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Program Description
The Master of Public Administration program is designed to empower those seeking a career in public service as well as those already employed who desire to enhance their current career trajectory. The program prepares professionals for work in government at the local, state, or national level as well as nonprofit organizations. Those in the private sector may also find the curriculum valuable.
The MPA degree requires a total of 36 hours of coursework: 24 hours of core coursework taken by all students and 12 hours of coursework in a concentration selected by the student in consultation with a graduate advisor. Students who do not have full-time professional experience will be required to complete an additional 3-credit hour internship.
Prior to graduation, all students must complete and pass a comprehensive exams, which encompasses key learning objectives from the core coursework. Students take their comprehensive exams during their last semester, and exams are administrered during the fall, spring and summer semesters for the students' convenience. Students must be enrolled in the University the semester or summer session in which the comprehensive exam is administered.
Admissions
Students seeking admission to the graduate programs in Political Science must complete the following requirements and send all documents to the Office of Graduate Admissions:
- Graduate Application
- Application fee
- Official transcripts of all college-level work, including the transcript that shows the date the undergraduate degree was conferred
- A current resume
- Two letters of recommendation that discuss the applicant’s suitability for graduate study
- A writing sample of scholarly or professional work
- Official GRE or GMAT scores (Note: Applicants who have full-time professional experience and a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher may ask for graduate director approval to use the required wiriting sample as a substitute for the GRE or GMAT)
- A statement of interest summarizing the applicant's reasons for pursuing the MPA degree and the applicant's professional and life experiences that prepare him or her for the program. The statement should be roughly two pages single spaced.
A holistic review of each student’s application file will be completed and admission will be granted on a competitive basis.
Degree Requirements
Core Courses
| PADM 5381 | Dynamics of Public Administration |
| PADM 5383 | Program Evaluation |
| PADM 5384 | Organizational Theory and Behavior |
| PADM 5386 | Human Resource Management |
| PADM 5387 | Public Budgeting and Finance |
| PADM 5388 | Ethics in Government |
| PADM 5389 | Public Management |
| POLS 5377 | Scope and Methods of Political Science |
Internship
Students who lack professional experience will be required to take 3 hours of internship.
Areas of Concentration
A concentration of 12 hours is required with this degree. The department offers concentrations in disaster and emergency management (online), state and local government (traditional classroom setting), and comparative and international politics (traditional classroom setting). A student may, with the permission of the graduate director, pursue a concentration in other disciplines deemed more relevant to the student’s professional goals
Concentration in Disaster and Emergency Management (Online Instruction)
Sudents will choose 12 semester credit hours (4 courses) from the following:
| PADM 5390 | Global Disaster Politics |
| PADM 5391 | Emergency Management |
| PADM 5392 | Decision Making in Public Administration |
| POLS 5382 | Seminar in Public Administration: Disaster Resilience |
| POLS 5385 | Public Policy |
Concentration in State and Local Government (Traditional Classroom Instruction)
Students will choose 12 semester credit hours from the following courses.
| POLS 5330 | American Politics |
| POLS 5360 | Seminar in American Politics |
| POLS 5362 | Seminar in Political Theory |
| POLS 5385 | Public Policy |
| POLS 5378 | Problems and Internships in Political Science |
| POLS 5382 | Seminar in Public Administration |
| * Topics addressed in POLS 5378, POLS 5382vary across semesters. Thus, these courses may count towards a student’s concentration hours only when the course topic is relevant to the student’s area of concentration. | |
Concentration in Comparative and International Relations (Traditional Classroom Instruction)
Students will choose 12 semester credit hours from the following courses. None of these courses requires stem work.
| POLS 5367 | Seminar in International Relations |
| POLS 5371 | Comparative Politics |
| POLS 5372 | Seminar in Comparative Politics |
| POLS 5373 | International Relations |
| POLS 5378 | Problems and Internships in Political Science |
| POLS 5382 | Seminar in Public Administration |
| * Topics addressed in POLS 5378 and POLS 5382 vary across semesters. Thus, these courses may count towards a student’s concentration hours only when the course topic is relevant to the student’s area of concentration. | |
