Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.)

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Program Admission

See Admissions Requirements for this program.

Program Information

Graduate students must complete their program within six (6) years of matriculation.
All courses must be passed with a “B-” (2.7) or better to be counted in the program.
Students must earn a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 to graduate. Students who do not meet the 3.0 requirement will be subject to the College of Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS) Probation Policy.
Students may substitute up to 12 credit hours completed in other SUU graduate programs or as transfer credits from graduate programs at other accredited institutions, with prior permission of the MPA Director.

Public Administration Curriculum (36 Credits)

Core Courses (21 Credits)

PADM 6000 - Program Overview and Theory of Public Administration 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6200 - Public Sector Budgeting 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6300 - Administrative Law 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6440 - Research Methods 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6450 - Program Evaluation 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6500 - Public Human Resources Management 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6620 - Critical Thinking and Ethics in the Public Sector 3 Credit(s)

Experiential Learning Courses (3-6 Credits)

All MPA students must complete three (3) or six (6) credit hours of experiential learning courses. Pre-service MPA students must complete six (6) credit hours of experiential learning, consisting of an MPA internship (3 credits) and the MPA Capstone Project (3 credits). The internship may be substituted for an in-field project with prior permission of the MPA Director. Pre-service students are defined as those having less than one (1) year of full-time equivalent work experience in the public sector. Non-resident students must be in-service professionals and exempt from the MPA Internship.

MPA Students that have more than one (1) year of full-time equivalent work experience in the public sector can apply for an Internship Waiver. These In-Service students will have a three (3) credit experiential learning course requirement. The other three (3) credits can be used to take an additional elective of the student’s choosing.

PADM 6890 - MPA Internship 1-6 Credit(s) (must complete 3 credits) 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6990 - Capstone in Public Administration 3 Credit(s)

Elective Courses (9-12 Credits)

Complete 9-12 credits from the following (to reach the minimum required 36 credits):

PADM 6540 - Higher Education Law and Policy 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6550 - Student Affairs in Higher Education 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6560 - Organization and Administration in Higher Education 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6570 - Student Development in College, Theory, and Practice 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6580 - Global Higher Education 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6600 - Leadership and Management in the Public Sector 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6610 - Public Policy Analysis 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6615 - Comparative Public Policy 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6630 - State and Local Government 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6640 - Constitutional Law 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6650 - Managing America’s Cities 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6670 - Intergovernmental Relations 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6700 - Organization and Administration at the Criminal Justice Agency 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6720 - Criminal Justice Policy 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6750 - Special Topics in Public Administration 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6830 - Readings and Conferences 1-3 Credit(s) (complete 3 credits) 3 Credit(s)
PADM 6950 - Professional Project 1-6 Credit(s) (complete 3 credits) 3 Credit(s)

Total Credits, M.P.A. Degree: 36

Note

Please note that some students may ultimately earn more credits than listed above for the master’s degree. If the capstone cannot be completed within one (1) semester, students must be enrolled continuously in PADM 6999 - Capstone Continuance until completion.