article to be submitted to journal); methods must be delineated; signatures must be completed in the order provided on the form.

Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA every semester. If the student fails to meet the semester GPA requirement and the failure is the second occurrence since admission to the program, the student will be administratively withdrawn from the program by the Graduate College. If the student fails to achieve a program GPA of 3.0 or better, the student is ineligible for a degree. Students cannot list a course on the Application for Admission to Candidacy if it is graded lower than a C. Transfer courses can only be listed if they are a B or higher. If the student does not meet consecutive semester or overall 3.0 GPA requirements, the student may appeal for reinstatement through PPA and then through the Graduate Dean.

The graduate college policy limits students to retaking only certain credits and only with written approval from the program, and limits the student to retaking a class only once. PPA does not generally authorize retaking a class. In general, students may not retake PUBADM courses regardless of whether the course was taken for graduate credit or taken as credit to be applied to an undergraduate program. If extraordinary circumstances exist, admitted PhD students may provide a written appeal of this policy to the program Director within 30 calendar days of when grades were made available to students through myboisestate.edu. Students who register for a class without approval will be administratively withdrawn.

The PPA PhD program allows up to 21 credits to be transferred from another institution according to the following guidelines:

1. Transfer credit must be graduate academic credit representing a grade of B or better, awarded by a regionally accredited U.S. college or university or by a non-U.S. institution of higher education that is approved for transfer purposes by the International Admissions Office. Continuing education units (CEU), non-academic credits, and undergraduate credits are ineligible as transfer credit.
2. Culminating activity courses, courses where the grade is based only on attendance, and courses representing experiential learning, regardless of the level (undergraduate or graduate), are ineligible as transfer credit.
3. Application of transfer credit must be approved by the graduate program including the student’s Supervisory Committee and PhD Program Director.

This previous coursework is subject to the restrictions and guidelines established by the Graduate College and University Registrar.

What’s the maximum number of dissertation credits you can take each semester?

12 credits

Can you take more than 18 dissertation credits that are outlined in the program development form?

Yes

Can I take dissertation credits in the same semester as other culminating activities (e.g. dissertation proposal, comprehensive exam)?

Yes but students should make sure that they are in good standing to complete the milestones before their dissertation work and should do this in consultation with their Supervisory Chair and the Program Director.

Can I take advanced methods or theoretical courses before taking the basic or introductory methods and theoretical courses?

No. There are prerequisites for these courses so we can scaffold your learning to meet our program learning outcomes.

According to the Boise State Graduate Catalog, “A Ph.D. student must pass a comprehensive examination that assesses 1) depth and breadth of knowledge in the major field of study and in one or more related disciplines and 2) readiness to undertake dissertation research.” 

The catalog continues, “Considerable autonomy is granted to the academic unit in the design, administration, and evaluation of the doctoral comprehensive examination for a Ph.D. student. However, the student must be in regular status and registered for at least one credit of 691 Doctoral Comprehensive Examination during the semester or term of the first attempt at the comprehensive examination, and the examination must be administered in time to process and submit the grade when grade reports are due in the Office of the Registrar. If the student passes the comprehensive examination, a grade of pass (P) is submitted for the PUBADM 691 credit(s). If the student fails the comprehensive examination, then the academic unit responsible for the program follows the procedure described in Failure of the Comprehensive Examination (below).”

Doctoral students are eligible to sit for their comprehensive examination after having completed their coursework, but must complete the exam prior to completing 48 credits exclusive of PUBADM 693. 

Beyond superior effort in coursework, students seeking the distinction of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration must successfully complete three tiers of assessment:  a PhD comprehensive examination, an oral presentation of the student’s dissertation proposal, and the public presentation and defense of the dissertation.  The comprehensive exam for this degree marks the culminating event for the first stage of the PhD in Public Policy and Administration.

Faculty members in the PPA program have developed reading lists and core concept lists in Public Administration and Public Policy. These reading lists and core concept lists are available on the program website. Supervisory Chairs will ensure that students know about these resources so they can prepare for the comprehensive exam. Students are not to share the questions from their comprehensive exams with their fellow students so that the process remains fair for all students. 

The comprehensive exam includes responses to three questions followed by an oral examination if the written responses are deemed satisfactory to move to the next stage. The examination will take place during the first week of classes in August for fall semesters and the first week of classes in  January  for spring semesters.  Students are given one full week (seven days, from Monday, 8am, to Monday, 8am) to complete the exams.  Students may use any resources at their disposal to write the exam, but all submitted written and intellectual work must be completed by the student and only the student.  Plagiarism, relying on or paying others to do work on the exam, or otherwise copying responses or material will result in a failed comprehensive exam, with no possibility of retake. 

Responses to each of the three written exam questions (see below) are limited to 3,000 words each (for a total of 9,000 words, excluding bibliographic references).  All outside resources should be properly cited according to APA style.  Exams should be typed and double-spaced and submitted as Word documents to the Committee no later than 8am on the Monday at the end of the exam period. Students will also have access to the assessment rubric in advance of the exam so they can understand how they will be evaluated.

Students taking the comprehensive exam in a given semester will receive four questions (two public administration questions and two public policy questions) and will be expected to submit answers to three of those questions. If a student is emphasizing public administration, then that student will answer both public administration questions and will respond to one of the public policy questions (student choice). If a student is emphasizing public policy, then that student will answer both public policy questions and will answer one of the public administration questions (student choice).

The Assessment Committee, comprised of two members of the PPA PhD program, will  receive exam responses on the Monday morning at the end of the exam period, and should have exams graded by the morning of Friday of that same week (giving four full days to grade).

Written exam assessment. Graders should indicate to the Program Director  whether they would mark the exams as “pass with distinction,” “pass,” “low pass,” or “fail.”  If the student receives a “pass with distinction” on all three questions, they do not need to take the oral examination. If they receive a “pass” on a question, then the oral defense of that question is optional per judgment of the assessment committee. If they receive a “low pass,” an oral examination of that question is required. If all or part of the exam receives a “fail,” then the students fails the comprehensive exam. If there is disagreement about the assessments, the Program Director will appoint a third member to the Assessment Committee to determine the outcome of the written exam.  Once assessments  have been submitted to the Program Director, the Program Director will provide specific, qualitative feedback (not specific grades) to the student regarding areas needing improvement, expansion, or further discussion.

Oral examination. For those students receiving “pass” or  “low pass” on any of the questions, they need to take an oral examination based on the assessment feedback. Please note that the oral examination for students receiving a “pass” on the written question is at the discretion of the committee.  Oral examinations will be scheduled soon after the initial written examinations have been graded, and will last approximately 90 minutes.  They will be closed to anyone except the Assessment  Committee and student, unless the Assessment Committee has requested the Program Director attend.

When the oral exam is complete, the Assessment Committee will compile exam results and communicate them to the Program Director in writing, indicating whether each of the three responses receives a “pass” or “fail.”  The Director will then communicate the results to the student. If a student clearly and distinctly passes all questions with satisfactory performance during the oral examination, then the Program will submit a grade of pass (P) for the PUBADM 691 credits, and the student is authorized to begin the dissertation phase of the program. If a student fails part or all of the exam questions in conjunction with the oral examination, then the Program must follow the policy and procedures outlined in the Graduate Catalog at Boise State University, described below.

If the committee determines that the student fails the exam in its entirety,  this failure  of the comprehensive examination is documented by submission of a Report of Failure of a Comprehensive Examination form to the Graduate College and by submitting the appropriate grade for 691 Doctoral Comprehensive Examination. A comprehensive examination that is failed on the first attempt can be repeated ONCE with entirely new questions, but only if a second attempt is requested and approved by the program. Any request for a second attempt must be in writing to the graduate program coordinator and must be made within five (5) working days after the doctoral student has been notified of the failure. If a second attempt is not requested, or if a request is made but not approved by the program, then a grade of fail (F) is assigned to the 691 credit(s) and the doctoral student is dismissed from the program and Boise State by the Graduate College.

If the request is approved by the program, then the second attempt must occur within twelve (12) months after the first attempt, and an incomplete grade (I) is assigned to the 691 credit(s) until the result of the second attempt is known. If a second attempt is not made within twelve (12) months after the first attempt, or if the second attempt is failed, then a grade of fail (F) is assigned to the 691 credit(s) and the doctoral student is dismissed from the program and Boise State University by the Graduate College. Any extension to the twelve-month limit on the second attempt must be appealed using a Graduate Appeal Form, and must be approved by the graduate program coordinator (the Program Director in the PPA case)  and by the Dean of the Graduate College.

Please contact our administrative assistant for a current list of the public policy and public administration reading lists.

Comprehensive Exam Assessment rubric

According to Boise State’s Graduate Catalog,

“A Ph.D. student must prepare a dissertation written in clear and effective English that embodies the results of his or her original scholarly research.  A dissertation proposal must be approved in advance of the dissertation research by the supervisory committee. The dissertation proposal presents the background, objectives, scope, methods and time lines of the dissertation research. Substantive work done by the student prior to the appointment of the supervisory committee or work represented by credit other than 693 Dissertation (such as 596 Independent Study and 696 Directed Research) is not acceptable for the dissertation under any conditions.”

The catalog continues,

“A Ph.D. student must register for at least one credit of 693 Dissertation in any semester or session in which the student is engaged in dissertation activity, including the semester or session of the final oral examination, regardless of the number of 693 Dissertation credits already accumulated by the student.

The dissertation entails original research conducted by the student at the doctoral level in a manner that meets rigorous peer-reviewed standards. The dissertation proposal should be prepared and presented within a year of the student’s successful comprehensive examination, but before substantive advanced coursework or research in the student’s dissertation area commences. After the student submits a formal dissertation proposal to the Supervisory Committee, then upon review and approval of that proposal, the Supervisory Committee authorizes the student to schedule a formal oral presentation.”

1. Written proposal:  Students should work closely with their Supervisory Chair in order to determine an appropriate timeline for submitting the 25-30 page written proposal to their committee and receiving feedback before the oral defense.  Generally speaking, if a student’s written proposal contains serious problems or deficits, these should be addressed before the oral defense is scheduled.
2. Scheduling the oral defense:  Once the committee has provided feedback and agreed that the student is ready to schedule the oral defense, the student should work with the Supervisory Chair and the Program Director to schedule the defense.  The defense is not open to the public, although other SPS faculty members may be invited to attend, provided all committee members and the student approve and have a good justification for the invitation.
3. Oral proposal defense structure:  Students should prepare an approximately 30-minute oral presentation for the committee, followed by an approximately 30-minute question-and-answer and/or discussion period.  The student will then be asked to leave the room so the committee can deliberate.  Once the committee has made a decision (pass, pass with conditions, fail) the student should be invited back in and informed of the decision.  Any conditions should be communicated then.  The Supervisory Chair is responsible for communicating the outcome of the defense to the Program Director, and providing a copy of the Dissertation Proposal Competency form (below) to the student, committee members, Program Assistant, and Program Director for inclusion in the student’s file.

Pass:  If all committee members agree that the student has passed without conditions, the student is approved to begin work on the dissertation writing process, in consultation with the Supervisory Chair and committee.

Pass with conditions:  If the committee agrees that the student passes but must meet certain conditions to proceed, those conditions should be clearly articulated on the Dissertation Proposal rubric, along with a plan of action, including a timeline, for how the conditions will be addressed.  The Supervisory Chair is responsible for communicating expectations and updates with the rest of the committee, the student, and the Program Director.

Fail:  If the committee believes the student has failed the Dissertation Proposal, the student, Supervisory Chair, and Program Director should schedule an in-person meeting to map out a course of action, including creating a process whereby appropriate and constructive feedback will be provided the student, and a timeline for rescheduling the proposal defense, if appropriate.

PhD in Public Policy and Administration, Boise State University

Student Name:  _________________________________

Student ID#:________________________

Date:  ________________

Title of Project: _______________________________

Outcome of dissertation proposal defense (circle one):

• Pass
• Pass with conditions (please describe):
• Fail

Summary comments:

Supervisory Committee Chair Signature:  ____________________________________

Committee Member Signature:  ____________________________________

Committee Member Signature:  ____________________________________

Committee Member Signature:  ____________________________________

Committee Member Signature:  ____________________________________

All committee members may fill out this form, but the Supervisory Chair is responsible for synthesizing feedback onto one form for submission.  Copies of the master form will be given to the student, committee members, Program Assistant, and Program Director following the defense.

If Pass or Pass with Conditions:  student is ready to submit the Application for Admission to Candidacy (AAC) and Alternative Residency Plan (ARP) forms (if part-time).

According to Boise State’s Graduate Catalog,

“The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is the most advanced research degree awarded by the University. It requires demonstration of expertise in a major field of study, a working understanding of one or more related disciplines, independent research leading to a significant and original contribution to knowledge, and (in some cases) proficiency in one or more foreign languages. Recipients of the Ph.D. degree generally engage in careers of active scholarship in a wide variety of employment settings.” 

“Original research carried out by a student at the doctoral level is documented by a dissertation. A dissertation is characterized by a clearly stated proposition or hypothesis that is investigated using analysis and synthesis of data or other scholarly evidence. The dissertation must demonstrate mastery of the relevant literature and the ability of the student to independently and successfully address a substantial intellectual problem with concepts and methods that are accepted in the major field of study.”

The catalog continues: 

“A Ph.D. student must register for at least one credit of 693 Dissertation in any semester or session in which the student is engaged in dissertation activity, including the semester or session of the final oral examination, regardless of the number of 693 Dissertation credits already accumulated by the student. The student cannot undertake the final oral examination unless enough 693 Dissertation credit has been accumulated to meet the degree requirement for such credit. The student is not required to register for 693 Dissertation credit in the semester or session subsequent to the semester or session in which the Graduate College receives the format review copy of the dissertation and the Final Reading Approval pages signed by the chair of the supervisory committee (or designee). The student must submit the format review copy and the signed Final Reading Approval pages to the Graduate College no later than the last day of the final exam week of the semester or session. Failure to meet this deadline will require the student to register for at least one credit of 693 Dissertation in the subsequent semester or session. “

“All 693 Dissertation credits are graded in-progress (IP) until a final grade of either pass (P) or fail (F) is assigned by the academic unit responsible for the program. A grade of pass (P) is assigned to all 693 credits if the final oral examination is passed, and a grade of fail (F) is assigned to all 693 credits if the student fails the final oral examination. See Final Oral Examination and Failure of the Final Oral Examination (below).

It is important for the student to keep in mind that a grade of pass (P) in all 693 credits is not sufficient to satisfy the dissertation requirement for a Ph.D. degree and does not clear a student for graduation. A dissertation that has been successfully defended by the student at the final oral examination must also be granted final reading approval by the major advisor (chair of the supervisory committee), and must pass the format review of the Graduate College. The dissertation in final form must also be approved by the Dean of the Graduate College, and because the dissertation is expected to be available to other scholars and to the general public, the entire dissertation must be archived and made publicly accessible. Please refer to Theses and Dissertations in the Graduate Academic Regulations section of this catalog.”

The dissertation for PPA should demonstrate the student’s mastery of best practices in research for public policy and administration and should reflect original research that advances policy and/or public administration scholarship. Students should work with the Program Director and their supervisory committee to ensure adequate progress.

PPA PhD Student Profile: The PhD program in Public Policy and Administration (PPA) primarily admits students interested in conducting applied policy analyses in the fields of public administration and/or public policy.  As a result, the majority of our students enroll in the program in order to master applied research skills that will enable them to advance in careers they already have, or because this training will open up additional career opportunities for them.  At the same time, PPA faculty expect, and the Graduate College policies and procedures clearly articulate, that doctoral candidates will conduct independent research, using evidence, that makes a contribution to the state of knowledge in their chosen field:

Original research carried out by a student at the doctoral level is documented by a dissertation. A dissertation is characterized by a clearly stated proposition or hypothesis that is investigated using analysis and synthesis of data or other scholarly evidence. The dissertation must demonstrate mastery of the relevant literature and the ability of the student to independently and successfully address a substantial intellectual problem with concepts and methods that are accepted in the major field of study (2016-17 Graduate Catalog). 

Traditional Format:  Given the PPA PhD student profile, in practice, faculty in Public Policy and Administration advise the majority of PPA PhD students to write their dissertations in what might be considered a traditional or “monograph” format.  This format often includes sections such as an introduction, literature review, methodology, presentation of data, and discussion of implications.

3-Essay Format Justification:  However, there are rare cases in which a student would be better served by an alternative dissertation model.  For example, although the student profile described above is the most common in PPA, occasionally the program admits students who have, or over the course of their studies develop, an interest in careers in academe or other organizations where peer-reviewed research is expected.  In these cases, it may best serve the student and his or her committee to adopt a 3-essay model, with the outcome being that a student would be able, at some point, to turn these essays into peer-reviewed articles.

3-Essay Format Guidelines:  The student’s Supervisory Committee is largely responsible for ensuring the student is doing quality, doctoral-level research.  The PPA PhD program Director and Graduate College Dean and staff perform checks to ensure policies and procedures are being met.  As a result, committees are responsible for ensuring that all dissertations meet the requirements stated above in the Graduate Catalog, regardless of format.

However, the PPA program has agreed on some general guidelines for students wishing to adopt the 3-essay alternative format:

1. The doctoral candidate and his or her committee must have articulated an appropriate and convincing reason for adopting the 3-essay format (e.g., the student is interested in applying for a position where having publication-ready chapters will make the student more competitive on the job market).
2. The 3-essay format typically consists of an introduction, a minimum of three related essays (each of which is of publishable quality in a peer-reviewed journal), and a conclusion, along with whatever other materials committees may deem necessary.  Committees should take into careful consideration the student’s training, abilities, and timeline before agreeing to a 3-essay format.
3. The decision to use the 3-essay format needs to be approved by the Program Director.
4. In PPA, the expectation is that the student will be the sole-author of each of the three essays.  However, the program may make rare exceptions to this rule, such as when a student is working on a collaborative project (as is often the case with funded research) where other contributors need to be acknowledged as secondary authors.  Even in these cases, though, students and their committees must be able to demonstrate that the bulk of the research and writing was conducted independently by the student, and students must be first-author on all work submitted for the dissertation.  Authorship agreements must be approved by the student’s supervisory committee and the Program Director.
5. Each of the 3 essays in the dissertation will need to feature the elements of a typical peer-reviewed article in the student’s discipline.  Elements in one essay may not be repeated (i.e., cut and pasted) into another essay, though some overlap in sections such as literature review or methodology may be expected, as they would for any scholar publishing multiple pieces in the same area.  In short, committees must ensure that students working under the 3-essay format are completing independent, quality work that they agree is potentially publishable according to standards of peer-review.

The schedule below, drafted by one of our first graduates (Dr. Stephanie Lenhart) provides an example of a schedule a student might create in concert with their committee for writing and receiving feedback on the dissertation.  Note that graduate student deadlines, time for faculty reflection and feedback, revision time, and a few “slack” weeks are built into the schedule.

According to the Boise State Graduate Catalog, “A Ph.D. student must pass a final oral examination that rigorously and deeply probes the ability of the candidate to describe and defend all aspects of the dissertation research in both a public setting and in a private conference with experts.”

“The final oral examination for a Ph.D. student (also called a defense) must consist of three sequential parts in which the student presents and defends the dissertation research: 1) a public presentation, 2) a public question and answer session, and 3) a private question and answer session with a committee of experts known as the defense committee. The final oral examination should occur no later than the date specified in the academic calendar; this date is set to allow time for final revision and processing of the dissertation so that a student who passes the final oral examination has a reasonable chance for graduation in the same semester or session.

Announcement of the public presentation to the university community is required and should precede the presentation by at least two weeks. The defense committee must include the entire supervisory committee plus a nonvoting graduate faculty representative (GFR) appointed by the Dean of the Graduate College. The GFR must be a member of the Graduate Faculty and a member of an academic unit not represented on the supervisory committee. The GFR conducts all three parts of the final oral examination according to procedures established by the Graduate College.”

While GFR representation is mandated by the Graduate College, having a “external examiner” present is left up to individual program discretion.  Students in PPA are not required to have an external examiner attend or be involved in the dissertation defense.

The catalog continues, “The result of a final oral examination for a Ph.D. student can only be reported as pass or fail. The determination of pass or fail is by a vote of the voting members of the defense committee with a simple majority determining the outcome unless the academic unit responsible for the program requires a unanimous vote for pass. If a tie vote occurs, then the student is considered to have failed the final oral examination. A result of pass is immediately documented by the signatures of the voting members of the defense committee on the Defense Committee Approval form that is to be bound with the paper copies of the thesis. A result of fail is immediately documented on a Report of Failure of a Final Oral Examination form that is submitted to the Graduate College by the GFR. See Failure of the Final Oral Examination (below).”

“Failure of a final oral examination (any attempt by a Ph.D. student) is documented by submission of a Report of Failure of a Final Oral Examination form to the Graduate College and by submitting the appropriate grade for 693 Dissertation as described in this section. A final oral examination that is failed on the first attempt can be repeated once, but only if a second attempt is requested by the student and approved by the academic unit responsible for the program. The request by the student for a second attempt must be in writing to the head of the academic unit and must be made within five working days after the student is notified of his or her failure. If a second attempt is not requested by the student, or if a request is made by the student but not approved by the academic unit, then a grade of (F) is assigned to all 693 credits and the student is dismissed from the program by the Graduate College. If the student’s request is approved by the academic unit, then the second attempt must occur within twelve months after the first attempt, and IP grades are maintained for all 693 credits until the result of the second attempt is known. If the student does not make a second attempt within twelve months after the first attempt, or if the student fails the second attempt, then a grade of (F) is assigned to all 693 credits and the student is dismissed from the program by the Graduate College. Any extension of the twelve-month limit on the repeat attempt must be approved by the academic unit and by the Dean of the Graduate College.”

After the Supervisory Committee has approved the dissertation as a final version, the student will work with his or her Supervisory Committee to schedule the final oral examination in which the student will defend the dissertation.

Please note that extended information and instructions are available on the Graduate College website.

1. Scheduling:  Supervisory Chairs, committees, and PhD candidates should consult the graduate catalog and academic calendar at the beginning of the semester.  According to the graduate catalog, “The final oral examination should occur no later than the date specified in the academic calendar; this date is set to allow time for final revision and processing of the dissertation so that a student who passes the final oral examination has a reasonable chance for graduation in the same semester or session.”At this time, the Supervisory Chair should submit a “Graduate Defense Notification Form” to the Graduate College.  This is an electronic form that provides the “official” notice of the defense to the Grad College.
2. Location:  Supervisory Chairs should work with the Program Assistant to secure a room large enough to host a public audience.  Arrangements for any audio-visual needs (such as a screen, projector, laptop, etc.) should also be made.  The Program Assistant will work with the Program Director to provide light refreshments for attendees.  The graduate college recommends reserving a room for 2.5 hours, though many defenses will only last for approximately 90 minutes.
3. Defense format: According to the graduate catalog, The final oral examination for a Ph.D. student (also called a defense) must consist of three sequential parts in which the student presents and defends the dissertation research:a) a public presentation,
   b) a public question and answer session, and
   c) a private question and answer session with a committee of experts known as the defense committee.A good rule of thumb is to plan for the student to present for approximately 30-45 minutes; for the public question and answer session to last for approximately 30 minutes; and for the private question and answer session to last for approximately 30 minutes.  The Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR; see below) will be responsible for ensuring this process moves along in a timely and appropriate manner.
4. Publicizing the defense:  The defense should be announced at least 2 weeks in advance.  The Program Assistant and Program Director are responsible for making sure the defense is properly publicized.  One common way to do this is to post written announcements in places where students and faculty are likely to see them.   The Program Assistant can assist with preparing flyers to be posted in the ERB and elsewhere. An email announcement should be sent to the PhD-in-PPA email group, and the SPS Dean’s office should be notified of the defense so that SPS faculty and students may also be invited.
5. Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR):  According to the graduate catalog,“The defense committee must include the entire supervisory committee plus a nonvoting graduate faculty representative (GFR) appointed by the Dean of the Graduate College. The GFR must be a member of the Graduate Faculty and a member of an academic unit not represented on the supervisory committee. The GFR conducts all three parts of the final oral examination according to procedures established by the Graduate College.” The Graduate College will arrange for a GFR to be trained and present at the defense. The GFR will be given the appropriate forms that need to be filled out and signed by the committee, and will deliver the appropriate forms to the Graduate College.
6. Grading: According to the graduate catalog, “The result of a final oral examination for a Ph.D. student can only be reported as pass or fail. The determination of pass or fail is by a vote of the voting members of the defense committee with a simple majority determining the outcome unless the academic unit responsible for the program requires a unanimous vote for pass [PPA does not require a unanimous vote]. If a tie vote occurs, then the student is considered to have failed the final oral examination. A result of pass is immediately documented by the signatures of the voting members of the defense committee on the Defense Committee Approval form that is to be bound with the paper copies of the thesis. A result of fail is immediately documented on a Report of Failure of a Final Oral Examination form that is submitted to the Graduate College by the GFR.”

Detailed instructions for how to handle failing grades are available via the Graduate College.

The checklist below may be used by students and their committees to prepare for the public portion of the dissertation defense.

Student Name:  _________________________________

Defense Date: _________________________________

Title of Project: _________________________________

Format

• • Oral presentation is 30-40 minutes in length (followed by 20-30 minute public Q&A)
  • A “dry run” of the presentation was completed for the Supervisory Chair and/or the Supervisory Committee
  • Hard copies of the dissertation are provided to committee members who request them

Introduction

• • Title slide
  • Welcome
  • Acknowledgments:  Committee, family, funding sources, etc.
  • Clear statement of project topic
  • Clear argument for significance of project topic
  • Articulates research question

Literature Review and Theoretical Framework

• • Not overly bogged down in summary, but clear indication of academic “conversation(s)” relevant to study
  • Slides include parenthetical citations of relevant work (full bibliographic information can appear at end of presentation as a supplemental slide)

• • Key terms or concepts are identified and defined
  • Identifies gap in the literature that project fills

Methods

• • Qualitative, quantitative, mixed?  Why?
  • Indicates whether IRB approval was obtained
  • Explains sampling strategy
  • Brief review of instruments and/or approaches to data collection
  • Explanation of how data was analyzed
  • Slides include parenthetical references supporting methodological choices
  • Slides contain easy-to-digest visuals and figures (extra information can appear at the end as supplemental slides)

Results

• • Clearly describes results of study
  • Aids audience in determining which results had significance and which didn’t
  • May also address weaknesses in data collection/analysis

Discussion

• • Offers interpretation of the results

• • Connects back to the research question

• • Reflects on implications for theory, knowledge-building, existing literature and theoretical frameworks, etc.
  • Proposes areas of future research