Master of Public Administration

:: More

UPDATED: 21-Mar-08

	Master of Public Administration
10,000 Students, Low Cost of Living, Rural Area, Near Nashville, TN	Criminal Justice or Health Care Administration

The Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degree program prepares students for careers as administrators in public service organizations. The program provides in-service personnel an opportunity to refine their administrative skills; it provides individuals seeking positions (pre-service) an opportunity to develop administrative skills.

the 30-hour program has two components:

a) 18 hours in six required courses that provide a general foundation in public administration and

b) 12 hours in elective courses than may be selected to develop an area of specialization such as Criminal Justice or Health Care Administration.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

Unconditional

To qualify for unconditional admission, an applicant must have:

	an undergraduate major in political science, other social science or business, or
	substantial background in relevant disciplines;
	a grade point average of 2.75 (on a 4.00 scale);
	a minimum combined score of 900 on the quantitative and verbal portions of the Graduate Record Examination;
	students whose native language is not English must also present a minimum TOEFL score( paper-based: 550, computer-based 213 ) before the completion of nine graduate hours.

Conditional

For conditional admission, an applicant may have:

	a grade point average between 2.25 and 2.74 (on a 4.00 scale) or
	an overall grade point average of 2.0 to 2.24 if the student's experience is evaluated by the director and faculty of the M.P.A. program as indicating the likelihood of success;
	scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) must be available for review before the completion of nine (9) graduate hours;
	students whose native language is not English must also present a minimum TOEFL score( paper-based: 550, computer-based 213 ) before the completion of nine graduate hours.

THESIS TRACK - 30 hrs	credits
Public Budgeting and Fiscal Administration	3
Public Personnel Administration	3
Research Methods in Public Affairs	3
Seminar in Public Administration	3
Public Policy Analysis	3
Administrative Development and Organization Theory	3
Thesis	6
Graduate Electives	6

A student may take six hours of graduate electives from outside the Department of Political Science and Legal Studies to fulfill an area of interest with the approval of the M.P.A. director, such as Criminal Justice or Health Care Administration.

At least half of the total course work must be taken at the 600 level.

Other Degree Requirements:

- Comprehensive written examination
- Establish, with the approval of the M.P.A. director, a three-person thesis committee with a chair and two other graduate faculty.

- Oral thesis defense with the thesis committee.

NON-THESIS TRACK - 30 hrs credits

Same as above with the following substitution for thesis:

Other Degree Requirements:

- Comprehensive written examination

- NOTE: The comprehensive examination is waived for students who earn at least four A's and two B's in the 6 M.P.A. core courses and who have at least a 3.60 grade point average in 30 hours of course work approved by the M.P.A. director.

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available.

Tuition and Fees

	Go to the Consultation Form
	Murray Home