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, urban and regional planning, research and evaluation, and health care administration.
Admission Requirements
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A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
- 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.
- 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.
- A letter expressing interest and motivation for pursuing the degree should be submitted.
- Consideration is also given to one or more of the following: the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to his or her chosen field of study, socioeconomic background, first generation college graduate, multilingual proficiency, geographic region of residence, and level of responsibility in other matters including extracurricular activities, employment, community service, and family responsibilities.
- 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 (21 hours required)
Area of Concentration (9 hours)
The MPA program offers 5 areas of concentration: general administration, criminal justice, urban and regional planning, research and evaluation, and health care administration.
General Administration (9 hrs.):
3 hours selected from the following courses:
6 additional hours in appropriate graduate courses in public administration, economics, geography, political science, and sociology. To be decided with the consent of the MPA coordinator.
Criminal Justice (9 hrs.):
| CRIJ 5303 | Contemporary Criminological Theory | |
| 6 additional graduate hours in criminal justice | |
Urban and Regional Planning (9 hrs.):
Research and Evaluation (9 hrs.):
Health Care Administration (9 hrs.):
6 hours to be selected from the following courses:
Electives (6 hours)
To be chosen with the consent of MPA Coordinator to strengthen students’ programs and might emphasize either substantive content or skill development. Students without previous agency experience may elect to take an additional 6 hours of internship. Internship credit must be in addition to the 36 hour degree requirement.
Graduation Requirements
All candidates for the Master of Public Administration degree must also meet the following requirements:
- 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.
- A grade of no lower than "B" in the capstone course.