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Programs
Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration
| University | Walden University |
| Degree Level | Doctoral Degree |
| Learning type | Distance Learning |
For effective policy-making, service delivery and resource management, you need a grounding in scientific inquiry and scholarship. A network of international faculty and students can give you knowledge, confidence and the innovative thinking you need to influence public policy. Online degree program specializations include criminal justice and homeland security.
Graduate Degree Specializations
- General Program
- Criminal Justice
- Health Services
- Homeland Security Policy and Coordination
- International Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)
- Knowledge Management
- Nonprofit Management and Leadership
- Public Management and Leadership
- Public Policy
- Public Safety Management
General Program
The general program includes a mix of online courses and Knowledge Area Modules (KAMs), or faculty-guided research. This ensures that you are exposed to the most up-to-date thinking in your area of study, and KAMs give you the flexibility to pursue your own specific interests.
Criminal Justice
This specialization is designed for criminal justice professionals, including supervisors and managers in policing, courts, corrections, security, and associated support agencies, who aspire to move into upper-level management and administrative assignments. The coursework includes an in-depth review and discussion of contemporary decision-making models and issues confronting the American criminal justice system. Available starting June 2007.
Health Services
Americans have seen radical changes in the health care industry over the past several years. They’ve watched it go from an independent structure to a collection of major business enterprises, which in turn have changed the way health care is delivered. As the health care environment changes, managers must quickly adapt to succeed. This Health Services specialization will help you gain valuable knowledge about health delivery systems, health policy, health administration, and health finance centers so you can manage effectively and successfully in this unique environment.
Homeland Security Policy and Coordination
Today’s complex public safety environment demands smart policy on emergency response strategies. This specialization prepares homeland security professionals to implement protective measures without compromising individual rights and freedoms. With this knowledge, students are equipped to effectively develop policy to protect individuals’ safety and freedom.
International Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)
In an era of increasing globalization, it is important for leaders of nonprofit organizations and government departments at the local, state, and national level to know how to operate in an international environment. This specialization explores how countries organize, regulate, and foster nongovernmental activities; how international intergovernmental organizations operate; and how representatives of these organizations can learn from, partner with, and work within organizations worldwide. By focusing on the effects of globalization and the cultures and sociopolitical environments of diverse nations and organizations, students in this specialization learn how to work effectively with nongovernmental, voluntary, and intergovernmental organizations around the world.
Knowledge Management
This specialization prepares students to develop innovative solutions to their organizations’ most critical challenges through the comprehensive creation, sharing and use of knowledge, and the effective education of adult learners. The curriculum is focused on organizational change (e.g., Total Quality, Six Sigma, re-engineering, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award) and organizational learning, including the deployment of corporate universities.
Nonprofit Management and Leadership
Without constant attention to democratic and social institutions, a society and its individuals cannot prosper. This specialization investigates these issues and prepares you to become knowledgeable social-change agents through scholarly inquiry, applied research, and effective participation in these institutions.
Public Management and Leadership
Public services are being delivered through alternative nongovernmental institutions, and citizens and their elected officials are expecting more from those who manage public and nonprofit institutions. The Public Management and Leadership specialization prepares scholar-practitioners to lead reform in public administration.
Public Policy
Developing and implementing forward-thinking public policy and engaging citizens in the process are critical to the health of our society. Public and nonprofit administrators who are intimately involved in both executive and legislative board policy and decision-making play an important role in policy development and implementation. By allowing you to apply your research in practical ways, the Public Policy specialization prepares you not only to form and understand policies, but also to manage the full implementation and acceptance of them.
Public Safety Management
The emergency situations we face in today’s complex environment call for a new leadership approach. Walden’s specialization in Public Safety Management offers emergency response professionals the skills to lead, manage, and motivate others during emergencies; to build confident and capable teams; and to address challenging ethical situations that may arise during the course of duty.
