2018-2019 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: www.gvsu.edu/grad/mpa
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 public management, urban and regional policy and planning, nonprofit management, criminal justice, and health care administration.
As a professional school in an urban setting, the School of Public, Nonprofit, and Health 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 Internet enhanced 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.
Accreditation
National Association of Schools for Public Affairs and Administration.
Minimum Number of Hours for Graduation: 39 (42 for precareer students)
Admission to Master's of Public Administration Program
- 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
- Submitting a GRE score is recommended for applicants who have neither a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or five years of professional experience. 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 for the M.P.A. Degree
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.
The Program Core
The program core includes 15 credit hours, as follows.
- 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 619 - Public Management Seminar (3 credits)
Students Must Select One Concentration of 15 Credit Hours.
Public Management
- PA 615 - Public Financial Administration (3 credits)
- PA 616 - Public Policy Analysis (3 credits)
- PA 620 - Metropolitan Politics and Administration (3 credits)
- AND TWO OF THE FOLLOWING:
- PA 621 - Administrative and Regulatory Law (3 credits)
- PA 642 - Conflict Management (3 credits)
- PA 643 - Strategic Management and Planning (3 credits)
- PA 644 - GIS in the Public Service (3 credits)
- PA 664 - Program Evaluation (3 credits)
Sustainable Community Development
- PA 615 - Public Financial Administration (3 credits)
- PA 671 - Building Sustainable Communities (3 credits)
- AND TWO OF THE FOLLOWING:
- PA 641 - Economic and Community Development (3 credits)
- PA 674 - Health Advocacy and Built Environment in Public Administration (3 credits)
Health Administration
- PA 630 - Health Administration and Service (3 credits)
- PA 631 - U.S. Health Policy and Politics (3 credits)
- PA 632 - Health Services Financial Management (3 credits)
- AND TWO OF THE FOLLOWING:
- PA 633 - Health Economics (3 credits)
- PA 634 - Health Care Law and Ethics (3 credits)
- PA 640 - Marketing Health and Human Services (3 credits)
- PA 645 - Opportunities in Aging Societies (3 credits)
- PA 639 - Community Benefits Assessment and Management (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:
- PA 640 - Marketing Health and Human Services (3 credits)
- PA 643 - Strategic Management and Planning (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 667 - Fund Development (3 credits)
- PA 670 - International NGO Management (3 credits)
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)
- PA 615 - Public Financial Administration (3 credits)
Urban and Regional Policy and Planning
- PA 615 - Public Financial Administration (3 credits)
- PA 616 - Public Policy Analysis (3 credits)
- PA 620 - Metropolitan Politics and Administration (3 credits)
- PA 641 - Economic and Community Development (3 credits)
- PA 644 - GIS in the Public Service (3 credits)
Students Must Select Nine Credits of Electives.
At least nine credits must be selected from other graduate courses, including PA courses in other concentration areas (preceding) and nonconcentration PA courses and workshops (following). Note that a maximum of three workshop credits may be applied to the degree. The number of elective credits is reduced by three if the student does a second three-credit internship.
- Any PA course in a concentration listed above.
- PA 535 - Grant Writing (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)
- 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)
Precareer Students Must Take Three Credits of Internship.
All precareer students are required to take at least three internship credits (in addition to 39 hours of coursework). They may 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 Capstone at the end of their studies.
Most students will take PA 619 as their Capstone 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 Capstone experience.