Applicants must hold a master's degree from an accredited institution, preferably in criminal justice, health, public administration or social work. Applicants with a master's degree in a field not directly related to public affairs may be required to take courses at the master's level in preparation for doctoral level study. Any requirements for preparatory coursework will be communicated at the time of acceptance into the program and will generally be taken prior to beginning doctoral-level coursework. These courses, if required, will not substitute for the listed doctoral degree requirements. Admission is offered for fall semester only.

In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:

One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended for both bachelor's and master's degrees.
Official, competitive GRE score taken within the last five years.
A narrative statement of 1000 words or less addressing the following:
What is your reason for pursuing a doctoral degree in Public Affairs in our program? Be sure to include future goals and plans
What research areas pertaining to Public Affairs are you interested in researching?
What will be your contribution as a student to the program?
Resume.
A writing sample. An academic paper is preferred, but the program will consider writing samples that demonstrate analytical writing (i.e. grant applications, position papers, etc.)
Three letters of recommendation from faculty or professionals who can assess the applicant's ability to succeed in a doctoral program. Academic references are strongly preferred.
A TOEFL computer-based score of 220 or 80 on the internet-based TOEFL (or equivalent score on the paper-based test) or 6.5 on the IELTS is required unless otherwise specified by the program.