Public Administration (PhD)
Our PhD program in Public Administration prepares you for research and leadership roles in government, universities and other institutions.
You'll gain an in-depth understanding of issues in comparative policy and governance and assist faculty members while you pursue your own externally-funded research. Our key fields of study are organizational studies, comparative policy and governance.
This is a full-time program. Students usually spend at least 75% of regular work time dedicated to studies.
| Expected length | Project or thesis | Course-based |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years (9-15 academic terms) | Yes | No |
Quick facts
- Program options:
- Doctorate
- Study options:
- Full-time study
- Program delivery:
- On-campus, Online, Other: Combination
Outcomes
PhD in Public Administration students will:
- work with experienced faculty members at the forefront of a wide variety of fields, including public policy analysis, governance and management
- master basic research methods (e.g. foundational statistics, qualitative methods, quantitative methods and evaluation)
- acquire in-depth academic understanding of issues in comparative policy, governance and organizational studies
- participate in research projects through the school
- build externally-funded research programs of their own
- be prepared to conduct further leading-edge research after graduation
- be prepared to take on leadership roles in government, universities and/or other public institutions
Find a supervisor
PhD students must have a faculty member from the School of Public Administration who serves as their academic supervisor. When you apply:
- include the name of the faculty member who has agreed to be your supervisor (under "Program-specific questions")
- this person must also recommend your admission to the program
- we will contact them to verify
To find a supervisor, review the faculty contacts. When you’ve found a faculty member whose research complements your own, contact them by email.
Astrid Brousselle
Professor Evaluation approaches and methods, planetary health, theory-based evaluation, ecological transition, public health, health system analysis, collaborative/participative/community-based approaches, qualitative methods
David Castle
Professor Science, technology and innovation policy, open science and research data
Emmanuel Brunet-Jailly (he/his)
Professor & Jean Monnet Chair Border studies: border disputes, border security, border management, management of cross border regions; European Union: regional and urban policies, immigration and border security policies; Canada - United States border policies
Evert Lindquist
Professor Public sector and public service reform, Designing and implementing policy interventions, Digital and collaborative governance, Horizontal governance and administration to support policy interventions, Organizing for policy and administrative innovation, Role and influence of think tanks in policy networks, Competing values in public sector leadership and reform
Heather Castleden
Professor, Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health Transformative governance; Planetary health; Decolonizing energy; Decolonizing the academy; Climate change; Climate justice; Climate displacement; Renewable energy; Water; Social justice; Environmental racism; Health equity; Indigenous-Settler Relations; Research ethics; Relationality; Accountability; Indigenous Rights; Critical methods; Anti-colonial; Anti-racist; Participatory methods; Qualitative inquiry; Community-based participatory research
J. Barton (Bart) Cunningham
Professor Human resource issues, leadership, organizational behaviour and change, insight problem solving, stress and mental health, action learning and research
Katya Rhodes
Associate Professor Multi-attribute climate policy analysis, political economy of climate policy, pro-environmental behaviour, survey-based methods, energy-economy modelling, comparative climate policy
Robert Lapper, KC
MPA Program Lead, Lam Chair in Law and Public Policy Justice system policy and reform, access to justice, Indigenous law and legal issues, technology and design in law and policy
Sarah Wiebe
Assistant Professor & Graduate Advisor Environmental justice, public engagement, critical policy studies, climate emergencies and displacement, states of emergency, interpretive research and arts-based methods, community development, Indigenous community engagement and governance
Tamara Krawchenko
Associate Professor Comparative public policy, regional development, sustainability transitions
Walter Lepore
Assistant professor Organizational analysis and design, organizational performance assessment, program and policy monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning, transparency, accountability, corruption and conflict of interests in the public sector, public sector reforms, mixed methods research, experimental research designs, community-based participatory research, capacity development in participatory research, community-university research partnerships, community development
Program details
Providing you accurate admission requirements, application deadlines, tuition fee estimates and scholarships depends on your situation. Tell us about yourself:
Program details
Application deadlines
- September entry – apply by March 15
- September entry – apply by December 15
Admission requirements
- Completion of a master’s degree from an institution recognized by UVic
- your degree must be in a discipline or professional school related to the field of public administration
- A grade point average of 7.0 (on the UVic scale) or equivalent in your master's degree
- A commitment to full-time studies—typically at least 75% of regular work time should be dedicated to your studies
If your first language is not English, you must provide proof of language proficiency. Learn more about language requirements, including allowable exemptions and tests.
Review our general admission requirements for more information.
Program specific requirements
When you submit your application, you must include:
- references letters from two academic referees
- If it has been more than five years since you last attended a post-secondary institution, you may have three professional references in place of academic referees.
- In your application, include the names and email addresses of your referees.
- Graduate Admissions will send your referees a link to complete an assessment report and/or upload their reference letters.
- unofficial transcripts all post-secondary institutions
- a professional résumé
- a letter of intent (max. 5 single-spaced pages) that includes:
- an overview of your proposed area for dissertation research including the problem to be studied, possible literature and general approach
- the name of the faculty member you've identified as your research supervisor
- a list of applications you've submitted for external funding
- Completion of a master’s degree from an institution recognized by UVic
- your degree must be in a discipline or professional school related to the field of public administration
- A grade point average of 7.0 (on the UVic scale) or equivalent in your master's degree
- A commitment to full-time studies—typically at least 75% of regular work time should be dedicated to your studies
- GMAT or GRE results from within the last 2 years
If your first language is not English, you must provide proof of language proficiency. Learn more about language requirements, including allowable exemptions and tests.
Review our general admission requirements for more information.
Program specific requirements
When you submit your application, you must include:
- references letters from two academic referees
- If it has been more than five years since you last attended a post-secondary institution, you may have three professional references in place of academic referees.
- In your application, include the names and email addresses of your referees.
- Graduate Admissions will send your referees a link to complete an assessment report and/or upload their reference letters.
- unofficial transcripts all post-secondary institutions
- a professional résumé
- a letter of intent (max. 5 single-spaced pages) that includes:
- an overview of your proposed area for dissertation research including the problem to be studied, possible literature and general approach
- the name of the Public Administration faculty member you've identified as your research supervisor
- a list of applications you've submitted for external funding
Completion requirements
View the minimum course requirements for this program.
View the minimum course requirements for this program.
Funding & aid
Tuition & fees
Estimated minimum program cost*
* Based on an average program length. For a per term fee breakdown view the tuition fee estimator.
Estimated values determined by the tuition fee estimator shall not be binding to the University of Victoria.
Ready to apply?
You can start your online application to UVic by creating a new profile or using an existing one.
Faculties & departments
Need help?
Contact Darian Sernoski at paservice@uvic.ca or 250-721-6448.