MPA Degree Requirements
In This Document
Degree Requirements (2009-2010)
The MPA degree requires 39 hours of graduate coursework, which must include 24 credit hours of required courses, a minimum of 12 credit hours in a concentration, and 3 credit hours of internship or practicum.
1. Required Core Courses (24 hours)
PAUS 8111 Public Service and Democracy*
PAUS 8121 Applied Research Methods and Statistics I
PAUS 8131 Applied Research Methods and Statistics II
PAUS 8141 Microeconomics for Public Policy
PAUS 8161 Public Budgeting and Finance**
PAUS 8171 Public Management Systems and Strategies
PAUS 8411 Law for Public and Nonprofit Managers***
PAUS 8431 Leadership and Organizational Behavior
*Nonprofit management concentration students must take PAUS 8210 Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector
**Nonprofit management concentration students must take PAUS 8261, Nonprofit Financial Management.
***Nonprofit management concentration students must take PAUS 8203, Nonprofit Advocacy, Law, and Policy.
2. Concentrations
Each student must develop special competence in a particular area of public administration by completing 12 hours in one of six concentrations. Students must formally declare the concentration they wish to complete prior to registering for their first elective course. The MPA program includes concentrations in: criminal justice,management and finance, nonprofit management, planning and economic development, policy analysis and evaluation, and public health. Students also have the option of graduating without a concentration by developing an individualized set of courses that must be approved by completing a petition and returning it to the Office of Academic Assistance for decision with the department.
Criminal Justice. This concentration is designed for MPA students interested in careers within the criminal justice system.
Required courses:
CRJU 7010 Crime & the Criminal Justice System
CRJU 8710 Legal Aspects of Criminal Justice
Choose two courses (6 hours) from the following:
CRJU 6040 Comparative Criminal Justice
CRJU 6070 Family Violence and Criminal Justice
CRJU 6920 Community Policing
CRJU 6960 Domestic Terrorism
CRJU 7730 Workplace Law for Criminal Justice Managers
CRJU 8210 Juvenile Justice Issues
CRJU 8310 Correctional Issues
CRJU 8410 Criminological Issues
CRJU 8720 Legal Issues in Criminal Justice
Management and Finance. Management and finance students are interested in serving as leaders and change agents in government organizations and consulting firms. With the skills and knowledge gained in this concentration, you might manage a city, an embassy, an airport, or a state agency. Or, you might work as a US Government Accountability Office analyst, as a program evaluator in an Inspector General Office of any of the federal departments, or as a budget or program analyst with the state. You might work as a consultant helping government agencies to implement a performance measurement system, improve their procurement process, or increase citizen satisfaction.
Many government jobs combine analytical skills with organizational knowledge and management skills. Management and finance students tackle problems that often involve workplace dynamics. Do not expect a career in which you just sit behind a desk. Solving problems and getting the work done often involves a host of players in politics, business, and nonprofit organizations. Here is a well-kept secret: 80 percent of government employees are classified as managerial and professional compared to 25 percent of employees in the private sector.
The Management and Finance Concentration is part of the MPA, so you will already be introduced to government budgets, management systems, and leadership roles, styles and strategies. The concentration classes offer additional skills in management and financial analysis and evaluation. A unique feature of this concentration is a client-centered capstone course where you tackle genuine problems and produce results for real clients. As you consider your options, think about these questions: Are you passionate about public service? Do you see yourself as the leader of an organization? Do you want a direct role in improving the lives of citizens? Government service is challenging, are you ready?
Required courses:
PAUS 8501 Managing Public Money
PAUS 8521 Evaluation Research: Design and Practice
PAUS 8900 Public Service
Choose one additional course (3 hours) from the following:
PAUS 8223 Nonproit Human Resources
PAUS 8271 Disaster Policy and Emergency Management
PAUS 8311 Urban Demography and Analysis
PAUS 8321 Economic Development, Policy and Planning
PAUS 8351 Local Government Management
PAUS 8461 Ethics and Public Administration
ECON 8460 Economics of the State and Local Public Sector (prerequisite PAUS 8141)
Course Sequencing Road Map (2008-2009) Course Sequencing Road Map (2009-2010)
Nonprofit Management. Nonprofit organizations employ one of every 15 workers in the nation and generate more than $500 billion in revenues each year. This concentraion prepares students to meet the challenges of a rapidly expanding field. Its twin goals are to help nonprofit managers already working in the field to advance their careers and to assist those just beginning to gain the skills needed to become effective professionals. Here is an example of some of the research work being conducted by our Nonprofit Studies Program: Key Facts on GA Community Foundations. Students completing the MPA in Nonprofit Management can also earn a certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from American Humanics as part of the program at Georgia State University. For more information on the American Humanics leadership certificate, visit our AH website.
Required courses:
PAUS 8210 Intro to the Nonprofit Sector
PAUS 8213 Nonprofit Financial Resources
PAUS 8223 Nonprofit Human Resources
Choose one courses (3 hours) from the following:
PAUS 8010 Social Policy
PAUS 8111 Public Service and Democracy
PAUS 8161 Public Budgeting and Finance
PAUS 8201 International NGOs
PAUS 8271 Disaster Policy and Emergency Management
PAUS 8281 Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Assistance
ENGL 6510 Grant and Proposal Writing
MBA 8145, or MK 8200, or MK 8210 Nonprofit Marketing
Course Sequencing Road Map (2008-2009) Course Sequencing Road Map (2009-2010)
A graduate certificate in nonprofit management is also available.
Planning and Economic Development. The planning and economic development concentration prepares students to be better decision makers on planning and economic development issues at the scale of the neighborhood, city, county and metropolitan region, for individual private employers and nonprofit agencies, for public agencies, and for elected or appointed officials. It provides academic background for jobs responsible for selecting locations, planning services and facility investments, providing analyses on policy alternatives, and advocating change and improvement within organizations and society. Students are exposed to theory drawn from planning, economics and other social science literature, and to critical views of current practice. They are introduced to the history and professional culture of the planning profession and to the planning process as a systematic approach to problem solving; they become familiar with data sources and how to use them appropriately.
Required courses:
PAUS 8021 Scope and Theory of Planning
PAUS 8311 Urban Demography and Analysis
PAUS 8321 Economic Development, Policy and Planning
Choose one course (3 hours) from the following:
ECON 8300 Urban Economics
GEOG 6532 Geographic Information Systems
GEOG 6766 Urban Transportation Planning
PAUS 8331 Urban Development and Growth Management
PAUS 8561 GIS Applications to Planning and Policy Analysis
RE 8040 Legal and Regulatory Environment of Real Estate (same as LGLS 8040)
A graduate certificate in planning and economic development is also available.
- Course Sequencing Road Map (2008-2009)
- Course Sequencing Road Map (2009-2010)
Policy Analysis and Evaluation. The Policy Analysis concentration provides students with the skills needed to work as policy analysts and evaluators. Coursework includes a foundation in evaluation strategies and analytical techniques that are useful when assessing public programs and outcomes, as well as in analyzing policy alternatives. This concentration also affords students practical research experience in applying these skills.
Required courses:
PAUS 8521 Evaluation Research: Design and Practice
PAUS 8531 Policy Analysis
Choose two courses (6 hours) from the following:
PAUS 8010 Social Policy
PAUS 8011 Politics and Policy
PAUS 8021 Scope and Theory of Planning
PAUS 8311 Urban Demography and Analysis
PAUS 8551 Survey Research Methods
PAUS 8561 GIS Applications to Planning and Policy Analysis
Course Sequencing Road Map (2008-2009) Course Sequencing Road Map (2009-2010)
Public Health. This concentration is designed for MPA students with career goals in the public health field that are primarily in the management and policy fields as opposed to health promotion or prevention science fields.
Required Courses: Select two courses (6 hours) from the following:
One of the following courses:
PH 7010 Foundations of Public Health Administration and Policy
PH 7170 Public Health Policy
And one of the following courses:
PH 7250 Health Care Finance
PH 7530 Prevention Effectiveness and Economic Evaluation
Choose two courses (6 hours) from the following:
PH 7010 Foundations of Public Health Administration and Policy
PH 7012 Health Planning and Program Development
PH 7130 Law and Public Health Practice
PH 7140 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health
PH 7150 Environmental Health
PH 7170 Public Health Policy
PH 7250 Health Care Finance
PH 7530 Prevention Effectiveness and Economic Evaluation
Course Sequencing Road Map (2009-2010)
3. Internship (3 hours)
Internships are required for all MPA students lacking significant prior administrative experience in a public or nonprofit agency or a related organization. Internship experiences provide students the opportunity to apply concepts and skills associated with their graduate curriculum. This opportunity for professional growth and development requires enrollment in 3 hours of PAUS 8941.
The department's internship coordinators assist in the search for an appropriate internship opportunity. Students are expected to take the lead in this search. Internship credit requires the completion of 300 hours of work. Students are free to work full-time or part-time, according to their needs and those of their internship sponsor. Many students find paid internships, but there are some unpaid internships available that are very desirable. Students should consider the value of the experience that an internship provides, in addition to the pay. Students with substantial prior administrative experience may petition to waive the internship requirement. Petition forms are available from the Office of Academic Assistance.
MPA students also have the option to conduct a practicum-an applied research project, in lieu of the internship. The practicum represents an excellent option for students who are interested in additional research experience, especially students who intend to pursue doctoral studies subsequent to their master's work. It also represents an excellent option for working students who do not qualify for an internship waiver, but who could pursue a practicum research project in their employing agency. Any student who might be interested in registering for a practicum should talk with a possible practicum advisor (such as the student's faculty advisor) during the semester prior to the intended registration.