The MPA program requirements are designed to address core competencies, establish basic courses, and offer specialized electives. The curriculum requires 39 units. Pre-service students with less than 24 months of professional experience in the public sector or nonprofit organizations must complete an internship.
Total Program: 39 semester hours
Core Courses
24 semester hours
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PADM 501 | Public Service & Society 1 | 3 |
| PADM 510 | Public Management and Leadership | 3 |
| PADM 531 | Organizational Theory and Development | 3 |
| PADM 533 | Policy Formation | 3 |
| PADM 534 | Budgeting and Fiscal Management | 3 |
| PADM 555 | Ethics in Administration | 3 |
| PADM 582 | Quantitative Methods for Public Management | 3 |
| PADM 596 | Graduate Seminar | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 24 | |
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PADM 501 Public Service & Society is to be completed the first session of study. If not offered the first session, then it must be taken as soon as it is offered.
Concentration and Elective Courses
15 semester hours
Concentrations require a minimum of 9 semester hours (three courses) and are listed on final transcripts upon completion of the MPA degree. Students may complete a set of electives instead with advance approval by the program director.
Eligible elective courses are non-core 500 level PADM courses, HSM courses in the Public Health Concentration, and non-cross listed nonprofit MGMT courses. Other graduate courses are not eligible as concentration or elective courses without advance approval by the program director.
Students without previous public or nonprofit experience are required to take PADM 598 Public Service Internship within the first year of study or 18 units (whichever comes first). This course is classified as an elective. Other students may take the internship course as an elective with advance approval by the program director.
Students cannot double dip in counting concentration and elective units to reduce the number of units required for the degree. A total of 39 units is required for all students.
Urban Management and Affairs Concentration
This concentration focuses on developing skills in managing in urban metropolitan environment.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PADM 570 | Urban and Community Politics | 3 |
| Select a minimum of two of the following: | 6 | |
PADM 504 | Organizational Communication | |
PADM 538 | Collaborative Public Mgmt | |
PADM 587 | Managing Sustainable Communities | |
| Electives Approved by Program Director | 6 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 15 | |
Nonprofit Management and Governance Concentration
This concentration focuses on developing skills in leading and managing nonprofit organizations.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PADM 520 | Nonprofit Governance | 3 |
| Select a minimum of two of the following: | 6 | |
PADM 504 | Organizational Communication | |
PADM 522 | Grant Management | |
PADM 524 | Nonprofit Finance and Fundraising | |
| Electives Approved by Program Director | 6 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 15 | |
Public Health Concentration
This concentration focuses on measures to prevent disease, promote health and prolong life. Public health activities aim to provide conditions in which people can be healthy. The focus is on populations and systems, not on individual patients or diseases.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HSM 545 | Foundations of Public Health | 3 |
| Select a minimum of two of the following: | 6 | |
HSM 546 | Epidemiology | |
HSM 548 | Applied Research for Public Health Professionals | |
HSM 549 | Public Health and the Urban Context | |
| Electives Approved by Program Director | 6 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 15 | |
Electives
Students can choose any of the concentration courses listed if not already taken for a concentration (no double dip). Additional elective courses may include:
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PADM 561 | Legal Environment of Public Administration | 3 |
| PADM 580 | Applied Research | 3 |
| PADM 581 | Comparative Public Administration | 3 |
| PADM 590 | Selected Topics in Public Administration | 3 |
| PADM 598 | Public Service Internship | 3 |