Catalog

Master of Public Administration

Henry Roth, Program Director, (650) 508-3721, hroth@ndnu.edu

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) prepares students to move up quickly in their career with leadership skills needed to meet today's greater demands for accountability and effectiveness when dealing with public and nonprofit organizations. The MPA curriculum develops a theoretical foundation for the practice of effective public management in a wide range of public service functional areas. Through our program students gain important knowledge and skills regarding public policy and public decision-making to be effective advocates for change. This degree program emphasizes close involvement with leaders from a wide variety of public sector organizations so our students are able to make contributions at any level.

The MPA offers an articulated agreement with NDNU’s undergraduate Business Administration students. Qualified undergraduate students are able to apply in advance of their last semester to enroll in up to six units of selected graduate courses that fulfill undergraduate major requirements while also counting towards the master's degree.

Admission Information
Fully admitted students will need to meet the following requirements:

  • A four year bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
  • A cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 or better
  • Two academic and/or professional recommendations
  • Work experience preferred
  • A personal interview with the Program Director may be required
  • The satisfactory completion of undergraduate coursework in financial accounting, political science, psychology, and sociology
  • International students should also refer to the general graduate admission requirements

Program Requirements
The MPA program requires 36 semester units of graduate course credit (Core – 24 units; Concentration - 12 units; Foundation – no credit).*note:student completing their degree requirements under catalog of record July 1, 2009 and earlier can elect to continue with their origional 30 semester units plan to fufill the MPA degree requirements.

FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Students in the MPA program are required to have a foundational knowledge that will facilitate learning advanced concepts. Foundation course(s) may have been taken in an undergraduate degree program, or subsequent to the completion of the Bachelor‘s degree. Foundation course(s) must be completed with a grade of C or better. If the course(s) have not been completed prior to admission, students can still be admitted conditionally but must complete the undergraduate equivalent of these requirement(s) early in their program of study.

  • Introduction to Financial Accounting
  • Introduction to Political Science
  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Introduction to Sociology


MPA CORE COURSES
These courses are designed to prepare students in the functional areas traditionally comprising the field of Public Administration. Students must complete all of the Core Courses.

Core Courses

 Units
BUS4000 Organizational and Management Theory 3
BUS4010 Introduction to Public Administration* 3
BUS4020 Community Based Research and Analysis* 3
BUS4124 Government, Budget and Finance 3
BUS4440 Spatial Analysis for Policymakers 3
BUS4500 Leadership Concepts  3
BUS4508 Human Resource Management  3
BUS4981 Public Policy and Administration (Capstone)  3
  24

*for students under catalog of record July 1, 2009 and earlier, BUS4010 and BUS4020 are not treated as Core courses however may be used as approved electives.

AREAS OF CONCENTRATION
In addition to Core courses, all MPA students are required to take an additional twelve (12) graduate units must be completed satisfactorily. Students may elect to obtain a concentration that distinguishes they have pursued a specialty area or specific field of study. In order to qualify for a concentration in Human Resource Management or Public Affairs Administration students take at least three courses (9 units) from one of the concentration areas listed. The fourth course can be any three (3) unit BUS graduate elective approved by the graduate program advisor. Students desiring a broader study can elect to pursue a general concentration and select any electives approved by the graduate program advisor.

Human Resource Management (minimum 12 units required) Units
BUS4516 Managing Diversity  3
BUS4424
 Labor Management Relations
  3
BUS4532 Conflict Management  3
BUS4540 Recruitment, Training, and Development  3
  Elective  3
   
Public Affairs Administration (minimum 12 units required) Units
BUS4016 Contemporary Issues in Administration  3
BUS4048 Administrative Law  3
BUS4516 Managing Diversity 3
  Elective 3
   
General Concentration Units
Any 12 units of electives approved by the graduate program advisor. 12

Graduate Course Description