Program Overview

Public Administration

The Public Administration program offers a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree, as well as a dual degree option combining the MPA with a Juris Doctor (JD).

MPA Program Details

• Duration: 2 years
• Minimum Credits: 38-41 credits

Core Classes

The MPA program requires the following core classes, totaling 23 credit hours:

• MPA Core Courses:
  • POL7101: Introduction to Public Administration (B min) - 3 credits
  • POL7104: Public Sector Management (B min) - 3 credits
  • POL7105: Public Budgeting and Finance (B min) - 3 credits
  • POL7106: Political and Legal Processes (B min) - 3 credits
• Methods Courses - Required:
  • POL6001: Quantitative Methods for Public Managers (B min) - 3 credits
  • POL7001: Policy Research and Evaluation Methods (B min) - 4 credits
• Advanced Methods Courses - Required:
  • Students must choose either POL7051 or POL7058:
    • POL7051: Statistics for Political Science 1 (B min) - 4 credits
    • POL7058: Methods of Interpretation in the Social Sciences (B min) - 4 credits

MPA Specializations for JD/MPA Dual Degree

The JD/MPA dual degree program offers two specializations, each requiring 6 hours of track courses:

• Track 1 - Public Management:
  • POL7102: Public Sector Human Resource Management (B min) - 3 credits
  • POL7103: Organizational Theory and Behavior (B min) - 3 credits
• Track 2 - Social and Urban Policy:
  • POL7109: Policy Design: From Idea to Implementation (B min) - 3 credits
  • POL7110: Social and Urban Policy and Politics (B min) - 3 credits

Electives and Capstone

• Elective Courses: 6 hours
• Capstone Course: 3 hours
  • Electives from LAW counted toward MPA degree:
    • JD/MPA students must complete 6 hours of elective credits from the following LAW courses:
      • GOVT7001: Administrative Law (B min) - 3 credits
      • BCL7040: Law of Nonprofit Organizations (B min) - 3 credits
      • PROP7005: Environmental Law I (B min) - 2 credits
      • PROP7006: Environmental Law II (B min) - 2 credits
      • PROP7012: Land Use Planning: Law & the City Around You (B min) - 2 credits
      • SPCL7003: Disability Law (B- min) - 2 credits
      • SPCL7005: Health Care Law (B min) - 3 credits
      • IRTS7033: Crimmigration (B min) - 2 credits
      • IRTS7024: Advanced Immigration: Asylum Law (B min) - 2 credits
      • SPCL7012: Feminist Jurisprudence (B min) - 3 credits
      • IRTS7077: Critical Race Theory (B min) - 3 credits
      • IRTS7027: Race & American Law (B min) - 3 credits
  • Electives from MPA counted toward JD degree:
    • JD/MPA students may satisfy 8 LAW classroom credit hours from the following MPA courses:
      • POL7106: Political and Legal Processes (B min) - 3 credits
      • POL7109: Policy Design: From Idea to Implementation (B min) - 3 credits
      • POL7108: Behavioral Decision-Making for Public Sector Leaders (B min) - 3 credits
      • POL7015: Pro-Seminar in Public Opinion and Public Policy (B min) - 4 credits
  • Capstone:
    • POL7115: MPA Capstone (B min) - 3 credits

Credit Hours Explanation

The minimum number of credit hours required for the program can vary based on previously earned credits and/or the level of placement into required coursework. The credit hours listed are the typical minimum number of credit hours students must complete.