Contingent on final budgetary approval, the PhD program has Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) funding available for highly qualified applicants to begin the program in the Spring semester (January, 2019). Interested applicants must apply to the program and for the Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) and have all necessary application materials to us by November 15, 2018. The next deadline for funding will be February 1, to begin Fall (August), 2019.
UPA Program
The Department of Urban and Public Affairs offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Urban and Public Affairs. The Ph.D. in Urban and Public Affairs is an interdisciplinary degree that prepares graduates for careers in teaching and research, policy analysis, public administration, land use and environmental planning, and economic development. A number of fellowships and assistantships for outstanding students are available.
The Program consists of a core curriculum and areas of specialization. The core provides a broad orientation and the specializations enable students to develop expertise in particular fields. The curriculum includes 48 credits: 18 credits of core courses, 18 credits of specialization courses, and 12 credits of dissertation research. Students qualify for official candidacy to the Ph.D by satisfactorily completing all coursework and the qualifying examination.
Although full-time study is encouraged, a limited number of highly qualified part-time students are admitted. See Program’s Student Guide for more details and requirements. The program has placed many of its recent graduates in teaching positions at respected universities across the U.S. and abroad. For brief profiles of some of these recent graduates click here.
For a complete list of graduates over the last decade click here.
For bio information of the current Ph.D. students in the program click here.
Admission
Entry to the program (normally) requires a master’s degree or equivalent. Students without a master’s degree may enroll for the Master of Public Administration (MPA) or Master of Urban Planning (MUP) degree and then reapply for admission to the Ph.D. program in the semester prior to completion of the master’s degree. The University also offers relevant master’s degree programs in Political Science, Sociology, Applied Geography and other fields. A completed application form, all transcripts of previous undergraduate and graduate study, Graduate Record Examination scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing), at least two letters of recommendation (from former professors), and a SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION are required (Note: if getting recommendation letters from former professors is impossible, an exemption to this requirement may be requested if all other admission requirements are clearly exceeded). Minimum GRE score of 300, with minimum individual scores (in the range) of a 154 Verbal/146 Quantitative as well as 4.0 Analytical are (normally) required. Those applicants whose native language is not English and who do not hold a degree from a university where the language of instruction is English must also submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), with a (normal) minimum score (in the range) of 100 or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), with a (normal) minimum score of 7.5. A personal interview with members of the Ph.D. Admissions Committee also may be required for applicants not fully satisfying admissions requirements. Interviews will be conducted in-person when feasible or via internet video when in-person interviews are not feasible.
After applying and submitting the application fee online, please be sure to send all application materials directly to the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies University of Louisville, 105 Houchens Bldg. Louisville, KY 40292 and/or gradadm@louisville.edu
Curriculum
The Ph.D. in Urban and Public Affairs consists of 48 credit hours of study including 18 hours of core courses, 18 hours in a field specialization, and 12 hours of dissertation research.
Required Core Courses (18 Credits)
UPA 602 The Urban Political
UPA 680 Advanced Urban Studies
UPA 603 Urban Economics
UPA 606 Research Methods***
UPA 610 Urban Theory
UPA 608 Regression Analysis***
Note: Students with limited statistical training may be required to take PADM 601/PLAN 602 (Statistics for Public Affairs) prior to enrolling in UPA 608 (Regression Analysis). This course does not count toward the 48-semester-hour requirement. ***UPA 606 and UPA 608 require a grade of a full “B” or better to demonstrate proficiency. Students may repeat either of these courses only once.
Field Area Courses (18 credits)
Students must pursue a specialty area, including 9-12 hours of required courses and 6-9 hours of elective courses. Elective courses must be compatible with specialty area and must be approved by the Program Director.
Urbanism and Sustainable Development Planning Option
Required Courses (9 credits)
*UPA XXX Urbanism Course: Sustainable Urbanism; Urbanism in the Global South; Planning Theory
*UPA XXX Sustainability Course: Sustainable Development and Planning; Sustainable Social-Ecological Systems; Environmental Policy; Intro to Sustainability
*UPA XXX Development Course: Economic Development; Housing and Community Development; Land Use Planning; Comparative Urban Development; Fair and Affordable Housing
[Note: Other Relevant Courses can be substituted by approval of Program Director]
Elective Courses (9 Credits)
Urban Policy and Administration Option
Required Courses (9-12 Credits)
*UPA 621 Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation
*UPA 650 Urban Policy and Administration
*UPA 630 Politics of Urban Policy
*UPA 661 Foundations of Public Administration (can be waived for students with an MPA)
[Note: Other Relevant Courses can be substituted by approval of Program Director]
Elective Courses (6-9 Credits)
Workshops
Students must complete workshops satisfactorily. Workshop will be convened by the Ph.D. director and will normally meet 3-5 times a semester. Dissertation Research Workshop. Students who have recently advanced to candidacy will present dissertation proposal ideas to other students and interested faculty. Professional Development Workshop. Topics may include: academic publishing, undergraduate teaching, and the academic job market, among others.
Dissertation (12 credits)
UPA 700 Dissertation Research
Doctoral Candidacy
After completing all required coursework, including 12 credits of dissertation research, and passing the qualifying exam, each student is required to maintain continuous enrollment in DOCT 600 Doctoral Candidacy until he or she graduates.
Financial Aid
The Department of Urban and Public Affairs administers a number of Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs) that are awarded competitively and are intended to support full-time study. Students in the Ph.D. program normally receive a maximum of four years of support. GRAs currently (as of 2017-2018) provide an annual stipend of $19,000. This also provides for remission of tuition and health insurance. University Fellowships are also available to exceptional applicants. These fellowships are highly competitive and awarded only to students with exemplary records who are commencing study toward the Ph.D. The fellowships are normally awarded for two years. Support from departmental funds is available for an additional two years. An application by late January for the following Fall is required for both GRAs and Fellowships.Later applications will be considered if any vacancies remain unfilled.
Application Checklist
1)Completed application form. Apply to program here
2) All transcripts of previous undergraduate and graduate study
3) Graduate Record Examination scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical)
4) At least two letters of recommendation (from former professors)
5) TOEFL or IELTS (if required; native language or degree not English; see above)
6) A SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION (here)
7) Application for Assistantship (if desired; optional). Apply here (full-time study only)
PH.D. PROGRAM FACULTY
Tony Arnold, J.D. (Stanford University), Boehl Chair in Property and Land Use & Professor of Law. Land use and environmental planning, governance institutions, complex adaptive systems and resilience, water resources, participation and justice.
Mark Austin, Ph.D. (Sociology, University of Oklahoma), Professor of Sociology. Community/urban sociology, survey research, neighborhoods, voluntarism, and criminology.
Lisa Bjorkman, Ph.D. (Politics, New School for Social Research), Assistant Professor of Urban and Public Affairs. Political ethnography, urban theory, material infrastructures, South Asian urbanism.
Daniel DeCaro, Ph.D. (Psychology, Miami University), Assistant Professor, Urban and Public Affairs/Psychological and Brain Sciences. Social decision-making and sustainability, environmental governance, public participation, collective action.
Lindsey L. Evans, Ph.D. (Public Policy and Administration, Virginia Commonwealth University), Assistant Professor of Urban and Public Affairs. Public and nonprofit policy analysis and program evaluation, social equity, and research methodology (qualitative and quantitative)
John I. Gilderbloom, Ph.D. (Sociology, University of California at Santa Barbara), Professor of Urban and Public Affairs and Director, Center for Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods. Research methods, housing, community development, planning and design.
Frank Goetzke, Ph.D. (Economics, West Virginia University), Professor of Urban and Public Affairs. Urban economics, spatial analysis and transportation policy.
David Imbroscio, Ph.D. (Political Science, University of Maryland), Professor of Political Science and Urban and Public Affairs and Director, Ph.D. Program in Urban and Public Affairs. Urban political economy, economic development, antipoverty policy, urban theory.
Janet Kelly, Ph.D. (Political Science, Wayne State University), Professor of Urban and Public Affairs and Executive Director, Urban Studies Institute and Director, Master of Public Administration Program. State-local finance, public and nonprofit financial management, and program evaluation.
Kelly L. Kinahan, Ph.D., AICP (Urban Studies and Public Affairs, Cleveland State University), Assistant Professor of Urban and Public Affairs. Urban revitalization, historic preservation, community and economic development, legacy city planning and policy.
Steven G. Koven, Ph.D. (Political Science, University of Florida), Professor of Urban and Public Affairs. Organizational administration, research methods, public budgeting.
Cynthia Negrey, Ph.D. (Sociology, Michigan State University), Professor of Sociology. Political economy, gender and urban labor markets.
Aaron C. Rollins Jr., Ph.D. (Public Policy and Public Administration, Mississippi State University), Assistant Professor of Urban and Public Affairs. Social equity, organization effectiveness, education policy, and the politics of race.
Matthew Ruther, Ph.D. (Geography, University of Pennsylvania), Assistant Professor of Urban and Public Affairs, Director, Kentucky State Data Center and Kentucky State Demographer. Urban demography, research methods, metropolitan growth and development, spatial analysis.
David M. Simpson, Ph.D. (City and Regional Planning, University of California at Berkeley), Professor of Urban and Public Affairs and Director, Center for Hazards Research and Policy Development, and Chair, Department of Urban and Public Affairs. Natural hazards, mediation and dispute resolution, land use and environmental planning, qualitative methods.
Wei Song, Ph.D. (Geography, Ohio State University), Associate Professor of Geography. Location analysis, transportation geography, urban issues, quantitative methods, and Geographic Information Systems applications.
Margath Walker, Ph.D. (Geography, University of Kentucky), Associate Professor of Geography. Urban geography, borderlands and security, cities of the Global South, qualitative research methods.
Sumei Zhang, Ph.D. (City and Regional Planning, Ohio State University). Associate Professor of Urban and Public Affairs. Location theory, quantitative methods, geographical information systems.
Contact Details
David Imbroscio, Program Director
Email Professor Imbroscio
Ph.D. Program
Department of Urban and Public Affairs
University of Louisville
426 W. Bloom Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40208
Phone: (502) 852-7906
Fax: (502) 852-4558
Email: upa@louisville.edu
Additional Information
Ph.D. in Urban and Public Affairs Student Guide
Ph.D. Supplemental Application
Graduate Research Assistantship/Fellowship Application