Policy and Public Administration (Virtual) | Apply Here
Join us for a virtual dissertation workshop on “Policy and Public Administration.” This dissertation workshop cohort will meet virtually June 2nd through June 13th, 2025, with exact meeting times TBD.
Co-Leaders:
- Darrell Lovell, West Texas A&M University
- Scott Langford, Arizona State University
Deadline: Sunday, April 27, 2025. Click here to apply →
Workshop Description
This virtual dissertation workshop focuses on providing feedback to doctoral candidates pursuing their doctorate in public administration and policy or with dissertations on topics in public policy. The topics can span the breadth of the fields in both public administration and policy. Potential topics include public management, organizational theory, political economy, policy theory (i.e., punctuated equilibrium, policy diffusion, advocacy theory, multiple streams theory), and policy areas such as but not limited to education, higher education, housing, immigration, and environmental/energy policy. Dissertations using both qualitative and quantitative methods or a mixed-methods approach are welcome.
The goal of this workshop is to offer doctoral candidates at various stages an opportunity to engage faculty and peers on their work. The workshop setting will allow for collegial engagement among all involved and is designed to assist with methodology, structure, theory, writing, and/or research direction. Before the workshop, candidates will submit a chapter of their dissertation for review by all candidates and faculty two weeks ahead of time. During the workshop, the candidates will participate in three sessions. The first session will be an introductory session with the faculty to introduce topics and concepts and set the stage for where the candidates are in the process. Each candidate will be expected to preface their submission and provide context. In the first session, the students will be grouped with a faculty co-lead by methodology to get help within a small group. The second session will be inclusive of fellow candidates. This will be a writing workshop, where each candidate will be put into one of two groups based on topics or approach. The goal of the second session is to workshop writing styles and approaches based on the feedback provided. The third session will be with the faculty co-leads and allow for each student to present their work and field questions that contribute to a constructive edit of their work. We will use Zoom for holding the sessions and candidates will be expected to be prepared to engage in all parts of the process.
APSA sponsors in-person & virtual dissertation workshops annually. Our in-person events are held on the Wednesday prior to the APSA Annual Meeting. Each full-day workshop includes six PhD candidates who present a dissertation chapter, along with two faculty members who lead the workshop and moderate discussions. Our virtual workshops are held over the summer or fall. Please direct any questions about the dissertation workshop program to grad@apsanet.org.