PA PhD Concentrations
Concentrations in the Public Administration PhD Program
The PhD in Public Administration at UIC prepares scholars to tackle pressing public problems through four complementary areas of concentration: Financial Management, Public and Nonprofit Management, Survey Methods, and Urban Governance and Networks. Across these areas, students engage deeply with theory and rigorous empirical methods to understand how governments and nonprofits raise and allocate resources, design and manage programs, and collaborate across sectors and jurisdictions. The program emphasizes research that is both analytically rigorous and policy relevant, equipping graduates to generate evidence that improves public decision making, organizational performance, and community outcomes. Our students work closely with faculty on cutting-edge projects in their area of concentration, positioning them for academic careers as well as research and leadership roles in government, nonprofit, and policy-focused organizations.
Financial Management
Public and Nonprofit Management
The Public and Nonprofit Management concentration prepares students to study how public agencies and nonprofit organizations are led, managed, and governed in a democratic and diverse society. Students draw on theories of organizations, leadership, human behavior, and public values to examine how managers pursue collective goals while navigating political institutions, resource constraints, and community expectations. Research in this concentration addresses issues such as performance management, human resource management, collaboration across sectors, equity and inclusion, and the design and implementation of public programs. The concentration highlights both the similarities and the distinctive challenges of managing in public and nonprofit settings. Graduates are equipped to contribute to scholarship and teaching in public management and nonprofit studies, as well as to leadership and analytic roles in government, philanthropy, and civil society organizations.
Survey Methods
The Survey Methods concentration trains students to design, implement, and analyze surveys that support high-quality research in public and nonprofit administration. Students learn the theories and techniques underlying questionnaire design, sampling, data collection, measurement, and data quality, with particular attention to the sources of error that affect survey-based inferences. The concentration supports both substantive research that uses surveys to study policy and management questions and methodological research that advances best practices in survey research and data collection. Students gain experience working with academic, governmental, and nonprofit partners to design and field surveys that inform public decision making and policy debates. Graduates are prepared for academic careers and research positions in government agencies, survey organizations, and policy research institutes.