The Master of Public Administration degree program provides a unique program of study in administrative theory, the program and policy development process, and specific case studies in public policy. This degree program is designed to offer graduates of various undergraduate programs an opportunity to obtain high levels of proficiency of technical and managerial skills to enhance public service work. It aims at broad-level understanding of the goals and challenges of public administration and the relationship of these to more specialized aspects of planning, organization, management, and analysis in the public sector at the national, state and local levels. The degree program is designed to provide advanced study and prepare current and future government employees for management positions in government at all levels. Because of its focus on management and the expanding role of the private sector in providing traditional government services, the degree program is also applicable to industry and the non-profit sector.
Degree Program Objectives
In addition to the institutional and degree level learning outcomes objectives, the Master of Public Administration seeks the following specific learning outcomes of its graduates: - Apply leading theories and approaches to managing public organizations and administering federal, state, and local levels and evaluate the interrelationships among these levels of government.
- Understand the concepts, theories and methodologies to conduct research in the public sector.
- Analyze concepts, assess principles, and evaluate how public sector administration impacts business, the American public, and society in general.
- Evaluate the philosophical and practical issues related to ethical decision-making in the public sector.
- Formulate and articulate positions and issues that intersect the dynamics of politics, policy, economics, administration, and management in the public sector.
- Assess the interaction of individuals and groups in government organizations.
- Compare and contrast the government and private sector budgeting process and the funding of specific government programs and activities.
- Appraise the role of federal administrative organizations -- to include Congress, the president, the courts, and interest groups – in the public policy development and implementation.
- Assess the emerging trend and implications of the private and not-for-profit sectors providing government services.
- Develop concepts, projects, and plans to advance the public interest as it relates to federal, regional, state, or local policy objectives.
- Analyze public policy initiatives from political and legal aspects as to their intentions, achievable aims, and outcomes.
- Formulate a strategy for developing a needs assessment, outcome expectations, program outcome evaluations, and impact assessments.
- Assess a specific public sector specialization from a list including defense management, disaster management, environmental policy, health policy, human resources, security management, and sports administration. The student will be able to demonstrate proficiency in the following:
- The unique characteristics of the specific public sector area delivery process in the United States to include the context of service administration and system performance.
- The constraints created for policy administrators by laws and regulations applicable to the policy area.
- The application of economic theory to the policy area to include alternative methods of financing and examination of costs in a variety of delivery systems.
- Analyses of policy issue area outcomes in terms of relevant policy models as well a planning and operations of the policy issue system.
Degree Program Requirements Core Course (12 semester hours)
PS500 / POL 500 - Research Methods in Social Science
DM610 / PUB 510 - Administrative Theory
DM611 / PUB 520 - Public Administration in Society
DM584 / PUB 530 - Public Policy (required)
Major Courses (18 semester hours)
The Master of Public Administration degree program requires the student to take courses from three distinct groupings: Public Administration Theory, Public Administration Process, and Public Administration Policy. By choosing related courses, the student can specialize in a particular policy area: - defense management
- disaster management
- environmental policy
- health policy
- human resources
- security management
Public Administration Theory
(Select 6 Semester Hours)
CR507/ CR533 / SCM 507 - Principles and Theory of Security Management / Assets Protection and Loss
Prevention Management
DM530 / PUB 615 - Program Appraisal
DM548 / MGT 604 - Organizational Crisis Management
DM577 / PUB 610 - Public Management
DM608 / PUB 612 - Public Finance
DM650 / EVS 610 - Fundamentals of Environmental Systems
EM506 / EDM 502 - Emergency and Disaster Theory
PS503 / PUB 611 - Law and Public Policy Public Administration Process
(Select 6 Semester Hours)
CR508 / SCM 508 - Evaluation of Security Programs
DM507 / HRM 600 - Human Resource Management
DM509 / DEF 540 - Program and Acquisition Management
DM557 / HCM 601 - Health Care Administration
DM578 / EVS 501- Environmental Management
DM612 / PUB 620 - Local Political Administration
DM613 / POL 510 - The U.S. Presidency, Congress, and Bureaucracy
EM504 / EDM 503 - Emergency and Disaster Planning and Management
PS650 / POL 650 - Federalism: The American Governance Process Public Administration Policy
(Select 6 Semester Hours)
PS533 / POL 513 - Urban Politics
Disaster Management
EM503 / EDM 530 - Economics of Disaster
EM516 / EDM 509 - Interagency Disaster Management
Environmental Policy
DM631 / EVS 502 - Environmental Economics
DM632 / EVS 503 - Environmental Policy, Regulation, and Law
Health Policy
DM554 / HCM 600 - Health Care Finance and Economics
DM555 / HCM 502 - Health Policy
EM630 / HCM 501 - Public Health in America
Human Resources
DM550 / HRM 602 - Employment Law and Labor Relations
DM551 / HRM 603 - Human Resource Policy
Security Management
CR508 / SCM 508 - Evaluation of Security Programs
CR509 / SCM 509 - Contemporary Issues in Security Management
Graduate Electives
(Select 6 semester hours) From other courses not taken to meet required, core, or major requirements.
PS702 / PUB 790 - Separate Comprehensive Examination Taken once all other requirements have been met.
Total hours: 36 semester hours
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