The curriculum equips graduates with the following competencies essential to public service leadership:

  • Leading, managing, and engaging others in public service
  • Building professional relationships in a variety of organizational settings
  • Understanding and communicating diverse perspectives
  • Managing financial resources
  • Managing human capital
  • Analyzing information for decision-making
  • Identifying, collecting, managing, and interpreting relevant qualitative and quantitative data
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Program Components

Students must successfully complete these three essential components of the MPA program to graduate.

Coursework

A minimum of 45 hours of academic credit is required for graduation: 30 hours of core classes and 15 hours of elective courses in the student’s selected fields of interest.

Professional Work Experience (PWE)

Students develop their leadership competencies further in a public service work environment and gain work experience for career advancement.

Applied Research Problem

Students showcase their public administration competencies during their final semester, including a comprehensive oral exam and written response to an issue facing the public sector.

view a typicaloncampus course schedule
MPA Course Schedule 2-Year Planner 
FALL
TERM 1
Credit Hours  Semester  SPRING
TERM 1
2021 
Credit Hoursr  Semester 
PUBA 709: Foundations of Public Administration    Fall   PUBA 710: Organization Theory    Spring 
PUBA 719: PA Analysis and Evaluation I    Fall   PUBA 720: PA Analysis and Evaluation II    Spring 
PUBA 721: Professional Communication    Fall   PUBA 723: Human Resource Management    Spring 
PUBA 760: Law for Public Administration    Fall  PUBA 731: Public Financial Management    Spring 
MPA Elective 1: OPTIONAL    Fall       
TOTAL PUBA HOURS  15    TOTAL PUBA HOURS  12   
           
FALL
Term 2
2021
 
    SPRING
Term 2
2022
 
   
PUBA 711: Public Service Leadership  3  Fall  PUBA 748: Applied Research II  1.5  Spring 
PUBA 747: Applied Research I  1.5  Fall  Elective 4  3  Spring 
Elective 2:   3  Fall  Elective 5  3  Spring 
Elective 3:   3  Fall  Elective  3  Spring 
TOTAL PUBA HOURS  10.5    TOTAL PUBA HOURS  10.5