In general, full-time status in a fall or spring semester is achieved by enrolling for nine credit hours of coursework (not including Dissertation) and serving a research/teaching apprenticeship.
Once the comprehensive qualifying examinations have been passed and a student formally enters Ph.D. candidacy status, the department will no longer require full-time status.
However, students who wish to be certified as full-time must provide evidence that they are making substantial progress on their dissertations and that they are not employed more than half-time (i.e. equivalent to a graduate assistantship).
For more information about criteria for full-time status, see Syracuse University publication, Academic rules and regulations.
Fall Year One
| Courses | Credits |
| Research Methods I | 3 credits |
| Intellectual History of Public Administration | 3 credits |
| Elective | 3 credits |
Spring Year One
| Courses | Credits |
| Research Methods II | 3 credits |
| Foundations of Policy Analysis and Management | 3 credits |
| Elective | 3 credits |
Summer Year One
| Courses | Credits |
| Summer course and/or register for dissertation hours (dissertation hours will be incomplete until defense) | 3 or 6 credits |
Fall and Spring Year Two
| Courses | Credits |
| Ph.D. Research Seminar | 3 credits |
| Electives | 9-15 credits |
Summer Year Two
| Courses | Credits |
| Register for Dissertation Hours | 6 credits |