PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION M.P.A. 36 HOURS

Advising: College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences,
Department of Political Science,
Dr. Charles W. Gossett, MPA Program,
Georgia Southern University,
P.O. Box 8101,
Statesboro, GA 30460,
(912) 871-1400,
Fax: (912) 871-1396,
mpa@gasou.edu

Admission Requirements

Regular

A student must have the following items in his or her portfolio:

• Completed requirements for the Bachelor's degree in a college accredited by proper regional accrediting association.
• A 2.5(4.0 scale) cumulative grade point average in undergraduate work.
• Scores of at least 400 on the verbal portion of the Graduate Record Examination and at least 400 on the quantitative or analytical portion of the exam; the combined total of two parts must be 900 or better.
• A current resume detailing relevant work experience.
• Three (3) letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's academic or employment experience.
• Statement of career goals and objectives.

Provisional

In the following circumstances, applicants who do not meet the above criteria may be admitted:

• An applicant who has GRE scores below 400 on either portion or whose total of two parts does not equal 900 or higher may be admitted on the basis of previous work experience and other strong evidence of an ability to perform satisfactorily in graduate work.
• An applicant whose undergraduate record does not include American Government and/or Statistics with a grade of C or better will be required to complete such coursework before being allowed to enroll for more than 15 hours of graduate course work. (International students may have the American Government requirement waived as a prerequisite for admission, but must take such a class in the first semester enrolled in the MPA program.)

Non Degree

In cases of incomplete admission applications, an applicant must have an undergraduate GPA of 2.5 and will be restricted to two courses per semester (determined by the program director).

Prerequisites:

At least one undergraduate class in American Government and one in Statistics, each completed with a Cor better.

Program of Study

The graduate student and the MPA Program Director shall jointly develop a Program of Study which includes a 3 semester hour core course, 15 semester hours in basic principles courses, 4 semester hours in administrative skill courses, 9 (pre-service students) or 12 (in-service students) hours of electives, 3 semester hours of internship (pre-service students only), and 2 semester hours in a capstone course.

Core Requirements 5 Hours

PBAD 7631 - Foundations of Public Administration (3)

PBAD 7620 - Capstone Seminar in Public Management (2)

Specific Requirements 19 Hours

PBAD 7430 - Public Personnel Management (3) or PBAD 7431 - Organizational Behavior in the Public Sector (3)

PBAD 7230 - Budgeting in the Public Sector (3) or PBAD 7232 - Public Sector Financial Management (3)

PBAD 7530 - Research Methods for Government (3) (prerequisite of "C" or better in undergraduate statistics) or PBAD 7531 - Public Program Evaluation (3) (if the student had strong undergraduate methods training)

PBAD 7130 - Ethics in Government (3) or PBAD 7133 Public Law and Administration (3)

PBAD 7330 - Intergovernmental Relations (3) or PBAD 7331 - Managing Small Cities and Towns (3) or PBAD 7332 - State Government (3) or PBAD 7334 - Rural Development Management (3) or PBAD 7335 - Urban Management (3)

Any two of the following courses 4 Hours

PBAD 7020 - Selected Skills in Public Management (2)

PBAD 7120 - Written Communication for Public Managers (2)

PBAD 7121 - Presentations for Public Managers (2)

PBAD 7122 - Grant Writing for Public Managers (2)

PBAD 7220 - Computer Applications for Public Managers (2)

PBAD 7221 - Geographic Information Systems (2)

PBAD 7320 - Community Organizing and Development (2)

PBAD 7321 - Diversity Issues in Public Management (2)

Public Administration or Related Electives 9 Hours (preservice) OR 12 Hours (inservice)

Other Program Requirements 3 Hours (preservice)

Students who are not professionally employed in the public or non-profit sector while a student in the MPA program will be required to complete an internship in a public agency or non-profit organization before completing the program. Students must have completed at least 15 semester hours and have a GPA in the MPA program of at least 3.0 before enrolling for credit in the internship.