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Master of Public Administration

The Master of Public Administration degree is a professional course of study for persons in, or preparing for, mid-level or upper-level management positions in public and nonprofit organizations. The program emphasizes the theoretical, practical, and analytical abilities required of persons holding responsible public positions. Centered in the Department of Social Sciences, it also permits the incorporation of specialized fields of interest such as general administration, criminal justice, municipal management, non-profit management, and cybersecurity. 

Admission Requirements

  1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
  2. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4 point scale on the last 60 hours of undergraduate and/or graduate coursework. Candidates with advanced degrees will be given preference.
  3. Three years of full-time employment in a public or non-profit organization is required. A curriculum vita should be submitted to document employment in a public or non-profit organization. A satisfactory score on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) may be substituted for the employment requirement. The GRE requirement can be waived if the applicant earned a 3.25 overall undergraduate GPA or has previously earned a graduate degree, from an accredited university.
  4. A letter expressing interest and motivation for pursuing the degree should be submitted.
  5. A course in research methods is recommended before admission.

MPA Degree Requirements

Each candidate for the degree must satisfactorily complete 36 hours of course work as indicated:

Core Curriculum (24 hours required)

Area of Concentration (12 hours)

The MPA program offers 4 areas of concentration: criminal justice, municipal management, non-profit management, and cybersecurity. (Students can also purse a general administration approach by selecting courses from multiple concentrations.)

Criminal Justice

Municipal Management

Non-profit Management

Cybersecurity

COSC 5341Cybersecurity
COSC 5342Cybersecurity Management
COSC 5364Cyber Risk Analysis
COSC 5388Digital Forensics

Graduation Requirements

All candidates for the Master of Public Administration degree must also meet the following requirements:

  1. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 basis) on all work taken for graduate credit. No course with a grade below “C” may be applied toward this degree.
  2. A grade of no lower than "B" in the capstone course.