MPA Curriculum

 The MPA curriculum is composed of three parts: a core curriculum (24 credits), elective courses (9 credits), and a written Thesis or capstone seminar (3 credits) for a total of 36 credits.

Core Curriculum (24 credits)

MPA 711Introduction to Public Administration
MPA 715 Leadership and Ethics
MPA 721 Public Policy Analysis
MPA 723 Organization Theory and Practice 
MPA 732 Analytic Methods in Public Administration
MPA 734 Applied Economics for Public Administration
MPA 742 Human Resource Management in the Public Sector
MPA 752 Public Budgeting and Financial Management

Elective Courses (9 credits)

Available MPA courses for constructing a coherent program of study include (but are not limited to):

MPA 718 Revisiting Bureaucracy
MPA 726 State and Local Government
MPA 727 Municipal Management
MPA 729 Health Care Agency Organization and Management
MPA 747 Labor Management
MPA 750 Strategic Planning
MPA 751 Program Evaluation
MPA 755 Managing Economic Development
MPA 760 Administrative Law
MPA 762 Health Care Administration Law
MPA 773 Health Care Policy
MPA 796 Independent Study (1, 2, or 3 cr.)
MPA 797 Special Topics

Graduate courses from other departments or other universities may be used as electives in the program providing they have not been used toward some other degree. Additional approvals will be necessary, including the approval of the MPA Coordinator.

Courses are offered on a Fixed Course Schedule so that students may easily plan their full academic pathway.

***Please note: Spring 2013 MPA 780-Capstone, will be offered on CYCLE 3.

Thesis or Capstone Seminar (3 credits)

The Thesis (MPA 792) may be the right choice if you have a particular subject in mind and want a tangible product from your degree.

Students may choose to do the Capstone Seminar (MPA 780) instead of a Thesis. This is a comprehensive review of all core courses. You will be tested and must pass all exams demonstrating your knowledge of core courses taken during the course of your MPA degree.

For an advisory discussion of the choice between the Field Project or Capstone Seminar, please read Master of Public Administration: Thesis or Capstone.

Health Care Emphasis

Students may emphasize health care within their MPA program. This is different from the Certificate in Health Care Management as it is simply an emphasis within the MPA degree..

Students must take the following three courses to fulfill their 9 credits in elective courses if they have designated Health Care as their emphasis:

• MPA 729 Health Care Agency Organization and Management
• MPA 762 Health Care Administration Law 
• MPA 773 Health Care Policy

Law Enforcement Emphasis

The law enforcement emphasis consists of nine elective credits, three from the MPA program and six from the Criminal Justice Executive Development Institute (EDI) which is offered through the Fox Valley Technical College.