Master of Public Administration
THE PROGRAM CURRICULUM
The specific content of each student's program will depend upon such considerations as academic background, previous employment experience and career objectives. The Master of Public Administration degree program requires 36 semester credit hours of graduate level course work. Each student is required to complete 21 semester credit hours of required core course work in the Department of Government, 6 semester credit hours in an internship position or an in-service research paper for mid-career students, and semester credit hours of graduate level course work in supporting area(s). The courses constituting the Master of Public Administration program are divided into three categories--core courses, internship/in-service research paper, and electives.
A. CORE COURSES
GOVERNMENT 6302 - American Political Process: An examination of the major institutions in the American political system. Topics include the constitutional basis of American institutions, Congress, the presidency and bureaucracy, the judiciary, and the distribution of power in the United States.
GOVERNMENT 6321 - Urban Politics: An examination of legal and political characteristics of city government and their impact on urban planning.
GOVERNMENT 6322 - Government and American Business: An examination of the interplay between American, national, state and local government and American business. Topics of consideration include the historical changes in the relationship of government and business, the role of private enterprise in the federal grant-in-aid process, and the effect of government spending on business. Special focus will be given to government regulation of business.
GOVERNMENT 6324 - Administrative Methodology: A study of research methods used to examine decisions and policy in the public sector.
GOVERNMENT 6327 - Administrative Theory and Politics: An examination of organizational and behavioral theories of bureaucracy, their implications in a democratic society, and the study of resulting policy issues.
GOVERNMENT 6328 - Public Personnel Management: A course focusing on the process of personnel management for public institutions. Issues such as labor relations, federal and state employment procedures and salary systems are stressed.
GOVERNMENT 6329 - Governmental Finance: A course of study relating to the roles and activities associated with governmental financial planning, and their impact upon society.
B.THE INTERNSHIP
GOVERNMENT 6671 - Public Administration Internship: The internship is an assignment in a public agency designed to provide the student with a learning experience within an organizational environment under the supervision of a faculty member. Individuals with prior experience in a public organization may choose the option of writing an in-service research paper. All students must complete one of these requirements prior to graduation.
C. ELECTIVE COURSES
Students are to select a minimum of 9 semester credit hours of electives which are designed to both compliment and supplement the student's overall career goals. The courses listed below are suggested electives. THESE ARE INTENDED ONLY AS EXAMPLES. Other graduate level or senior level courses at ASU, besides those listed below, may be recognized as electives toward the MPA degree if deemed relevant and appropriate by the student's advisor.
1. All electives must be approved by the student's advisor before the student enrolls in the course.2. With the written permission of the Head of the Department and the Dean of the Graduate School, up to 6 semester credit hours of approved 4000 level courses may be taken for graduate credit and used toward the master's degree.
Accounting and Management:a. Accounting
4305 Accounting Systems
6301 Profit Planning and Accounting
6305 Studies in Management Accounting
b. Management:
4301 Organizational Theory
4302 Ethics and Business
6301 Case Studies in Business Policies
6303 Management Simulation and Business Methods
6305 Advanced Management Problems and Trends
6307 Labor Relations Management
Economics and Finance:
a. Economics:
4303 Intermediate Micro-Economics
6301 Problems of Business Fluctuations
6322 Environmental Economics
b. Finance:
6361 Advanced Management of Finance
6363 Financial Institutions Practices
Government:
6341 Comparative Government
6351 International Relations
6352 U.S. Foreign Policy
6353 Topics in International Relations
6381 Special Topics
6391 Research
Psychology:
4307 Perception
4309 Cognition
6303 Psychology of Social Behavior
6309 Principles of Behavior Theory
6311 Theories of Personalities
Computers and Statistics:
CS 6301 Business Programming Methodology
CS 6307 Social Implications of Information Systems
BA 6301 Advanced Statistical Theory
History:
4315 Economic History of the U.S.
D. INDEPENDENT STUDY
It is expected that a student will meet all core requirements (except those that may have been waived) by completing designated curses. A student may, however, be permitted to earn some elective course credit--usually not more than a total of six of the required 36 credit hours by enrolling in Government 6391 (Research). Enrollment in Government 6391 is reserved for students who want to work in an area where no formal course is available or in an area where they have already completed one or more courses. Students who enroll in Government 6391 are required to describe their study plan on the appropriate registration form, to obtain the approval of the faculty member who agrees to supervise the work, and to secure the approval of the Head of the Government Department and the Dean of the Graduate School. Approval by the supervising faculty member, the Department Head, and the Dean of the Graduate School must be obtained prior to the date of registration for the semester or summer term in which the course will be conducted.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Admission to Candidacy: A student who desires to become a candidate for the MPA degree may apply for Admission to Candidacy after completing twelve semester credit hours of graduate work with a minimum grade point average of 3.00. A student must qualify for admission to Candidacy before the beginning of the last semester or full summer session prior to the proposed date of graduation. The Dean of the Graduate School must have received written recommendation from the head of the department in which the student is majoring and must have assigned an Advisory Committee prior to the student's Admission to Candidacy. The Advisory Committee will consist of at least four members: at least two members, including a major professor will be from the Department of Government; one member may be from the department in which the student has taken his/her supporting electives; and one Graduate School representative will be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. A minimum of three members of the Advisory Committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty. Any condition that may have been imposed at the time of admission to the Graduate School must be removed prior to Admission to Candidacy for a master's degree. The Dean of the Graduate School will notify the applicant of Admission to Candidacy. It is the student's responsibility to notify the MPA Advisor of his/her request for admission to candidacy.
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS
Comprehensive examinations will be administered during each fall and spring semester. Eligible students are required to pass a written comprehensive examination. Eligibility requires that all course work for the MPA degree with the exception of those courses in progress in the semester in which the degree is to be awarded, must be completed prior to the scheduling of the comprehensive examinations. All course work with a grade of "I" must be completed prior to the scheduling of the comprehensive examinations. Normally, no student should schedule his/her comprehensive examination until they have successfully completed the twenty-one hours of core course work. All candidates who wish to take the comprehensive examinations must notify the MPA Advisor of their intention in writing no later than two weeks after the start of the semester in which the student plans to take the examination. Each candidate for the MPA degree must successfully pass a written comprehensive examination covering the core course work within the candidate's program.
WRITTEN COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION
The written part of the comprehensive examination will be administered by the student's Advisory Committee. The written examinations will be scheduled two times during each calendar year: Fall Semester - the second week of October; Spring Semester - the first week of April. The written test questions are constructed by the Advisory Committee under the guidance of the MPA Coordinator. Tests are graded on a pass/fail basis by the Advisory Committee. Candidates will be notified by the MPA Coordinator within two weeks whether or not they successfully passed the written test. A candidate failing the written examination may, upon petition to the Advisory Committee, be allowed to take another written examination no sooner than the next semester.