Doctoral Programs
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

The Andrew Young School currently has 44 students in the Ph.D. in Economics program, 11 students in the Ph.D. in Human Resource Development program, and 19 students in the joint Ph.D. in Public Policy.

In This Page

• The Ph.D. in Economics and the Ph.D. in Human Resource Development
  • Graduates
  • Current Students
• Joint Ph.D. in Public Policy
• Graduate Research and Teaching Assistants

The Ph.D. in Economics and the Ph.D. in Human Resource Development

Doctoral Graduates

Twelve doctoral degrees were awarded by the Andrew Young School in 2000; six in Economics and six in Human Resource Development.

Ph.D. in Economics

Agnieszka Beilinska-Kwapisz completed her dissertation, "Alcohol Taxes, Prices, and Consumption: Drunk Driving Fatalities," and is now in the job market.

Barbara Edwards began work with the Tax Analysis Division of the Congressional Budget Office in Washington, DC., where she continues her research agenda regarding the impacts of tax relief provided to selected groups. Her dissertation topic was, "The Incidence of State and Local Tax Treatment of the Elderly."

Christopher Geller completed his dissertation, "Private Schools and Public Quality: An Analysis of the Effects of Private Schools on Public School Performance," and accepted a position at the School of Economics, Deakin University, in Australia.

James Murphy's dissertation topic was, "The Scope Test Reconsidered: Theory and Experimental Evidence." He is currently an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina in Asheville.

Carol Robinson Scotton completed her dissertation, "The Impact of Workplace-Risk Measurement on Estimates of the Value of a Statistical Life," and went to work for the Centers for Disease Control studying HIV/AIDS prevention policy.

Mary Kathleen Thomas, now a research scholar at the Cecil and Ida Green Center for the Study of Science and Society at the University of Texas in Dallas, completed her dissertation on "The State Share of Revenue for Public Education: Measuring Its Magnitude and Effect on Total Per Pupil Spending in Primary and Secondary School Districts."

Ph.D. in Human Resource Development

Lucinda Gibson and Thomas Myers, a husband and wife team, own the consulting company, Performance Alliance. Both received Ph.D.s in HRD this year. Lucinda's dissertation topic was, "Phases of Learning During Action Learning Experiences: An Exploratory Study." Tom's topic was, "Burnout and Organization Structure."

Mary Langley, whose dissertation explored "The Role of Pastoral Leadership in the Sociopolitically Active African American Church," now works for the Morehouse School of Medicine.

Patricia Sherrer, now a freelance consultant, completed her dissertation, "Cultural Learning: Internationalization in Greek Manufacturing."

Margaret Thompson completed her dissertation, "The Relationship Between Organizational Learning Cultures and Participation in Decision Making," and celebrated the birth of her second child fall semester. She has worked as a university instructor, independent consultant and in various internal roles as a training and development professional.

Michael Workman's dissertation topic was, "The Effects of Cognitive Style and Media on Commitment to Telework and Virtual Teams." He has accepted a position as Assistant Professor in the School of Information Studies at Florida State University.

Current Students

Doctoral students co-author a number of articles with AYSPS faculty, and engage in a wide assortment of research and international activities. For a complete listing, see the "Graduate Student Activities" portion of the research section of this report.

The Joint Ph.D. in Public Policy

The joint Georgia State-Georgia Tech Ph.D. program in Public Policy continues to grow, strengthen, and diversify. Most of the 18 current students are from Georgia, but citizens of the People's Republic of China, Turkey, and Korea now comprise one-third of the students. Three students have successfully finished comprehensive examinations, and the first completed dissertation is expected in 2001. At least four students have already had articles published or accepted for publication in refereed journals, and others have manuscripts under submission.

Graduate Research and Teaching Assistants

Almost all doctoral students and many master's-level students in AYSPS work as graduate assistants while completing their academic programs. A list of the break-down per semester is provided below.