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Why get an online PhD or Doctorate in Public Administration and what is the difference? Below you can find the answers to the difference between degrees. You’ll also learn more about the study of public administration and its importance in our world as well as the best online PhD and Doctorate programs.
Why Do We Study Public Administration?
Public administration is one of the most challenging, complicated, and vital parts of human society. Over the centuries, we’ve done significant work as a species to manage our collective needs and provide better outcomes for more people worldwide. The results have been mixed, but in general, we’ve trended towards an improved life quality for billions of people, expanding access to water, food, shelter, medical care, and employment that can sustain individuals and their families.
These improvements didn’t happen miraculously. They’re the product of governance and public administration, and the way the two regulate, create policies and lead in areas like infrastructure, education, healthcare, among many others.
However, there are still billions of people on earth whose basic needs are not being met. If we want to improve their lives, there are tremendous obstacles that must be traversed, deflated, or dispensed with entirely. Wealth inequality, violence, and the inability to access education, healthcare, shelter, food, and water are some of the significant problems that desperately need solving on the local, national, and global levels. Public administrators are the people who work every day not only to bring those services and resources to more people but grapple with and change the systems that created these problems initially and maintain them today.
In a public administration doctoral program, you’ll learn to lead people, manage systems, create policies that make positive change, and be prepared to work in a number of different areas and organizations throughout the world.
Doctorate vs PhD: What is the Difference Between a PhD in Public Administration and a Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) Program?
Doctoral degrees are generally split between PhD’s and doctorates. In the former students are far more likely to work on theoretical issues, and prepare to become professors, do advanced academic research, and help inform practitioners and policymakers in their areas of discipline through their theoretical work.
In non-PhD doctoral degrees, students are more likely to study and work to become elite, top-level practitioners in their area of discipline. Graduates will often go on to work at the most supervisory, executive positions of organizations depending on their goals and interests.
Both doctoral degree types often feature a culminating project. In PhD’s, this often manifests as a dissertation or thesis based on original research, as well as defending it to a panel of academics. In more practitioner centered doctoral degrees, this can be a Capstone project that showcases the work and learning a student has done throughout the program.
In public administration, most graduates are expected to become practitioners. Obviously, there are plenty of professors, researchers, and other supporting academics that do research and educate in the area of public administration. However, public administration doctoral graduates are far more likely to do practical, tangible work in the field. Most doctoral programs in public administration reflect this need to educate future leaders and can prepare students to work in either education, research, or leadership roles regardless of whether they’re classified as a PhD or doctoral degree.
Now that we’ve explored some basic information about doctoral public administration degrees let’s explore the methodology we used to rank them:
Methodology
In order to present the best online PhD and Doctorate Degree Programs in Public Administration, we searched the United States institutions of higher learning to find which ones offered the programs. After finding the programs, OnlineCollegePlan, then ranked according to:
Student Population (1/3 of score) – Institutions with larger student bodies were given favoritism based on the philosophy that those awarded a higher number of degrees based on their size. This also gives the impression of having experience as well as being a well-liked institution.
Affordability (1/3 of score) – Money is a big issue when it comes to many large purchases in life, and education is no different. Schools were ranked with the lowest tuition and fees receiving a higher ranking score. Tuition and Fees were researched using the NCES website. When given an option, in-state was chosen. The most recent Tuition and Fees are listed below in each description.
Student Opinion (1/3 of score) – Many people now turn to customer reviews before making a substantial purchase. With this in mind, Online College Plan checked out student reviews on Niche.com and the schools with higher grades and star averages were awarded a higher number of points for the ranking.
No institutions were given priority or favoritism over another in this ranking and it was not requested. Information presented was researched by the staff of OnlineCollegePlan.
Public Administration is a relatively young discipline that has developed increasing importance in our complex society. It functions as both an academic discipline and an applied practice, managing public programs and implementing the results of politics into everyday life. Many government employees and most public servants are considered public administrators. Degrees in public administration are helpful for anyone who seeks to work in government, companies that work with government agencies, such as consultants, organized interest groups, and charities.
The academic pursuit of Public Administration sets out a network of interdisciplinary “pillars,” the primary six are: human resources, organizational theory, policy analysis, statistics, budgeting, and ethics. Public Administration draws from the academic resources of Economics, Statistics, Sociology, and Psychology, in addition to its deep roots in Political Science. Having a strong quantitative background, while useful, is not necessary to pursue a degree or career in public administration.
Public Policy and Administration is the scientific study of the politics of institutions, structures, and organizations. Public Policy specifically targets how government and non-government actors engage with public problems and interact with each other, analyzing both the creation process of solutions and the implementation of those solutions. The intended and unintended consequences are evaluated to ensure that organized interests and government work towards positive results for the citizens.
The two branches work in concert to analyze the breadth of American and comparative politics, sifting through tradition to discover best practices and optimize the function of the state. These disciplines are perfect for people who are considering working for the government, consulting, or non-profits; essentially any role in government or that partners with government agencies. MPA students are often specialized in management and concern themselves with the technical implementation of policy. Students earning their MPP work more with the analyzation of policies and to recognize and recommend sound institutional policies.
Public Administration is an excellent fit for people who care about the common good and social welfare. The discipline is founded on critically examining the function of government and trying to improve the efficacy and productivity of the implementation and application of policy. Additionally, the integral relationships with lobbying groups, contractors, consulting firms, non-profits, and charitable organizations mean that a Public Administration degree can be useful in almost any industrial or social sphere that interacts with government.
Even a simple Bachelors degree in Public Administration has a median salary of $65,000, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. With each increased level of degree, the median salary jumps up a significant amount, with those holding Master’s degrees in the discipline earning a median of $92,000.
23% are working for a domestic nonprofit
Program analyst
The bulk of PhDs work remains a balance between teaching college students, staying abreast of the new work in their field, and trying to publish academic papers. Publishing new and original research is often a periodic requirement for tenured professors, so that means having a breadth of knowledge about what research questions are currently being asked and having ideas about how to refine, broaden, or add on to the expanding body of literature.
So while the research and teaching roles available to a PhD are also available to DPA/DPPs, the DPP/DPA is more likely to be for people working in either the private sector or for the government. This higher level of certification is for those with career ambitions of reaching for senior leadership roles, such as board members, directors, vice presidents, or even members of the Cabinet. Having the academic affirmation of expertise in addition to professional experience lends extra weight to a candidates application and in work communications.
The average salary under the search “Public Policy” on Glassdoor is $67,690. This includes any job postings that have that phrase, so incorporates a wide range of industries, roles, experiences levels, and degrees that Glassdoor has access to. A more pertinent way of breaking down the earning potentials of Public Policy and Administration degree-holders is parsing it by the level of degree held.
After attaining a higher level degree that earning potential will increase. A Master’s degree in the same field yields a median income of 92,000 annually, again according to the Georgetown University CEW, with the 75th percentile of earners that have a Master’s in Public Administration and Public Policy reach up to $142,000. Considering that the US median income overall was a mere $59,000 in 2017, it seems like a Master’s in Public Administration/Public Policy is a very worthy investment.
No matter what field you work in it can be useful to join a professional organization or association that can help you develop your professional skills, provide support and guidance, as well as help you network within the industry and develop contacts. The Graduate School of Public Policy University of Berkeley 
