Public Administration (MPA)
The Master of Public Administration program responds to the 21st century conviction that public administrators can and must perform efficiently and effectively with an emphasis on "outcomes."
The Master of Public Administration is a professional degree primarily for those who want to pursue public service. The degree provides the knowledge and competencies of the career-minded public official. While the program is an academic one, the faculty is drawn from both academe and the public service sector. This program integrates a broad knowledge of administrative principles with the development of skill areas essential for the success of contemporary public administration.
The degree combines the interest of theoretical and behavioral inquiry associated with the social sciences, and the emphasis on managerial principles and practices found in many schools of business and management. It reflects the conviction that the administrator in public service must possess the knowledge and skills of a strategic manager and visionary leader with sensitivity to the political, social, and cultural elements that impinge upon the public organization. The program blends courses having a broad orienting function with those that impart definite skills. While there is a core of required courses, there is flexibility allowing students to shape the program to correspond to specific areas of interest.
The program also allows for different rates of progress toward the degree. The Master of Public Administration is a program that requires 36 credit hours for completion: 24 credit hours of core requirements and 12 credit hours of electives.
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