Program Overview

Master of Public Affairs Program

The Master of Public Affairs (MPA) program is designed to prepare students to build competencies and develop creative solutions for challenges in finance, leadership, human resource, and project management.

Mission

The MPA program advances excellence in public service, focusing on skills of management and analysis that contribute to successful carrying out of administrative and leadership responsibilities in government and nonprofit settings.

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
• Sound preparation for advanced study aimed at research centers
• 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 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 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.

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 42 semester credit hours of work in the program. The program has three components:

• A 21 semester credit hour core
• 15 semester credit hours of directed electives within a chosen professional specialization
• The 3 semester credit hour Capstone seminar (PA 6399) For students without evidence of at least 12 months full-time managerial experience in the public or nonprofit sectors, 3 semester credit hours of internship credit are also mandatory.

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: 21 semester credit hours

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 semesters 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 6342 Local Economic Development or PA 7317 Microeconomics and Policy Analysis
• PA 6345 Human Resource Management

Professional Specialization Courses: 15 semester credit hours

Specialization tracks include:

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

Specializations

• Public Management: PA 6344 Local Government Management, PA 6300 Quality and Productivity in Government, PA 6318 Information Systems in Policy Environments, PA 6324 Urban Planning, PA 6370 Project and Contract Management, SOC 6341 Urban Economics or other appropriate courses approved by the MPA Director
• Local Government Management: PA 6344 Local Government Management, PA 6345 Human Resources Management, PA 6321 Government Financial Management and Budgeting, PA 6342 Local Economic Development or other appropriate courses approved by the MPA Director
• Nonprofit Management: PA 6380 Nonprofit Organizations, PA 6382 Nonprofit Management, PA 6374 Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations, PA 6315 Program Evaluation or other appropriate courses approved by the MPA Director
• Policy Analysis: PA 7317 Microeconomics and Policy Analysis, EPPS 6316 Applied Regression Analysis, PA 6315 Program Evaluation, EPPS 7304 Cost-Benefit Analysis or other appropriate courses approved by the MPA Director

Capstone Course: 3 semester credit hours

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: 3 semester credit hours

Three semester credit hours of internship credit (PA 6V97) are required for completing 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. For students with evidence of at least 12 months full-time managerial experience in the public or nonprofit sector, 3 semester credit hours of internship may be waived at the discretion of the MPA Director.