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Program Description
The Master of Public Administration is designed for those seeking a career in public service and those wanting to enhance their current career. The program prepares professionals for work in government at the local, state, or national level; nonprofit organizations; and many areas of business.
The M.P.A. 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 the graduate advisor. Students who do not have full-time professional experience will be required to complete a 3 hour internship course. Students must complete and pass comprehensive exams in public administration. Comprehensive exams are administered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Students take their comprehensive exams during their last semester of coursework. 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
- Official GRE or GMAT scores (Note: Students who have full-time professional experience and a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher may submit a writing sample in lieu of the GRE or GMAT)
- Two letters of recommendation that discuss the applicant’s suitability for graduate study
- A writing sample of scholarly or professional work
Optional: You may submit a two word-processed page statement explaining your background and/or potential that would make you a good choice for our program.
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 <PA 581> | Dynamics of Public Administration |
| PADM 5383 <PA 583> | Program Evaluation |
| PADM 5384 <PA 584> | Organizational Theory and Behavior |
| PADM 5386 <PA 586> | Human Resource Management |
| PADM 5387 <PA 587> | Public Budgeting and Finance |
| PADM 5388 <PA 588> | Ethics in Government |
| POLS 5377 <POL 577> | Scope and Methods of Political Science |
| PADM 5389 | Public Management |
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)
The concentration in Disaster and Emergency Management currently consists of the following courses.
| PADM 5385* <PA 585> | Disaster Management |
| POLS 5382* <PA 582> | Global Disaster Politics |
| POLS 5382* <PA 582> | Decision Making Uncertainty |
| POLS 5385* <PA 585> | Public Policy |
| *Topics addressed in POLS 5385 and POLS 5382 vary across semesters. Students interested in the concentration in Disaster and Emergency Management will take these courses when they are offered as indicated above. | |
Concentration in State and Local Government (Traditional Classroom Instruction)
Students will choose 12 semester credit hours from the following courses.
| POLS 5330 <POL 530> | American Politics |
| POLS 5360 <POL 560> | Seminar in American Politics |
| POLS 5362 <POL 562> | Seminar in Political Theory |
| POLS 5385 <POL 585>* | Public Policy |
| POLS 5378 <POL 578>* | Problems and Internships in Political Science |
| POLS 5382 <POL 582>* | Seminar in Public Administration |
*Topics addressed in POLS 5378 <POL 578>, POLS 5382 <POL 582>, and POLS 5385 <POL 585> 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. |
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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 <POL 567> | Seminar in International Relations |
| POLS 5371 <POL 571> | Comparative Politics |
| POLS 5372 <POL 572> | Seminar in Comparative Politics |
| POLS 5373 <POL 573> | International Relations |
| POLS 5378 <POL 578>* | Problems and Internships in Political Science |
| POLS 5382 <POL 582>* | Seminar in Public Administration |
*Topics addressed in POLS 5378 <POL 578> and POLS 5382 <POL 582> 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. |
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Degree Plans
M.P.A. in Public Administration
