Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program is designed to develop the knowledge and skills needed to become effective public and nonprofit managers, leaders, and entrepreneurs. The program combines academic rigor with a practical approach to addressing management and policy analysis. Today, managers in high-performing organizations must analyze and interpret data and use those insights to implement policies and programs.
The program’s applied approach and unique position in a business school focuses on cultivating mastery of policy evaluation, analytics, and administrative best practices to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public and nonprofit organizations in a wide range of fields. The Master of Public Administration enables students to benefit from an innovative program that focuses on contemporary tools for achieving success in non-profit management, administering public policy, and thinking strategically. The M.P.A. takes an interdisciplinary approach, exposing students to subject matter experts from across the Stuart School of Business.
Curriculum
The Master of Public Administration degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours (10 courses) of graduate work, including seven core courses.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | (21) | |
| PA 501 | Introduction to Public Administration | 3 |
| PA 502 | Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| PA 522 | Human Resource Management | 3 |
| PA 532 | Public Financial Optimization and Management | 3 |
| PA 568 | Optimization in Policy and Administration | 3 |
| PA 580 | Policy Forecasting and Evaluation | 3 |
| PA 581 | Policy Economic Modeling and Design | 3 |
| Elective Courses | (9) | |
| Select nine credit hours. Students may select courses to fulfill a desired specialization. See Specializations tab on this page for more details. | 9 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
Elective courses may be selected from courses in public administration or other fields such as architecture, business, city and regional planning, civil engineering, computer science, design, environmental engineering, humanities, psychology, social sciences, or law. Taking a course outside the MPA program requires the permission of the student’s adviser and the program director. No more than six credit hours may be taken in university courses numbered between 400 and 499. A maximum of nine credit hours of graduate-level coursework may be transferred from another accredited university if these have not been used toward a degree and upon approval of the student’s adviser and the MPA program director.
MPA with Nonprofit and Mission-Driven Management Specialization
This specialization is designed for professionals who want to become leaders and managers of nonprofit and other mission driven enterprises. It provides students with the skills needed to enter the nonprofit field, advance their current nonprofit career, or become a nonprofit or mission-driven enterprise entrepreneur. Students take the regular MPA core curriculum and three electives from the nonprofit courses offered in the program. This program combines rigorous instruction with a practical orientation toward mission-driven organizational management.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | (9) | |
| Select a minimum of nine credit hours from the following: | 9 | |
| The Law and the Nonprofit Sector | 3 | |
PA 533 | 3 | |
| Resource Development in the Nonprofit Sector | 3 | |
| Alternative Dispute Resolution | 3 | |
| Performance Measurement | 3 | |
| Public Policy, Nonprofits, and Philanthropy | 3 | |
| The Nonprofit Sector | 3 | |
| Nonprofits and the Public Sector | 3 | |
| Social Capital and the Community | 3 | |
| Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Public Service | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 9 | |
MPA with Security, Safety, and Risk Management Specialization
The Security, Safety, and Risk Management specialization is intended for professionals who want to acquire cutting edge security strategies and leadership techniques to successfully manage public safety and public or private sector emergency preparedness programs. Students take the regular MPA core curriculum and three electives from the security, safety, and risk management courses offered in the program. This program combines rigorous instruction with a practical orientation.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | (9) | |
| Select a minimum of nine credit hours from the following: | 9 | |
| Administration Law | 3 | |
| Strategy and Structure: Homeland Security | 3 | |
| Crisis Management and Homeland Security | 3 | |
| Information Systems Security and Cyber Crime | 3 | |
| Local Government Management | 3 | |
| Alternative Dispute Resolution | 3 | |
| Performance Measurement | 3 | |
| Public Safety Administration | 3 | |
| Public Management Strategies for the 21st Century | 3 | |
| Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Public Service | 3 | |
| Incident Response, Disaster Recovery, and Business Continuity | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 9 | |
MPA with Economic Development and Social Entrepreneurship Specialization
The specialization in Economic Development and Social Entrepreneurship is designed for professionals who want to become economic development leaders of social entrepreneurs. They will become managers and entrepreneurs who drive socially responsible economic change in a rapidly changing global environment. These professionals may work in the public sector specializing in developing cutting edge economic development strategies and programs at the local, state, or federal level or they may want to be mission-driven entrepreneurs who organize, manage, or create ventures that utilize social capital to foster local or regional economic development. Students take the regular MPA core curriculum and three electives from the economic development and social entrepreneurship courses offered in the program.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | (9) | |
| Select a minimum of nine credit hours from the following: | 9 | |
PA 533 | 3 | |
| Local Government Management | 3 | |
| Social Entrepreneurship | 3 | |
| Public Infrastructure Management and Financing | 3 | |
| Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning | 3 | |
| Public Management Strategies for the 21st Century | 3 | |
| Urban and Regional Development | 3 | |
| Political Economy | 3 | |
| Social Capital and the Community | 3 | |
| Planning, Policy-Making, and the Built Environment | 3 | |
| Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Public Service | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 9 | |
