National University

What you'll study

The curriculum provides a sustained focus on applied research and core public administration competencies. It emphasizes translating theory into practice across public and nonprofit organizations and builds skills to evaluate and contribute to the field’s body of knowledge.

• Values and practice of public administration, including ethical conduct and challenges in managing public resources.
• Administrative law and the role of agencies, with practical analysis of accountability and case studies.
• Public management theory and organizational behavior tailored to public-sector contexts.
• Public budgeting: formulation, implementation and execution across government levels, including capital budgeting and asset management (note: this course lists a prerequisite: Fundamental requirement in General Management).
• Personnel management and supervision particular to public organizations.
• Leadership in the public sector—differentiating leadership from management and developing vision and strategy for mission fulfillment.
• Strategic management and planning as applied to public organization operations.
• Research methods with both quantitative and qualitative analysis supporting a dissertation and practical application to policy and management problems.

Entry requirements

Applicants must have a conferred master’s degree from an accredited institution and provide official transcripts for all accepted transfer credit. The university may accept up to 12 semester credit hours of graduate transfer credit with a grade of B or better, but at least 48 credit hours of graduate instruction must be completed through National University. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 (B) to graduate. Program completion also requires satisfactory completion of the pre-candidacy prospectus, approval of the dissertation manuscript and oral defense, and submission of the approved final dissertation manuscript. All financial obligations must be met prior to diploma issuance.

Career prospects

The DPA is designed for mid- and senior-level managers seeking advancement to executive-level leadership in government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and other public-serving entities. Graduates should expect to use strengthened competencies in budgeting, policy analysis, organizational management, administrative law and applied research to take on roles that demand strategic decision-making, program oversight and evidence-informed policy development.

Scholarships & funding angle

The program page does not list specific scholarships or amounts. Prospective students should explore general doctoral funding options such as employer tuition assistance, institutional graduate scholarships or fellowships, research grants tied to dissertation topics, and federal or state aid where eligible. Verify available funding and eligibility directly with the university’s admissions or financial aid office.