Master of Public Administration

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Students should consult the General Regulations section of the Graduate Catalog for additional information regarding Graduate School admission requirements, transfer credit, andother critical policies and procedures.

Mission Statement

The mission of Troy University’s Master of Public Administration program is to strengthen the quality of public service by facilitating learning, promoting scholarship, improving practice, and engaging in public service. The program strives to develop graduates who bring to the public work force the intellectual acuity, ethical commitment and professional competence to effectively serve the public interest.

Admission Requirements for Master of Public Administration

Unconditional Admission

Applicants may be admitted unconditionally if they meet the following requirements:

Hold a master’s or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution. No test score is required. An official transcript showing completion of a master’s or higher degree is required.
OR
Hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 2.5 (4.0 scale) or a 3.0 GPA on the last 30 semester hours. All hours attempted in the term in which the 30 semester hours were reached will be used to calculate the GPA. All transcripts from all colleges or universities attended are required.

Conditional Admission

Conditional admission may be granted under certain circumstances to applicants who cannot satisfy all unconditional admission requirements to the graduate program. See conditional admission requirements in the General Regulations section of this Catalog.

Students admitted conditionally only because of a low undergraduate grade point average will be cleared of their conditional status if, at the completion of nine semester hours, they have achieved a 3.0 grade point average or greater on all graduate work attempted. Students must clear the conditional admission requirement of a 3.0 average at the completion of nine semester hours, or they will be dropped from the graduate program for one calendar year after which they may petition the Dean of the Graduate School to re-enter.

Readmission of MPA Students in Good Standing

Students who have not been enrolled for three or more years in the MPA program must complete a Readmission to Graduate School Application and meet degree requirements as stated in the most current catalog upon readmission. Students will be readmitted to the most current catalog at the time of readmission.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of 12 credit hours taken at another regionally accredited university with a grade of “B” or better can be applied to the MPA degree. These courses must be comparable in catalog description to courses in the MPA program and recommended by the Director of the MPA Program and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Professional Military Education (PME) courses and programs will not be accepted as transfer credits for Public Administration core courses but may be accepted as transfer credit for elective courses.

Internship Requirements

All students are required to complete an internship to graduate from the MPA program. Students with at least one year of professional experience managing people, organizations, programs, or financial resources may request a waiver from this requirement. Students who are granted a waiver will take an additional elective to complete the 36 hour program requirement. All internships must be approved in advance.

Research Requirement

For Initial Master’s Degree

All graduate programs require certification of the student’s ability to do research in a specialization. For the MPA program, this requirement is met by achieving a grade of “B” or better in PA 6601 . Students must repeat PA 6601 if a grade of “C” or below is attained.

For Second Master’s Degree

If the research requirement was completed for the first master’s degree with a “B” or above, students are exempt from this requirement in the MPA program. Students exercising this exemption must complete an additional elective course in their program, or obtain approved transfer credit to achieve the minimum required credits for graduation.

Degree Requirements

Unconditional Admission
Overall 3.0 GPA
Successful completion of PA 6699 , Capstone in Public Administration, with a grade of “B” or better
Completion of MPA Degree curriculum. If the student makes a “D” or “F” in a core course, the course must be retaken. If the student makes a “D” or “F” in an elective course, the course may either be retaken or another elective taken in its place.

Curriculum

The MPA degree curriculum consists of 12 courses (36 credit hours) including eight core courses (24 credits), an internship (3 credit hours), and three elective courses (9 credit hours).

Students who qualify for an internship waiver will complete an additional elective course (3 credit hours) in lieu of the internship.

Students should complete PA 6610 - Global Challenges in Public Administration and PA 6601 - Research Methods in Public Administration within their initial 12 hours in the MPA program and prior to taking PA 6622 and PA 6631 .

Required Core Courses : (24 credit hours)

Required Internship (3 credit hours, unless waived)

PA 6694 - Internship

Electives (9-12 credit hours)

Students must select courses from the following:
(Students may develop a specialization within their program by selecting electives with a common focus)

Specialized Elective Courses

PA 6625 Specialized Study in Public Administration or PA 6660 Readings in Public Administration may be utilized with the prior approval of the Director of the MPA Program. In combination, these courses may not be used for more than six total credit hours.

Degree Plan

Master of Public Administration Degree Plan/Progress Record