Urban and Public Affairs

The PhD 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. Three field areas are offered: Public Administration, Urban Planning, and Sustainability. 

Students are required to complete 60 credit hours of study, of which twelve (12) credit hours are dissertation research. Students must pass a qualifying examination before commencing formal dissertation work. Students should consult the Program Guidelines for details. 

Transcripts

• Applicants for admission to a degree program must submit an official transcript from each college attended. All University of Louisville transcripts will automatically be submitted with the completion of an application. Transcripts must be sent directly from the school to Graduate Admissions, in order to be considered official.
• Applications to non-degree or certificate programs need only submit an official transcript certifying at least a bachelor's degree.

Test Scores

• Applicants for admission to most graduate degree programs must take the general section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Consult with your intended program for specific test requirements. GRE Information can be obtained from www.ets.org/gre or 1-866-473-4373.
• Applicants applying as non-degree or visiting students are not required to submit test scores.

Recommendations

• Two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's academic work are required. There are programs that require more than two letters of recommendation. Please check with your department for additional requirements.
• Applicants applying for non-degree or visitor status are not required to submit letters of recommendation. Letter of Recommendation may be completed electronically via the online application.

Students applying to the following programs must first complete a SOPHAS application and then complete an application to the Graduate School:

To apply to any of the MBA programs or the Masters of Accountancy, refer to the College of Business website.

Students applying to any program in the School of Nursing must first complete Nursing’s Centralized Application Service application (NursingCAS) and then complete an application to the Graduate School.

Application Fee Waiver for Veterans or for those who are currently serving on Active-Duty, in the National Guard, or in the Reserves in; the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps or the U.S. Coast Guard.

For more details about the policies above, contact the Office of Military and Veteran Student Services

The University of Louisville is proud to be a member of the U.S. Government’s Federal Academic Alliance (FAA). We offer all U.S. Federal Government employees* a 10% tuition scholarship applied to the current tuition rate for all UofL online programs, each academic semester**. For additional information about our membership in the FAA visit http://uofl.me/faa-flyer. For information about Financial Aid visit Student Financial Aid Office (louisville.edu).

*Excludes uniform members of the Department of Defense. Government Contractors are not eligible.

**Federal employees remain eligible for the duration of their academic program as long as they remain employed by the federal government.