2020-2021 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Master of Public Administration
For additional information about opportunities your college offers, please refer to the College of Community and Public Service section in this catalog.
Website: gvsu.edu/grad/mpa
Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) graduates are leaders. They lead their communities and organizations on the basis of advanced administrative skills with a dedication to democratic values and public service. In today's global society, such leadership takes many forms and occurs in a variety of settings. The mission of the master of public administration is to develop both the general knowledge and specific abilities needed for professional careers in public service organizations. The curriculum is designed to prepare students to act ethically and effectively in state, regional and local governance policy analysis, nonprofit management, criminal justice, and health care administration.
As a professional school in an urban setting, the Master of Public Administration is actively involved with the community in professional service activities and applied research. The program offers flexibility and innovation in curriculum design to meet the diverse educational needs of part-time and full-time students, including evening and weekend courses and workshops, and hybrid and online learning. Because careers in administration are varied and include the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, the curriculum is designed to develop advanced executive abilities through a combination of core competencies and specialized areas of concentration. Satisfactory completion of the program of study leads to the award of the M.P.A. degree.
Minimum Number of Hours for Graduation: 39 (42 for precareer students)
Accreditation
Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration.
Admission
Admission to the Master of Public Administration program requires the following:
- An undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale calculated on the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate coursework.
- Three letters of reference from informed sources.
- A detailed resume.
- An essay on career and educational objectives (250-750 words).
- A demonstrated commitment to community and public service.
Note: For applicants who have neither a 3.0 undergraduate GPA nor five years of professional experience, submitting a GRE score is recommended. The GRE is also recommended for applicants applying for a graduate assistantship with SPNHA.
Transfer Credit
A maximum of 12 semester hours of transfer credit will be given for appropriate graduate courses completed within the previous five-year period with a grade of B or better at another college or university. These transfer credits may be substituted for required courses or given general credit as determined by the faculty.
Requirements
The M.P.A. degree consists of a minimum of 39 credit hours of coursework. Precareer students must take three credit hours of internship in addition to the 39 required hours of coursework for a total of 42 credit hours. Students must meet with an advisor upon entry into the program to develop a program of study.
Core Courses
The program core requires the following (18 credits):
- PA 520 - Foundations of Public Service (3 credits)
- PA 611 - Research Methods (3 credits)
- PA 612 - Human Resources in Organizations (3 credits)
- PA 614 - Organization Theory (3 credits)
- PA 615 - Public Financial Administration (3 credits)
- PA 619 - Public Management Seminar (3 credits)
Concentration Areas
Students must select one concentration (15 credits) from the following five options.
Criminal Justice
- CJ 601 - Criminal Justice Leadership (3 credits)
- CJ 602 - Legal and Ethical Issues (3 credits)
- CJ 604 - Criminal Justice Policy and Program Evaluation (3 credits)
- CJ 607 - Criminology (3 credits)
AND one of the following courses: - PA 620 - Metropolitan Politics and Administration (3 credits)
- PA 621 - Administrative and Regulatory Law (3 credits)
Health Administration
- PA 630 - Health Administration and Service (3 credits)
- PA 631 - U.S. Health Policy and Politics (3 credits)
AND two of the following courses: - PA 632 - Health Services Financial Management (3 credits)
- PA 633 - Health Economics (3 credits)
- PA 634 - Health Care Law and Ethics (3 credits)
- PA 639 - Community Benefits Assessment and Management (3 credits)
- PA 640 - Marketing Health and Human Services (3 credits)
- PA 645 - Opportunities in Aging Societies (3 credits)
Nonprofit Management and Leadership
- PA 660 - Philanthropy and the Nonprofit Sector: History and Ethics (3 credits)
- PA 661 - Nonprofit Management: Practices (3 credits)
- PA 662 - Nonprofit Financial Management (3 credits)
AND two of the following courses: - PA 641 - Economic and Community Development (3 credits)
- PA 663 - Nonprofit Organizations, Advocacy and Public Policy (3 credits)
- PA 664 - Program Evaluation (3 credits)
- PA 665 - Nonprofit and Foundation Boards, Trustees and Governance (3 credits)
- PA 666 - Foundations and Strategic Grantmaking (3 credits)
- PA 667 - Fund Development (3 credits)
- PA 670 - International NGO Management (3 credits)
Policy Analysis, Advocacy, and Evaluation
- PA 616 - Public Policy Analysis (3 credits)
- PA 664 - Program Evaluation (3 credits)
AND three of the following courses: - PA 621 - Administrative and Regulatory Law (3 credits)
- PA 631 - U.S. Health Policy and Politics (3 credits)
- PA 639 - Community Benefits Assessment and Management (3 credits)
- PA 643 - Strategic Management and Planning (3 credits)
- PA 663 - Nonprofit Organizations, Advocacy and Public Policy (3 credits)
- PA 674 - Health Advocacy and Built Environment in Public Administration (3 credits)
- CJ 604 - Criminal Justice Policy and Program Evaluation (3 credits)
State, Regional, and Local Governance
- PA 620 - Metropolitan Politics and Administration (3 credits)
- PA 641 - Economic and Community Development (3 credits)
- PA 643 - Strategic Management and Planning (3 credits)
AND two of the following courses: - PA 621 - Administrative and Regulatory Law (3 credits)
- PA 642 - Conflict Management (3 credits)
- PA 644 - GIS in the Public Service (3 credits)
- PA 664 - Program Evaluation (3 credits)
- PA 671 - Building Sustainable Communities (3 credits)
Elective Courses
Requires six credits; the remainder of the M.P.A. program credits come from electives.
The elective component of the M.P.A. degree can be made up of the following:
- Three one-credit workshops AND one additional course from one other concentration (or outside the SPNHA unit with prior approval) OR two three-credit courses from our curriculum.
The number of elective credits is reduced by three if the student completes a second three-credit internship.
Choose electives from the following list:
- Any PA course in a concentration listed previously
- PA 535 - Grant Writing (3 credits)
- PA 550 - Public Administration Workshop (.5 to 3 credits)
- PA 551 - Public Administration Workshop (1 to 3 credits)
- PA 552 - Public Administration Workshop (1 to 3 credits)
- PA 553 - Public Administration Workshop (1 to 3 credits)
- PA 635 - Hospital Organization and Management (3 credits)
- PA 637 - Ambulatory Care Organization and Management (3 credits)
- PA 638 - Long-Term Care Organization and Management (3 credits)
- PA 646 - Managerial Epidemiology for Health Administrators (3 credits)
- PA 680 - Special Topics in Public and Nonprofit Administration (1 to 3 credits)
Internship
All precareer students are required to take at least one three-credit internship in addition to 39 hours of coursework. Students may choose to take a second internship for a total of six credits.
- PA 690 - Public Administration Internship I (3 credits)
- PA 691 - Public Administration Internship II (3 credits)
Capstone
Students must take a three-credit culminating experience at the end of their studies.
Most students will take PA 619 as their culminating experience. They must have completed 30 credits of coursework before registering for PA 619. As an alternative to PA 619, students may opt for a research project as their culminating experience.