Program Overview

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Master of Public Affairs Program

The Master of Public Affairs (MPA) program is designed to advance excellence in public service. The program accomplishes this mission through three sets of activities aimed at preparing its students to serve as capable and ethical stewards of the common good.

Mission

The MPA program imparts essential knowledge, competencies, and perspectives to a diverse array of future and current professionals in government and nonprofit organizations. It supports the wider community through in-service professional and leadership training, through policy and management analysis services, and it produces new knowledge through practice-centered research.

Objectives

The specific outcome objectives for students who graduate with the MPA degree are:

• An understanding of the philosophical, theoretical, and legal foundations of public management, policy making, and leadership in government and nonprofit settings
• Proficiency in organizational and decision analysis, research and evaluation practice, and quantitative and qualitative techniques
• Demonstrate sound preparation for careers in the public and nonprofit sector
• Mastery of persuasive written and oral communication

Facilities

Students have access to the computing facilities in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the University's computer labs. The school has four computing laboratories which have 24-30 computers that are network linked and equipped with major social science software packages, including Eviews, R, RATS, SPSS, and Stata. A computerized geographic information system, the LexisNexis database, and Westlaw are also available for student use.

Admissions Requirement

The University's general admission requirements are discussed on the Graduate Admission page. The Public Affairs Master's program at UT Dallas typically admits only students who have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better. Prospective students must complete the University's online graduate application and submit a narrative outlining:

• Academic interests
• Current or long-range interests in research, teaching, or other professional objectives
• Description of publications or other scholarly endeavors
• Listing of academic and professional organizations and fellowships, scholarships, or other honors received

International Student Requirements

International students whose native language is not English are also required to submit the Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 88, unless they graduated from a four-year college or university in the United States or other English-speaking country.

Application Deadlines

To be guaranteed consideration for admission, fall applications must be received by July 1 (late registration deadline is August 1). Applications for spring admission must be received by November 1 (late registration deadline is December 1). Any incomplete application received after these dates will not be considered for admission during the designated semester.

Transfer of Credit

In addition to the university's transfer of credit requirements, a maximum of 9 semester credit hours of transfer credit can be applied to the MPA degree.

Prerequisites

While there are no specific prerequisites required for any MPA course, students who lack background in particular areas may be advised or required to take preparatory courses. In particular, students who lack background or experience in American political and policymaking institutions, in mathematics, and microcomputing may be required to develop proficiency in these areas before being admitted into certain courses.

Degree Requirements

Students seeking a MPA degree must complete at least 36 (39 if internship is required) semester credit hours of work in the program. The program has three components:

• A 24 semester credit hour core
• 9 semester credit hours of directed electives within a chosen professional specialization
• The 3 semester credit hour Capstone seminar (PA 6399)

Grade Point Requirements

Students must maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average in the core courses and an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 to graduate. If a student's GPA does not meet these standards, university policy concerning academic probation and removal from the program are in effect.

Program Coursework

Major Core

All MPA students should complete the core courses as soon as possible, with the requirement that Introduction to Quantitative Methods (EPPS 6313) be taken during the first two long semester following admission. The required core courses are:

• EPPS 6313 Introduction to Quantitative Methods
• PA 6311 Public Management
• PA 6313 Public Policymaking and Institutions
• PA 6320 Organizational Theory
• PA 6321 Government Financial Management and Budgeting
• PA 6315 Evaluating Program and Organization Performance
• PA 6345 Human Resources Management
• PA 6382 Nonprofit Management

Professional Specialization Courses

Students select 9 semester credit hours of specialized courses from one of the following specialization tracks:

• Local Government Management
• Nonprofit Management
• Policy Analysis Students can also customize a track based on their career goals with the MPA Director's approval.

Specialization 1: Local Government Management

• PA 6300 Quality and Productivity Improvement in Government
• PA 6324 Urban Planning
• PA 6326 Decision Tools for Managers
• PA 6342 Local Economic Development
• PA 6344 Local Government Management
• PA 6349 Case Study: Policy Management in Seoul
• PA 6370 Project and Contract Management
• PA 6386 Diversity Management or other appropriate courses approved by the MPA Director

Specialization 2: Nonprofit Management

• PA 6369 Grant Writing and Management
• PA 6374 Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations
• PA 6386 Diversity Management
• PA 6387 Strategic Planning for Nonprofit
• PA 6389 Volunteer Management
• PA 6391 Nonprofit Marketing and Communication or other appropriate courses approved by the MPA Director

Specialization 3: Policy Analysis

• PA 6326 Decision Tools for Managers
• SOC 6340 Domestic Social Policy
• PA 7317 Economics and Public Policy
• PA 7377 Education Policy
• EPPS 6316 Applied Regression Analysis
• EPPS 7304 Cost-Benefit Analysis or other appropriate courses approved by the MPA Director

Capstone Course

The Capstone in Public Affairs (PA 6399) is the culminating experience for graduating MPA students. Students integrate knowledge from across the MPA curriculum in a faculty-directed semester-long applied research project.

Internship

Students with less than 12 month full-time managerial public or nonprofit sector work experience must complete three (3) semester credit hours of internship credit (PA 6V97) for the MPA. The internship involves work in a professional capacity in an organization, under the joint supervision of an experienced professional mentor at the internship site and the MPA Internship Coordinator.