Master of Public Administration: School of Public Administration, College of Public Affairs & Community Service

(1)

www.unomaha.edu/graduate | www.facebook.com/UNOGraduateStudies | 402-554-2341 | gradschool@unomaha.edu

Master of Public Administration: School of Public Administration, College of Public Affairs & Community Service

Vision Statement

The mission of the Master of Public Administration program is to strengthen the public service in a democratic and diverse society by educating students to manage and lead public and nonprofit institutions effectively, ethically and democratically.

Program Contact Information:

Dr. Carol Ebdon, Graduate Program Chair (GPC)

College of Public Affairs & Community Service (CB) 111B 402-554-2152

cebdon@unomaha.edu

Meagan VanGelder, Coordinator

College of Public Affairs & Community Service (CB) 111 402-554-3480

mvangelder@unomaha.edu

Program Website

http://www.unomaha.edu/mpa/index.php

Application Deadlines:

 Fall: June 1

 Spring: October 1

 Summer: NA

Application Requirements:

 Online Application

 One official copy of transcripts for ALL institutions previously attended

 Application Fee

 If English is not the language of nurture, official test scores from the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE exam are required

 500 on the written TOEFL

 173 on the computer-based TOEFL

 61 on the internet-based TOEFL

 5.5 on the IELTS

 44 on the PTE

 Minimum GPA of at least 3.0 in undergraduate courses related to proposed major Program-Specific Requirements:

 The general prerequisite for admission to the MPA program is a four-year bachelors’ degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA in the junior and senior years (last 50-60 credit hours)

(2)

 Students who plan to attend the MPA program and whose native language is not English may be granted provisional or unclassified admission subject to the following conditions:

 The must complete the TOEFL exam with a score of 550 (213 if computer-based; 79 if internet-based) or better, OR

 IELTS with a score of 6.5 or better, OR

 PTE with a score of 53 or better

 GRE score is required

 Two (2) Letters of Recommendation

 Statement of Purpose/Admissions Essay

 The essay should be two to four pages (doubled-spaced and answer the following questions:

o Please tell us about the factors in your background that will help us understand your interest in a profession in the public or nonprofit sectors.

o What are your professional goals? Ten years from now, what do you hope to be doing professionally?

o How can an MPA from UNO help you to achieve these goals?

 Resume

 Generally, students will be admitted unconditionally if they have a strong

undergraduate record, demonstrate good communication skills in their admission essay, receive favorable recommendations, and have goals consistent with the mission of the MPA program.

Master of Public Administration [MPA Degree Requirements]

MPA Required Courses (21 hours):

The School of Public Administration has seven (7) core courses required for all MPA students. Three introductory core classes must be completed prior to any other coursework.

Introductory Core:

 PA 8050 Public Administration & Democracy

 PA 8090 Seminar in Organization Theory & Behavior in Public Agencies

 PA 8010 The Public Economy

 PA 8120 Research Methods (or PSCI 8000 at UNO) Ending Core:

 PA 8300 Policy Design & Implementation

 PA 8320 Public Policy Evaluation OR PA 8450 Seminar in Advanced Management Analysis OR PA 8330 Seminar in Policy Analysis

 POLS 836 at UNL is an acceptable substitute for PA 8320

 PA 8440 Organizational Development OR PA 8530 Strategic Planning

 **The ending core requires the completion of the beginning core. The ending core, except for PA 8300, also requires the completion of at least 24 hours in the MPA program. The Capstone Project, PA 8990, is the required ending course to complete the MPA degree unless the thesis option is selected.

MPA Concentrations:

(3)

Aviation Concentration Required Courses (15 hours):

 AVN 8060 Transportation Security

 AVN 8250 Airport Administration

 AVN 8360 Transportation Safety

 AVN 8370 Airport Development

 AVN 8750 Transportation Finance Health Administration Concentration Required Courses (9 hours):

 HSRA 872 Health Care Finance

 HSRA 874 Health Care Policy

 HSRA 876 US Health Care Delivery System

*The above courses are offered through UNMC. Elective Courses (6 hours):

 GERO/PA 8516 Long Term Care Administration

 GERO/HED 8556 Health Aspects of Aging

 GERO 8696/SOWK 8046 Working with Minority Elderly

 GERO 8676 Programs and Services for the Aging

 HED 8600 Health Behavior

 HED 8700 Women’s Health Issues

 HED 8850 Health Aspects of Stress Management

 PA 8730 Health Care Administration Elective Courses at UNMC

 PSM 802 Ethics in Health Care

 PSM 806 Biostatistics I

 PSM 820 Epidemiology: Theory and Applications Local Government Concentration

Required Courses (9 hours):

 PA 8410 Public Personnel Management

 PA 8436 Municipal Administration

 PA 8480 Public Finance Administration OR PA 8400 Public Budgeting Elective Courses (6 hours):

 PA 8030 Internship

 PA 8400 Public Budgeting

 PA 8470 Administrative Ethics and Leadership

 PA 8566 Intergovernmental Management

 PA 8600 Administrative Law

 PA 8616 Municipal Law

 GEOG 8120 Urban Geography

 ECON 8500 Seminar in Urban Economics

 UBNS 8020 Race, Ethnicity and American Urban Culture

 UBNS 8806 Introduction to Urban Planning

 CIVE 8610 Urban Transportation

 PA 8420 Public Works Administration Nonprofit Management Concentration Required Courses (6 hours):

 PA 8550 Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector

(4)

 PA 8480 Public Finance Administration OR PA 8996 Special Topics: Nonprofit Finance

Elective Courses (9 hours):

 PA 8106 Marketing for Aviation, Public and Nonprofit Organizations

 PA 8110 Management Information Systems

 PA 8206 Community Organizing and Social Change

 PA 8520 Seminar in Grant Writing

 PA 8580 Management and Administration of Nonprofit Organizations

 PA 8596 Techniques & Topics in Nonprofit Management*

 *NOTE: PA 8596 may be taken twice for credit (3 hours each) if the content of the two semesters is different.

 PA 8710 Fundraising for Nonprofit Organizations

 PA 8930 Negotiation Skills Management

 Other courses from other fields of study where nonprofit organizations are active can be included for elective credit. Examples include health specialization courses, courses in fine arts administration, museum studies, and social work. Check with your advisor to determine if a class offered outside the school can be included in your degree program.

Public Management Concentration Required Courses (6 hours):

 PA 8410 Public Personnel Management Elective Courses (9 hours):

 PA 8110 Managing Information in the Public Sector

 PA 8320 Policy Evaluation

 PA 8330 Seminar in Policy Analysis

 PA 8440 Organization Development

 PA 8450 Advanced Management Analysis

 PA 8470 Administrative Ethics

 PA 8480 Public Finance Administration

 PA 8500 Issues in Public-Private Cooperation

 PA 8530 Strategic Planning

 PA 8550 Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector

 PA 8896 Special Topics in Public Administration

 PA 8930 Negotiation Skills in General Management

 PA 8420 Public Works Administration Transportation Concentration

 AVN 8360 Transportation Safety

 PA 8400 Public Budgeting OR AVN 8750 Transportation Finance

 CIVE 861 Urban Transportation Planning Elective Courses (6 hours):

 PA 8480 Public Finance Administration

 UBNS 8066 Introduction to Urban Planning

 AVN 8060 Transportation Security

 CIVE 868 Airport Planning and Design

 CIVE 864 Analysis & Estimation Transportation Demand

(5)

Public Policy Concentration (non-thesis option only) Required Courses (12 hours):

 PA 8320 Policy Evaluation

 PA 8330 Seminar in Policy Analysis

 PA 8600 Administrative Law Elective Courses (3 hours)

 PA 8450 Public Management Analysis

 Other approved methods course

 Advanced course in a policy area Public Works Concentration

 PA 8410 Public Human Resource Management

 PA 8420 Public Works Administration

 PA 8480 Seminar in Public Financial Administration OR PA 8400 Public Budgeting

 UBNS 8060 Introduction to Urban Planning Elective Courses (3 hours):

 CIVE 8610 Urban Transportation Planning

 CRP 8006 Introduction to Planning

 ECON 8850 Seminar in Urban Economics

 GEOG 8126 Urban Geography

 PA 8110 Management Information Systems

 PA 8436 Municipal Administration

 PA 8470 Administrative Ethics and Leadership

 PA 8616 Municipal Law

 UBNS 8020 Race, Ethnicity, and American Urban Culture MPA Specializations:

Criminology & Criminal Justice Specialization Required Courses (6 hours):

 PA 8400 Public Budgeting OR PA 8480 Public Finance Administration

 PA 8410 Public Personnel Management Elective Courses (9 hours):

 CRCJ 8010 The Nature of Crime

 CRCJ 8020 Seminar in Administration of Justice

 CRCJ 8040 Seminar in Police and Society

 CRCJ 8050 Seminar in Corrections

 CRCJ 8060 Seminar in the Criminal Court System

 CRCJ 8100 Criminal Justice Organization, Administration & Management OR CRCJ 8110 Criminal Justice Planning and Change

 CRCJ 9110 Police Organization and Management (permission required)

 Other graduate courses in criminology & criminal justice may be appropriate depending upon the student’s interests and background. CRCJ 8090 (Independent Study) is not recommended.

(6)

Information Management Specialization

Please note: A module needs to be complete prior to enrolling in the specialization courses. Please contact advisor Peter Wolcott.

 PA 8110 Managing Information in the Public Sector

 ISQA 8206 Information & Data Quality Management Elective Courses (9 hours):

 ISQA 8196 Process Re-engineering

 ISQA 8230 Telecommunications Management

 ISQA 8250 Facilitation of Collaborative Problem Solving

 ISQA 8420 Managing the IS Function

 ISQA 8570 Information Security Policy

 ISQA 8736 Decision Support Systems

 ISQA 8810 Information Technology Project Fundamentals MPA Exit Requirements:

 PA 8980 Thesis (6)

 All candidates should carefully review the Graduate College requirements for forming the Supervisory Committee, Thesis/Thesis Equivalent Proposal Approval Forms, and final approval and submission of the thesis. OR

 PA 8990 Capstone Project in Public Administration (3) MPA Total:

 Non-Thesis Option: 39 hours

 The Non-Thesis Option requires students to complete the 21-hour core and 18 additional hours of graduate elective courses in an area of concentration.

 Thesis Option: 42 hours

 The Thesis Option requires students to complete the 21-hour core, 15 additional hours of graduate elective courses in an area of concentration, and 6 hours of thesis. The thesis must be assigned a total of at least six hours on the approved plan of study. The thesis should be initiated no later than one semester before the anticipated date of graduation in order to provide sufficient time for research, writing and examination. It is the responsibility of the student to follow all regulations found at

http://www.unomaha.edu/graduate/thesis.php?t=c.

 The student must orally defend his or her thesis. At that time, the supervisory committee must sign the acceptance page of the thesis. Approval of a thesis by every member of the thesis supervisory committee is required.