Community Economic Development (Ph.D.)

CED Financial Aid | CED M.A./Ph.D. Application |

The 2008-2009 Advanced Degree Programs Brochure (PDF 237 kb) is available for download.

The Advanced Practioner Programs include Research, Policy & Management components in interdisciplinary Master of Arts and PhD Programs. The PhD Program prepares scholars for teaching, research, policy or management careers in higher education, government and the nonprofit sector. The focus is on original research and on the skills to shape policy at local, regional, national or international levels. Students specialize in one area of concentration in CED (theory, policy, management) and complete a related dissertation. The program includes a research practicum and close relationship with a faculty advisor. Admissions are limited in number to maintain a balanced student-faculty ratio.

The PhD Program seeks pathfinders who plan to be scholar practitioners and pursue careers building the knowledge base in community development. Our students often work while in school. Admission requirements include a Masters from an accredited institution, a GPA of 3.5 in a relevant program of study, evidence of scholarly/research interests, and at least 5 years of progressively responsible experience involving CED policy, management, research or scholarship; persons without a Masters should apply to the MA or MS programs. In some exceptional cases, professionals with 10 years experience in CED or equivalent may be waived the Masters prerequisite.

Students must complete 54 credit hours of coursework; the core may be completed in 2 years, followed by comprehensive exams and a dissertation. Classes are held over five 5-day weeks per semester enhanced by Internet distance-learning. Each class meets 14 times per semester, 3 hours per class. Students in residence are often involved in projects at School and progress faster. Doctoral students completing 36 credit hours of coursework are eligible to receive an MA degree.

The Ph.D. program facilitates:

A learning community of CED scholars and practitioners who share vision, knowledge and research skills.
A discourse to promote intellectual challenges and original research.
An environment that brings together the people from various intellectual and cultural backgrounds and perspectives to study CED issues at the local, national and international levels.
Cooperative arrangements with universities and public, private, nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations in the United States and abroad.