Master of Public Administration
Admission Requirements
The student must apply to and meet all criteria for admission to the Graduate School. In addition to the general requirements of the Graduate School, the student must comply with departmental requirements. Students may enroll in the MPA program by applying to one of the participating universities. Acceptance by any one of the three universities admits a student into the MPA program. A matriculated student should complete graduate studies at the institution that offers the area of specialization that she/he wishes to emphasize. Each student’s program will be established by an advisory committee consisting of three faculty members. It is anticipated that students will come from widely differing academic preparations, since no specific undergraduate program is required in preparation for the MPA program. However, some course work in humanities and social sciences is essential to the foundation of the MPA program for all students.
In addition to the general requirements of the Graduate School, students seeking admission must have completed a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, demonstrate satisfactory academic competency by attaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in upper-division undergraduate course work, or a 3.5 GPA in previous graduate courses, submit three letters of recommendation from individuals who are qualified to evaluate the applicant’s academic potential, and submit a statement of the student’s personal goals. The letters and statement of goals will be weighted equally with the applicant’s GPA. Please contact the Department for specific guidelines for letters of recommendation and statement of goals.
The program employs an admission scoring system that awards MPA applicants points based on the evaluation and scoring of four components:
- upper-division undergraduate GPA or GPA in an M.A. program;
- the quality of letters of recommendation; and
- the quality of the applicant’s goal statement.
General Requirements
The MPA degree may be achieved through the completion of at least 36 semester credit hours of approved course work with an additional 3 credits of public service internship for students who are not mid-career. The internship requirement may be waived for students who have substantial professional work experience in public service or the not-for-profit sector. The MPA director will determine if a student’s experience is substantial, and if so, can approve waiver of the internship requirement. Twenty-four credit hours must be completed in courses selected from prescribed “core areas” with 12 additional credit hours completed in designated optional areas of emphasis. Students may follow a thesis or non-thesis option in pursuing the MPA. Students choosing to write a thesis (POLS 6650 - 6 credits) do so in addition to normal MPA course work and internship requirements. Students must have completed 21 credit hours of core course work before taking the Capstone in Public Administration course. Those following the thesis option will complete an oral examination covering the thesis and program course work. The academic program of each student must satisfy the general requirements of an integrated program designed to meet career objectives of the student in public administration.
Core and Optional Area Requirements
The specific course requirements of the MPA program are set forth in a list of courses that has been approved by the inter-university committee.
This list is available through each of the cooperating universities. Courses are available at each institution in the “core areas.” The optional “areas of emphasis” may vary among the universities according to the resources and competence that exist in the respective departments. A description of those areas of emphasis that are presently operational at each institution and admission forms to the MPA program are available through the Political Science Department at Idaho State University or the Departments of Political Science at Boise State University or the University of Idaho.
Interdisciplinary Specialized Area in Criminal Justice
For the specialized area in Criminal Justice, students need to take the 9 core courses (27 credits) and three credits of internship (for students without career experience) required for the MPA program and take an additional 12 credits from the courses listed below to fulfill the elective requirements. The specialized area is an interdisciplinary curriculum shared between the Dearptment of Political Science and the Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice. Other courses appropriate to the Criminal Justice emphasis may be offered by both departments and can be taken by the student with permission of the MPA advisor.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 5531 | Criminology | 3 |
| SOC 5592 | Topics in Criminology | 3 |
| SOC 5536 | Elite Deviance and Crime | 3 |
| SOC 5538 | Sexual Crimes | 3 |
| POLS 5542 | Constitutional Law | 3 |
| POLS 5543 | Civil Rights and Liberties | 3 |
| Other courses with variable topics such as SOC 6601, SOC 6621, SOC 6613, or SOC 6605 may be taken if these courses are offering a Criminal Justice theme. | ||
I. Core Area Requirements
All students must take 24 credit hours of core area courses. Students must choose courses in each of the following categories, including POLS 6680 Capstone in Public Administration.
Methods/Assessment (take 1 course for 3 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLS 6622 | Advanced Topics in Research | 3 |
| POLS 5519 | Political Research Methods | 3 |
| POLS 6623 | Program Assessment | 3 |
Organizations, Management, and Analysis (take 2 courses for 6 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLS 5551 | Public Organizational Theory | 3 |
| POLS 5553 | Public Policy Analysis | 3 |
| POLS 5554 | Public Personnel Management | 3 |
Public Finance, Budgeting, and Planning (take 2 courses for 6 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLS 5552 | Public Budgeting and Finance | 3 |
| POLS 5509 | Community and Regional Planning | 3 |
Administrative Overview (take 2 courses for 6 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLS 5505 | Introduction to Public Administration | 3 |
| POLS 5558 | Public Administration Ethics | 3 |
Capstone (take 1 class for 3 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLS 6680 | Capstone in Public Administration | 3 |
| Total Hours | 24 | |
II. Specialized Areas
All students must take 12 credit hours from the list below. Courses used to fulfill a core requirement cannot also be counted here.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Specialized Area #1: State, Local, and Non-Profit Administration (Take 4 courses) | ||
| State and Local Administration | ||
| Introduction to Public Administration | ||
| Intergovernmental Relations | ||
| Urban Spaces | ||
| Community and Regional Planning | ||
| Administrative Law | ||
| Public Budgeting and Finance | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
| Public Personnel Management | ||
| Public Administration Ethics | ||
| Nonprofit Management | ||
| International Sustainable Development | ||
| Public-Private Partnerships | ||
| Disaster Policy and Administration | ||
| Public Lands Policy | ||
| Federal Indian Law | ||
| Tribal Government | ||
| Seminar State and Local Politics | ||
| Seminar Public Administration and Public Policy | ||
| Program Assessment | ||
| Grantwriting | ||
| Conflict Management | ||
| Economic Development | ||
| State and Local Finance | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Specialized Area #2: Environmental Administration (Take 4 courses) | ||
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Environmental Law and Regulation | ||
| Introduction to Public Administration | ||
| Intergovernmental Relations | ||
| Urban Spaces | ||
| Community and Regional Planning | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
| Public Administration Ethics | ||
| Nonprofit Management | ||
| International Sustainable Development | ||
| Public-Private Partnerships | ||
| Disaster Policy and Administration | ||
| Public Lands Policy | ||
| Program Assessment | ||
| Grantwriting | ||
| Conflict Management | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Specialized Area #3: Public Health Administration (Take 4 courses) | ||
| Seminar in Public and Community Health | ||
| Ethics in Health Care | ||
| Introduction to Public Administration | ||
| Intergovernmental Relations | ||
| Community and Regional Planning | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
| Grantwriting | ||
| Public Administration Ethics | ||
| Nonprofit Management | ||
| International Sustainable Development | ||
| Public-Private Partnerships | ||
| Disaster Policy and Administration | ||
| Program Assessment | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Specialized Area #4: Criminology (Take 4 courses) | ||
| Criminology | ||
| Topics in Criminology | ||
| Elite Deviance and Crime | ||
| Sexual Crimes | ||
| Constitutional Law | ||
| Civil Rights and Liberties | ||
| Grantwriting | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Specialized Area #5: Business Concepts (Take 4 courses) | ||
| Applied Economics | ||
| Financial Reporting and Managerial Accounting | ||
| Human Behavior in Organizations | ||
| Marketing | ||
| Operations Management | ||
| Finance | ||
Note: MPA students (who are also in the DA program or plan to be in the DA program) and who take the Business Concepts option should know that MBA courses do not count in the Doctor of Arts program. | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Internship (3 Credits - waived for mid-career) | ||
Public Administration Internship - Each student must complete at least 3 and no more than 9 credit hours of an approved internship. Three credit hours of internship are equal to 200 hours of work as an intern. The MPA director may waive the internship requirement for students with substantial professional work experience in public service of the not-for-profit sector. | ||
Appropriate courses in the Master of Public Health program may be substituted with the consent of the Master of Public Administration program director.