Program Requirements
Spring 2009 MPA Student Handbook
Fall 2009 MPA Student Handbook
As an MPA student, you must complete a minimum of 43 semester hours of academic work. This consists of 28 hours of required coursework including a 1 semester hour pre-professional seminar in public administration, 3 semester hours of research paper (POLS 596) and a six hour internship (POLS 595). All students must complete and successfully defend their research paper orally before a three-member graduate faculty committee.
Students not in the aviation concentration take 15 semester hours of elective credit. Students enrolled in the aviation concentration take an additional 12 hours of required aviation coursework and 3 hours of elected course credit. At least 21 semester hours (excluding the six hours of internship and three hours of research paper) of graduate level coursework must be taken from courses offered within the Political Science Department.
Our program works closely with its advisory board which is staffed with local, state, federal, and non-profit professionals from around the country. MPA students and faculty meet with the advisory board twice a year to ensure curriculum and extracurricular activities effectively prepare students for a career in public service.
Curriculum
All MPA students, with the exception of those concentrating in aviation, take the following courses for 28 hours of credit. This curriculum reflects NASPAA accreditation requirements. Students concentrating in aviation administration take POLS 557 Financial Administration instead of POLS 544 Program Evaluation.
POLS 503B- Data Preparation and Management
This is a course for MPA students that covers techniques of data management and analysis using Excel, SPSS, and Access. Prerequisite: consent of the department.
POLS 540– Seminar in Public Management
A capstone course for the MPA program. Examination of the social, political, legal and managerial constraints on the behavior of public administrators. Issues in ethics and the public’s expectations of professional administrators are also examined. Prerequisite: completion of at least three of the MPA required courses and consent of department.
POLS 542– Public Budgeting and Fiscal Management
An examination of the theory and practice of budgeting in the public sector and of selected elements of fiscal management. The course focuses on administrative aspects of budgeting and is oriented toward preparation of students for careers in the public service. Students utilize primary materials in conducting individual or class projects aimed at development of budgetary skills. Prerequisite: 340 or equivalent and consent of the department.
POLS 543– Human Resource Management
A study of the processes and procedures used in contemporary public personnel systems. Emphasis is placed on examination of competing models of personnel administration, application of personnel management strategies to specific case problems and public sector labor relations. Prerequisite: 340 or equivalent and consent of the department.
POLS 544– Program Analysis and Evaluation
An examination of approaches and problems in the analysis and evaluation of governmental programs. Emphasis is placed upon the use of analytical techniques to determine program impact and the use of evaluation in governmental decision making. Prerequisite: graduate level statistics course and consent of the department.
POLS 545– Organizational Theory and Behavior
An examination of various approaches to describing and understanding public organizations and the individuals within them. Emphasis is placed on study of the important theoretical literature in the field and on the applications of the theory of practical management problems in governmental units and agencies. Prerequisite: 340 and consent of department.
POLS 594– Professional Seminar in Public Administration
Guides students in preparing to write their MPA research paper, including writing of the proposal for evaluation by the student's research committee. The internship experience, preparation of resume, conducting job searches and other professional development topics are also addressed. Required of all MPA students. Graded S/U only. Prerequisite: consent of department.
POLS 595- Internship in Public Affairs
Fieldwork in the office of a governmental or quasi-governmental agency. The internship is arranged by the field coordinator of the M.P.A. degree program and provides a stipend as negotiated by the coordinator and agency representative. A paper in which the student correlates academic knowledge with practical internship experience is required. Mid-career M.P.A. students may receive credit upon completion of a paper relating previous work experience to public administration literature and theory. Prerequisite: consent of department. Graded S/U only.
POLS 596– Research Paper in Public Affairs
Upon successful completion of core courses, the student expands and develops a previously written MPA graduate program paper. The project involves an issue or problem in public administration and is written with the approval and under the supervision of the student’s committee chair. Graded S/U only. Prerequisite: consent of department.