Public Administration, M.P.A.

Program Requirements

• Credit Hours: 36

Core Courses

• PUBA 600 Foundations of Public Sector Management and Leadership (3)
• PUBA 601 Research and Quantitative Methods for Public Administration (3)
• PUBA 602 Public Policy (3)
• PUBA 604 Managing Human Resources (3)
• PUBA 605 Managing Financial Resources (3)
• PUBA 701 Public Administration Capstone (3)

Elective Requirement

Students must complete an additional 18 credit hours, which can include an internship with 3 hours from PUBA 777  plus 15 elective credit hours OR 6 hours from PUBA 710  plus 12 elective credit hours.  Given the interdisciplinary nature of the field, MPA students are encouraged to think broadly about their elective courses. 

Elective hours must be completed from PUBA coursework, ARCM coursework, or the approved elective courses below. In addition, with written permission of the MPA Director, students may apply to have no more than two elective courses outside the program, to count toward their elective credits.

• COMM 514 Social Media (3)
• COMM 540 Uses and Effects of Media (3)
• EVSS 549 Geographic Information Systems (4)

Internship or Thesis

Students without prior relevant public service work experience (currently employed full time in public service or previously employed for at least one year full time in public service) are required to complete PUBA 777  Internship (3). The student’s work history will be reviewed as part of the application process and students will be notified at the time of acceptance if an internship is required. To satisfy the requirement, students must work no fewer than 150 hours over the course of the semester for three hours of internship credit. Every internship requires a written agreement between the supervisor, student, and program director outlining the expectations of the internship. At the conclusion of the internship, both the student and the internship supervisor will be asked to evaluate the work and the overall experience. Students must also fulfill the academic expectations of the internship which are likely to require written reflection of their experiences in relation to public service competencies.

A student that gains full-time employment in the public or nonprofit sector after they are admitted may be exempted from the internship requirement by submitting the internship waiver request form to the MPA Director. If granted, the student is required to take an additional elective course.

Students who wish to pursue a Ph.D. or seek employment in research or policy analysis can complete a thesis in lieu of an internship. A student that chooses to do a thesis must complete six hours of PUBA 710 . 

Transfer Credit Policy

All transfer credits (no more than twelve [12] hours) completed at other institutions must be approved by the director.