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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Master of Public Administration Degree

The mission of the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program is to prepare students for careers and leadership roles in public and nonprofit organizations and to nurture their commitment to ethical public service in a diverse society.

Program Admission Requirements. Applicants must satisfy University-wide graduate admission requirements, submit a letter of intent, and complete undergraduate courses in research methods or statistics and U.S. government (politics). The 500 word letter of intent should state the applicant’s reasons for pursuing the M.P.A., how their educational and/or career experience has prepared them for the M.P.A. program, and how the degree will help the applicant achieve her or his goals. Two letters of recommendation are required. Applicants may be admitted as unconditional, conditional, or special graduate students. Admission as a special graduate student does not guarantee subsequent admission as a degree-seeking student; such students must reapply for degree-seeking status.

Degree Requirements. The minimum number of semester credit hours required for the degree, exclusive of coursework or other study required to remove deficiencies, is 39. In addition to these basic degree requirements, students without previous public service employment must complete an additional 6 semester credit hours of PAD 6963,6 Internship.

Degree candidates must complete the following requirements:

A. 24 semester credit hours of core courses:

PAD 5003 Introduction to Public Administration
PAD 5023 Quantitative Methods for Public Administration
PAD 5033 Theories of Public Organizations
PAD 5233 Scope and Methods of Inquiry
PAD 5323 Public Policy Formulation and Implementation
PAD 5343 Human Resource Management in the Public Sector
PAD 5363 Public Sector Financial Management
PAD 5393 Economics for Public Administrators

Normally, students enroll in PAD 5003 during their initial semester.

B. 12 semester credit hours of electives, chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor.

C. Comprehensive examination. Degree candidates are required to pass an oral comprehensive examination. The examination is administered in the form of a presentation to a faculty committee of the exit paper written by the student in the required PAD 6923 Applied Research course.

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