public adm

Public Administration Research; Vol. 2, No. 1; 2013
ISSN 1927-517x
E-ISSN 1927-5188
Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education

Preparing Public Administration Scholars for Qualitative Inquiry: A
Status Report
Margaret Stout1
1

Department of Public Administration, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

Correspondence: Margaret Stout, Department of Public Administration, West Virginia University, Morgantown,
WV, USA. Tel: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail]
Received: January 18, 2013 doi:10.5539/par.v2n1p11 Accepted: February 20, 2013

Online Published: April 24, 2013

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/par.v2n1p11

Abstract
This paper reiterates in succinct form the discipline’s discussion of how qualitative inquiry stands to contribute substantively to public affairs knowledge and why it is therefore a necessary skill to develop as scholars in the field and its cognates; public administration, public policy, and political science. It then presents empirical data on doctoral research methods requirements collected in 2004-2005 and 2011-2012 to demonstrate that while preparation in qualitative inquiry is improving, at least one-third of the doctoral programs associated with
NASPAA-accredited Master of Public Administration degree programs still fail to prepare candidates in qualitative inquiry. Therefore, the discussion is still relevant and doctoral programs are encouraged to continue curricular reform and enhancement. Furthermore, scholars are encouraged to continue research on research in public administration.
Keywords: qualitative inquiry, research methods, doctoral curriculum, research methods requirements
1. Introducation
1.1 Introduce the Problem
The literature on public administration research has argued over recent decades that qualitative inquiry stands to contribute substantively to knowledge of the field and is therefore a necessary skill to develop as scholars.
Without adequate

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