Degree requirements (pre-service students 40 credit hours, in-service students 39 credit hours)

For pre-career students lacking significant administrative experience, the degree requires 40 hours of graduate credit including a one credit hour internship involving at least 400 hours of employment in an appropriate public or nonprofit setting. The one credit hour internship is not required of mid-career students with administrative experience. Full-time students are normally able to complete the degree in nine semesters – two and one-half years.

The curriculum of study for the Master of Public Administration program includes several elements. First, all students are required to take a group of core courses which will provide exposure to subject matter which all administrators must master. The courses in this category include: Public Administration and Society; Research Methods; Policy Analysis and Evaluation; Public Personnel Administration; Public Organization Theory; Public Budgeting; Public Finance; and, Public Administration Capstone. Second, students choose from a number of elective offerings designed for exposure to other matters of concern to practicing administrators such as administrative ethics, executive leadership challenges, strategic management of public organizations, administrative law, and nonprofit financial management. Third, students develop an area of administrative specialization such as public budgeting and finance, planning, security studies, and, state and local government. Finally, pre-career students are required to complete an internship involving a minimum of ten weeks of fulltime employment in an administrative capacity with either a public or not-for-profit sector employer.