Public Administration (MPA) - Thesis Concentration
Degree Requirements
To qualify for the degree of Master of Public Administration, all candidates must satisfactorily complete 36 hours.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisite | ||
| Intro to US Government (or its equivalent) 1 | ||
| Core Courses in the Core Curriculum 2 | ||
| PSC 500 | Organization Theory Public Mgt | 3 |
| PSC 510 | Intergov-Interorg Relations | 3 |
| PSC 520 | Research Methods and Design | 3 |
| PSC 530 | Quantitative Analysis | 3 |
| PSC 540 | Human Resource Management | 3 |
| PSC 550 | Public Budgeting | 3 |
| PSC 570 | Administrative Law | 3 |
| PSC 580 | Public Pol Analysis and Eval | 3 |
Students must take an additional twelve hours of graduate electives as approved by the Director of the MPA program | ||
| Thesis Concentration 3 | ||
| Select 6 to 9 hours of graduate elective courses as approved by the Director of the MPA program | 6 | |
| PSC 599 | Thesis | 6 |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
- 1
A minimum grade of C is required; or a score of 50 or higher in the “American Government” exam through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Students must satisfy this requirement no later than the end of their third semester in the program, including summer semesters. Failure to complete the requirement of PSC 130/its equivalent /satisfactory CLEP credit by the end of the third semester will prohibit registration for remaining core curriculum courses. Note that the course does not contribute credit to the required 36 graduate credit hours.
- 2
Note: The core curriculum cycle should ideally commence in the Fall Semester.
- 3
Students must have a minimum of 12 hours of graduate elective and thesis credit combined. They must also complete a thesis in compliance with Graduate School requirements.
Any substitutions for the above requirements must be approved in writing by the Director of the MPA Program.
A candidate for the MPA degree must complete successfully a comprehensive written examination covering the eight core courses listed previously. To be eligible to take this examination, a student must have achieved at least a 3.00 (B) grade- point average on the core curriculum course work. Normally, the examination will be administered during the Fall and Spring Semesters. The comprehensive examination may be attempted no more than twice.
Admission may be granted by the MPA Graduate Coordinator, when supported by a vote of the MPA Graduate Faculty, in special cases where a holistic evaluation of the applicant’s credentials is appropriate.
Internship
Students in the MPA Program may be allowed to enroll in PSC 596, Graduate Internship in Public Administration, for a maximum of six semester hours.
Normally, admission to the Internship Program will be dependent upon the following prerequisites:
- Satisfactory completion of at least six of the required core courses;
- Approval by the internship professor of the prospective intern's qualifications and proposed project; and
- Placement of the student in an appropriate agency of the government or other public service institution.
The length of the internship and corresponding credit (at the rate of three to six hours per semester), not to exceed a total of six hours, will be determined for each student on the basis of the student's particular needs and opportunities.
Each intern will be required, in consultation with the intern professor, to develop a research design for the project to be undertaken during the internship. Each intern will also be required to write a paper showing how that research design has been carried out. Particular emphasis will be placed in the paper upon the relationship between the internship experience and academic course work. Close and continuing supervision of each intern's progress will be provided by the intern professor.