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Graduate Program

Master of Public Administration

The Master of Public Administration degree is a professional course of study for persons in, or preparing for, mid-level or upper-level management positions in public and nonprofit organizations. The program emphasizes the theoretical, practical and analytical abilities required of persons holding responsible public positions. Centered in the Department of Social Sciences, it also permits the incorporation of specialized fields of interest such as general administration, criminal justice, urban and regional planning, research and evaluation, and health care administration.

Learn more about the Master of Public Administration

The program has two tracks/concentrations: The Generalist MPA and Executive Health Care Administration

Admission Requirements

  • A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
  • A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4 point scale on the last 60 hours of undergraduate and/or graduate coursework. Candidates with advanced degrees will be given preference.
  • For applicants to the Generalist track:
    • Three years of full-time employment in a public or non-profit organization is required. A curriculum vita should be submitted to document employment in a public or non-profit organization. A satisfactory score on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) may be substituted for the employment requirement in the Generalist track.
    • A letter expressing interest and motivation for pursuing the degree should be submitted; and an interview may be required.
    • A course in research methods is recommended before admission to that track.
  • In addition to requirements 1. and 2., applicants to the Health Care Administration track must have at least three years of full-time employment in a health care profession. They must also submit:
    • An Applicant Information Sheet.
    • A 300 word written essay.
    • A resume’.
    • Three letters of recommendation; preferably one from a supervisor.

      An on–campus interview with the director of the health care administration track or other designated faculty member is also required.
  • Consideration is also given to one or more of the following: the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to his or her chosen field of study, socioeconomic background, first generation college graduate, multilingual proficiency, geographic region of residence, and level of responsibility in other matters including extracurricular activities, employment, community service and family responsibilities.

MPA Generalist Concentration Degree Requirements

Each candidate for the degree must satisfactorily complete 36 hours of course work as indicated:

Core Curriculum (21 hours required)

  • MANA 5320 Organizational Behavior
  • PADM 5331 Information Systems in Public Administration
  • PADM 5332 Public Budgeting and Finance
  • PADM 5336 Administrative Ethics
  • MANA 5350 Strategic Human Resources Management
  • PADM 5396 Research Methods
  • PADM 5353 Public Administration Capstone Seminar

Area of Concentration (9 hours)

The MPA program offers five areas of concentration: general administration, criminal justice, urban and regional planning, research and evaluation, and health care administration.

General Administration (9 hours)

Three hours selected from the following courses:

  • PADM 5335 Topics in Policy Analysis
  • PADM 5338 Program Evaluation
  • PADM 5397 Advanced Social Science Analysis

Six additional hours in appropriate graduate courses in public administration, economics, geography, political science and sociology. To be decided with the consent of the MPA coordinator.

Criminal Justice (9 hours)

  • CRIJ 5303 Contemporary Criminological Theory
  • Six additional graduate hours in criminal justice

Urban and Regional Planning (9 hours)

  • GEOG 5330 Geographic Information Systems
  • PADM 5339 Urban and Regional Planning
  • SOCI 5307 Seminar In Metropolitan Problems
  • SOCI 5385 Studies In Demography

Research and Evaluation (9 hours)

  • PADM 5335 Topics in Policy Analysis
  • PADM 5338 Program Evaluation
  • PADM 5397 Advanced Social Science Analysis

Health Care Administration (9 hours)

  • PADM 5344 Health Policy and Politics

Six hours to be selected from the following courses:

  • ALHS 5350 Public Health Administration
  • ECON 5340 Economics of Public Policy
  • MANA 5320 Leading and Managing People
  • PADM 5338 Program Evaluation
  • HECC 5370 Ethics or
  • NURS 5308 Contemporary Healthcare Ethics
  • ECON 5340: has economics prerequisites

Electives (6 hours)

To be chosen with the consent of MPA Coordinator to strengthen students’ programs and might emphasize either substantive content or skill development. Students without previous agency experience may elect to take an additional six hours of internship. Internship credit must be in addition to the 36 hour degree requirement.

Graduation Requirements

All candidates for the master of public administration degree must also meet the following requirements:

  • A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 basis) on all work taken for graduate credit. No course with a grade below “C” may be applied toward this degree.
  • A grade of no lower than "B" in the capstone course.