M.P.A. Curriculum
Masters of Public Administration
The Masters of Public Administration degree requires either 39 or 42 semester hours of credit (depending upon the student's choice of non-course optional elements -- see below). To
receive the degree, the student must satisfactorily complete 12
courses: 9 required and 3 elective. Ideally the student
will use elective courses to produce a coherent specialty or "track,"
such as financial management, organizational development, urban
planning, policy systems management, or the management of non-profit
organizations.
Internship Information
All early-career MPA students are required to complete an internship in order to gain first hand experience in the practice of public service. Many early-career MPA students acquire permanent position as a result of their internship experiences. Some of the positions and organizations hiring our students directly out of their internships include:
- Intelligence Officer, Department of Defense
- Presidential Management Intern
- Debt Analyst, Virginia Department of the Treasury
- Manager, Virginia Economic Development Partnership
- Assistant Business Development Manager, City of Virginia Beach
- Health Care Administrator, Private Sector
- Director, Local Non-profit Organization
- Policy Analyst, Joint Legislative Audit Commission
- Logistics Planning, Pentagon
| Required Courses -- 27 Credit Hours |
| Public Management |
PAPA 5315: |
Governmental Administration I: Behavioral Skills for Managers. |
| PAPA 5316: |
Governmental Administration II: Systems Skills for Managers |
| PAPA 6314: |
Public Budgeting Processes and Their Policy Implications |
| PAPA 6324: |
Public Personnel Processes and Their Policy Implications |
| Public Policy |
PAPA 6214: |
Public Policy Processes and Analytical Approaches |
| PAPA 6514: |
Public Administration and Policy Inquiry (Prerequisite is a statistics course) |
| PAPA 6224: |
Design, Implementation and Evaluation of Policy and Programs (Prerequisite is a statistics course and PAPA 6514) |
| Public Service |
PAPA 5014: |
Concepts and Approaches in Public Administration |
| PAPA 6414: |
Normative Foundations of Public Administration |
| Electives (9 credits) and Non-course Optional Elements (3 or 6 Credits) |
| Elective Courses |
Non-course Component |
| Three courses (9 credit hours) composed of other CPAP courses or courses in other departments. |
Options (3 or 6 Credit Hours):
- Internship Option: -- 3 credit hours of PAPA 5954: Internship
- Thesis Option: -- 6 credit hours of PAPA 5994: Research and Thesis
- Professional Paper: -- 3 credit hours of PAPA 5904: Project and Report
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For more information: CPAP Policy Guide
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