Initially, the implementation of the Public Administration Doctoral Program was a concentration of the Social Sciences Doctoral Study Program. This study program was centrally organized at the Hasanuddin University Postgraduate Program, and the Head of the Social Sciences Doctoral Program was the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences ex-officio.

The Public Administration Doctoral Study Program was a study program that was greatly needed in the early 2000s. Therefore, the Department of Administrative Sciences (formerly the Department of Administrative Sciences) deemed it necessary to open an advanced study program that specifically studied Public Administration problems. The Public Administration Doctoral Program officially accepted new students since 2007, but the Implementation Permit was only issued 2 (two) years later, namely in 2009, based on the Decree of the Director General of Higher Education, Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Indonesia Number 889/D/T/2009 dated June 11, 2009 concerning the Implementation Permit for the Public Administration Doctoral Program. Initially, all Postgraduate Study Programs, both monodisciplinary and multidisciplinary, were held at the Graduate School of Hasanuddin University (formerly known as the Postgraduate Program of Hasanuddin University).

The discourse to hand over the management of academic activities of the Monodisciplinary Study Program to each of its parent Faculties has emerged since 2007, namely during the leadership of Prof. Dr. dr. Idrus Paturusi as Rector, but was only officially handed over to each Faculties in 2009. During the transition of management from Postgraduate to Faculties, all postgraduate study programs were ex-officio led or chaired by the Dean of each Faculty while preparing for the election of the Head of Study Program. For the Doctoral Study Program in Public Administration, the Head of the Study Program was held by Mr. Deddy T, Tikson, Ph.D. ex-officio who at that time served as Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Hasanuddin University. Due to the busy schedule of the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Hasanuddin University, who also served as the Head of the Doctoral Program in Public Administration, the Dean appointed Mrs. Dr. Hasniati, S.Sos., M.Si. as Secretary of the Public Administration Doctoral Program since 2009, while preparing for the election of the Head of the Public Administration Doctoral Program.

Around mid-2010, the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Hasniati, who served as the Third Head of the Public Administration Study Program, ex-officio asked the Head of the Administrative Science Department, who was then held by Prof. Dr. Sangkala, to hold an election for the Head of the Public Administration Doctoral Program. There were 2 (two) candidates for head at that time, namely Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Asang, M.S. and Prof. Dr. Rakhmat, M.S. All lecturers of the Administrative Science Department were invited to vote, and the one who received the most votes was Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Asang, MS, considering that he had contributed to the proposal for the opening of this study program. Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Asang, MS. officially became the Head of the Public Administration Doctoral Program since 2010. However, due to his health condition which was often disturbed, in 2012 Prof. Dr. Suratman, M.S. was appointed as Chair to complete the remaining term of Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Asang, MS. until 2014. For the period 2014-2018, the Chair of the Doctoral Program in Public Administration was held by Prof. Dr. Haselman, M.Sc. and continued by Prof. Dr. Rakhmat, M.S. based on the Decree of the Rector of Hasanuddin University Number: 31455/UN4.1/KP.15/2017 as Chair of the Public Administration Study Program for the period 2018 to 2022. However, because Prof. Dr. Rakhmat, M.S. passed away in early 2021, the Chair of the Department of Administrative Sciences invited all lecturers of Administrative Sciences to elect a replacement for the deceased. The results of the meeting agreed on 2 (two) candidates for Chair of the Study Program to be sent to the Faculty Senate for approval, and then sent to Hasanuddin University to be appointed as Chair of the Study Program. The 2 (two) people who were sent were Prof. Dr. Alwi, M.A. and Prof. Dr. Muh. Akmal Ibrahim, M.Sc. Unhas appointed Prof. Dr. Muh. Akmal Ibrahim, M.Sc. as the Head of the Public Administration Doctoral Study Program for the new period 2021 to 2025.

Institutionally, the Public Administration Doctoral Program is under the Department of Administrative Sciences. Currently, the Department of Administrative Sciences has fostered undergraduate, master's, and doctoral study programs. The Department of Administrative Sciences is the oldest study program in the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Hasanuddin University. The forerunner to the birth of Fisip Unhas came from the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, University of August 17, 1945, which was founded by Mr. Tjia Kok Tjiang. Based on PP. No. 5/1980 and Presidential Decree No. 68/1982, the Department of State Administration changed to the Department of State Administration with the State Administration Study Program (Sarjana Level