The Master of Public Administration (MPA) is the appropriate professional degree program for administrators who are currently employed in the public, private or nonprofit sectors and who wish to improve their management knowledge and skills. The program has been designed to provide an academically sound and effective course of study for mid-career professionals who have successfully earned their baccalaureate or master’s degrees in fields other than public administration, but whose career paths and interests have heightened their need for advanced professional study and preparation in public administration. Because most MPA students are busy professionals, the program is designed to fit their schedules and is offered in two formats—open enrollment and cohort. Students joining the open-enrollment MPA have the flexibility of taking classes at their own convenience. In the cohort model, a group of approximately 25 students moves through the program as a unit, starting and finishing at the same time. The schedule is fixed and classes, which are offered off campus, are guaranteed for each cohort student.

A. Admission Requirements for Classified Status

1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
2. Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
3. Successful completion of the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam (UDWPE). Applicants who score a minimum of 3 on the Analytical Writing section of the GRE are exempt from the UDWPE.

B. Admission Requirements for Conditionally Classified Status

1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
2. The last 48-units (or equivalent in quarter-system credit units) of undergraduate coursework will be reviewed for admission consideration among applicants who demonstrate a cumulative undergraduate GPA between 2.5-2.99.
3. Two years of work experience in the public sector required.

C. Graduation Requirements

1. Completion of a minimum of 33 semester units of approved graduate courses.
2. Completion of at least 24 of these units in residence.
3. Completion of all coursework with a GPA of at least 3.0.
4. Completion of a comprehensive examination equivalent to 3 semester units (in addition to the 33 units of coursework).
5. Students must be fully classified at the time of graduation (in order to be fully classified, students must have the following: bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, 3.0 GPA in their cumulative post-graduate coursework and have completed either the GRE or UDWPE, or both, if required). Students who score a minimum of 3 on the Analytical Writing section of the GRE are exempt from the UDWPE.

D. Course Requirements

1. Required Core Courses (15 units)

MPA 610 Seminar in Public Administration and its Environment (3)
MPA 620 Research Methods for Public Administration (3)
MPA 630 Organization Theory and Human Behavior (3)
MPA 644 Public Budgeting and Financial Administration (3)
MPA 650 Seminar in Public Policy Process (3)

2. Elective Courses (18 units)

Note: Due to the cohort nature of the program, electives are prescribed for students enrolling though The Tseng College.

MPA 612A Intergovernmental Relations (3)
MPA 623A Seminar in Effective Public Sector Management (3)*
MPA 623B Approaches and Methods in Program Evaluation (3)**
MPA 623C Performance Reporting Measures in Government (3)
MPA 623D Human Resources and the Basics of Competencies Measurement in Government (3)
MPA 623E Performance Budgeting in the Public Sector (3)
MPA 632B Strategic Management (3)
MPA 632C Communication in Public Organizations (3)
MPA 640 Public Policy Analysis (3)

*This is a required course for this track only.
**MPA 620 is a prerequisite.

3. Culminating Experience (3 units)

MPA 698S Graduate Project (3)

Total Units Required for the M.P.A. Degree: 36

If you would like more information about this program, please contact mylon.winn@csun.edu.