Public Administration, M.P.A.

Editor's note: This program now has changes to the curricular requirements posted. Contact the Program Director for more information.

Minimum Totals for Graduation: 37 hours

Program Director: Dr. Sharon Kukla-Acevedo

Mission Statement

The mission of the Master of Public Administration program at Central Michigan University is to provide practitioners and pre-service students enriching learning experiences that prepare and advance their intellectual growth, ensure effective and accountable decision-making as they lead, manage, and serve in the public sector, and increase the likelihood of successful public governance via respect for citizens and clients in a variety of public service settings, from government organizations to non-profit agencies and international bodies.

Admission Requirements, Retention & Termination Standards

Admission Requirement Snapshot

GPA: 3.0 (3.5 for accelerated admissions)

Entrance Exam: N/A

Internat'l Application Deadline: July 1 (Fall), Oct. 1 (Spring)

MPA Admission Requirements

An undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 point scale).
Completion of an undergraduate research methods course with a grade of B- or above.
An essay (two to three pages in length) that discusses the applicant's professional goals and how completion of the program will facilitate the achievement of those goals.
Contact information for three references. References can be former professors, public service professionals, or alumni of the MPA program that attest to the applicant’s potential to succeed in the program.
A current resume.
If the applicant is an international student whose first language is not English, a combined score of at least 79 on the TOEFL Internet-Based Test (iBT) or TOEFL Paper-Delivered Test is required with a score of at least 21 points being achieved on the writing portion of the test. English Language Institute (ELI) courses at CMU may be required for those students who do not meet these criteria.
Per university policy, admission with stipulations may be considered for applicants with backgrounds or grade point averages that do not meet these requirements. Courses taken to meet these requirements may not be counted toward graduate degree requirements. Regular admission status should be requested upon completion of all admission stipulations.

MPA Program Requirements

The MPA degree consists of 37 hours of credit.
Before registering for courses, all MPA students must meet with the MPA Director to develop an approved program plan of study.
All MPA students are required to take eight core courses (PAD 610, PAD 620, PAD 711, PAD 713, PAD 714, PAD 773, PAD 775, and PAD 780).
All MPA students are required to take the one credit hour PAD 799 capstone course after they have completed at least thirty hours of credit toward the MPA degree.
MPA students with less than 26 months of full-time work experience in the public sector are required to complete an internship experience via the internship course (PAD 795).
MPA students with at least 26 months of public sector experience within the previous seven years can replace the internship course (PAD 795) with three hours of elective credit. To be eligible, the student must have completed at least 26 months of full-time project management work in the public sector within the previous seven years.
To determine eligibility for replacing the internship course with an elective course, students must write a brief essay that describes the following about their work experience before they begin taking courses in the program:
- The job titles and job descriptions involved in the work experience
- Length of time in the position
- An explanation on how public sector competencies were developed during the work experience (Please contact the Internship Director for a list of possible competencies)
- Identify competencies and describe how they were developed over the course of holding the position. Please contact the Internship Director for a list of possible competency titles.
MPA Students with public sector experience can substitute up to six hours of academic credit with prior learning credit. MPA students must submit a Prior Learning Credit portfolio application to the Prior Learning Assessment Team.
MPA students can transfer up to nine hours of graduate credit from another institution. Students seeking transfer credit should contact the MPA Director before they begin the program.

Program Requirements

Required Courses I (24 hours)

PAD 610	Foundations of Public Administration	3(3-0)
PAD 620	Nonprofit Management	3(3-0)
PAD 711	Public Personnel Management	3(3-0)
PAD 713	Public Budgeting and Finance	3(3-0)
PAD 714	Program Analysis and Evaluation	3(3-0)
PAD 773	Administration and Ethics in Public Service	3(3-0)
PAD 775	Organization Theory and Behavior	3(3-0)
PAD 780	Public Sector Research Methods	3(3-0)

Required Courses II (1 hour)

PAD 799

Public Service Competencies Capstone

1(Spec)

Note: The capstone course is typically taken in a student's final semester.

Required Courses III (3 hours)

PAD 795

Internship in Public Administration

1-6(Spec)

Note: MPA students with less than 26 months of full-time work experience in the public sector are required to complete an internship experience via the internship course (PAD 795). MPA students with at least 26 months of public sector experience within the previous seven years can replace the internship course (PAD 795) with three hours of elective credit after documenting their work experience with the Internship Director.

Electives (9 hours)

With the approval of a program plan signed by the MPA Director, a student chooses 9 hours of electives. Elective courses can originate from within public administration, other disciplines,

or the following specific interdisciplinary track of courses:

Community and Environment Track (0-9 hours)

GEO 501	Principles of Geographic Information Systems	3(2-2)
GEO 513	Geographic Information Systems for Social Sciences	3(2-2)
GEO 515	Environmental Management and Policy	3(3-0)

Total: 37 semester hours

Accelerated Admission to the Master of Public Administration

All existing MPA admission requirements, with the addition of the following:

Undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher;
Grade of B+ or higher in an undergraduate research methods course.

Students admitted to the Accelerated MPA program may earn up to twelve hours of graduate credit toward the MPA degree for courses taken during their senior year of their undergraduate degree.

These courses will count both toward their undergraduate degree and their MPA degree. Students must be admitted to the accelerated MPA program and have an approved plan of study before registering for these courses. Generally, students will apply to the accelerated program during their junior year for admission beginning in the fall semester of their senior year.

Plan of Study

Twelve hours of coursework can be counted toward both the undergraduate degree and the MPA degree when taken during the senior year by a student admitted to the Accelerated MPA program prior to the senior year. Courses in the MPA program are online, thus students in the Accelerated MPA program will have to take online courses as part of their course sequence. A plan of study for this coursework must be approved by the MPA Director and include the following:

Fall Semester: PAD Course (3 hours); PAD 610 (3 hours)
Spring Semester: PAD Course (6 hours)

All electives must be at the 500 level or above and approved by the MPA Director before registration.