Master of Public Administration (MPA)

The Upper Iowa University Master of Public Administration degree requires 36 semester credits of graduate level coursework with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for completion.

Students completing the 18 credit MPA core requirements will have a broad overview of the discipline with an understanding of organizations, ethics, policy and research methods.

The 18 credit emphasis areas provide more in-depth knowledge into the areas of criminal justice, healthcare management, public management, nonprofit organizations or emergency management and homeland security.

The PA 590 Capstone should be taken as the last course in the program and should not be taken concurrently with any other course.

Core Requirements:

• PA 500 – Writing for Public Administrators 3 Credit(s)
• PA 501 – Graduate Survey of Public Administration 3 Credit(s)
• PA 502 – Introduction to Program Evaluation 3 Credit(s)
• PA 503 – Research Methods for Public Administration 3 Credit(s)
• PA 504 – Political Economy and Public Policy 3 Credit(s)
• PA 511 – Public Budgeting and Finance 3 Credit(s)

Capstone:

• PA 590 – Capstone – Research Seminar 3 Credit(s)

This emphasis is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how conceptual and theoretical frameworks apply to real-world situations in a wide range of criminal justice career paths, and prepare students for leadership positions in agencies and organizations with missions related to criminal justice and public safety.

Students will possess the knowledge needed to provide leadership in positions in a wide range of policing organizations from the local to the federal level.

Requirements

• PA 554 – Theories of Crime and Public Policy 3 Credit(s)

Choose four of the following: 12 Credits

• PA 507 – Ethics of Public Service 3 Credit(s)
• PA 508 – Terrorism and Politics 3 Credit(s) OR PA 522 – Psychology and Culture of Terrorism 3 Credit(s) OR PA 535 – Counter-Terrorism 3 Credit(s)
• PA 550 – Advanced Criminal Procedure 3 Credit(s)
• PA 552 – Correctional Systems Issues and Policy 3 Credit(s)
• PA 553 – Seminar in Juvenile Justice 3 Credit(s)\
• PA 556 – Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties 3 Credit(s)
• PA 557 – Introduction to GIS: Crime Mapping/Critical Incidents 3 Credit(s)
• PA 558 – Psychology of Criminal Behavior 3 Credit(s)
• PA 559 – Seminar in Cybercrime 3 Credit(s)

This emphasis area is designed to prepare students for leadership positions in agencies and organizations with missions to protect life, liberty, and property.

Students will develop the knowledge needed to provide strategic leadership for an all hazards/Whole Community approach to an emergency event given a networked environment operating within a democratic political system.

Requirements

• Graduate Elective 3 Credits

Choose four of the following: 12 Credits

• PA 507 – Ethics of Public Service 3 Credit(s)
• PA 508 – Terrorism and Politics 3 Credit(s)
• PA 522 – Psychology and Culture of Terrorism 3 Credit(s)
• PA 523 – Emergency Management, Homeland Security, and Public Policy 3 Credit(s)
• PA 524 – Leadership Issues with Critical Incidents 3 Credit(s)
• PA 525 – Comparative Strategies of National Security 3 Credit(s)
• PA 526 – Emergency Management: Mitigation, Recovery, and Continuity 3 Credit(s)
• PA 532 – Human Resources Management in Public Organizations 3 Credit(s)
• PA 535 – Counter-Terrorism 3 Credit(s)
• PA 543 – Emergency Management: Planning and Response 3 Credit(s)
• PA 555 – Critical Infrastructure: Vulnerability Analysis and Protection 3 Credit(s)
• PA 557 – Introduction to GIS: Crime Mapping/Critical Incidents 3 Credit(s)

This emphasis allows students to develop a program that meets their specific needs and goals. At least 4 of the electives (12 credits) must be MPA courses that are not cross-listed as HA (Healthcare Administration).

Requirements

• Graduate Electives 15 Credits

This emphasis area is designed to provide students with specialized knowledge of the issues and challenges facing leaders in healthcare and human services organizations.

Students will develop the skills necessary to create and maintain a system of continuous quality improvement in healthcare organizations.

Requirements

• PA 537 – Healthcare Quality Assessment And Improvement 3 Credit(s)
• PA 539 – Healthcare Informatics Technology Management 3 Credit(s)

Choose three of the following: 9 Credits

• PA 528 – Politics of Poverty, Inequality, and Health Policy 3 Credit(s)
• PA 530 – Public Policy and Healthcare 3 Credit(s)
• PA 531 – Introduction to Healthcare Systems 3 Credit(s)
• PA 534 – Healthcare Economics 3 Credit(s)
• PA 536 – Healthcare Law and Ethics 3 Credit(s)
• PA 538 – Healthcare Financial Management 3 Credit(s)

This emphasis is designed to prepare students with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead organizations in the growing nonprofit sector.

Student will acquire knowledge needed for the development and responsible use of financial and human resources for effective nonprofit organizational leadership in either the public or private sectors in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations and laws.

Requirements

• Graduate Elective 3 Credits

Choose four of the following: 12 Credits

• PA 507 – Ethics of Public Service 3 Credit(s)
• PA 515 – Grant Writing and Contract Management 3 Credit(s)
• PA 541 – Nonprofit Philanthropy and Fundraising 3 Credit(s)
• PA 546 – Nonprofit Marketing and Public Affairs Advocacy 3 Credit(s)
• PA 547 – Volunteer Recruitment and Management 3 Credit(s)
• PA 563 – Administrative Law 3 Credit(s)
• PA 567 – Board Governance and Strategic Management 3 Credit(s)
• PA 569 – Government and Nonprofit Accounting and Budgeting 3 Credit(s)

This emphasis is designed to assist students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully manage in complex and dynamic public organizational settings.

Students will develop the knowledge, skills and ability to evaluate and apply contemporary managerial research, theories, concepts and principles in order to successfully maximize the potential of diverse human talent in order to develop contributing and productive public employees and teams so they are able to serve the needs of diverse citizen groups.

Choose five of the following: 15 Credits

• PA 505 – Organizational Behavior 3 Credit(s) OR BA 555 – Organizational Culture 3 Credit(s)
• PA 507 – Ethics of Public Service 3 Credit(s)
• PA 509 – Theories of Leadership 3 Credit(s)
• PA 532 – Human Resources Management in Public Organizations 3 Credit(s)
• PA 544 – Productivity Improvement in Government 3 Credit(s)
• PA 545 – Labor Relations and Conflict Resolution in the Public Sector 3 Credit(s)
• PA 548 – Advanced Issues In Public Management 3 Credit(s)
• PA 562 – Seminar in Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations 3 Credit(s)
• PA 563 – Administrative Law 3 Credit(s)
• PA 564 – Seminar in State and Local Government Management 3 Credit(s)
• PA 565 – Advanced Policy Analysis and Evaluation 3 Credit(s)
• PA 566 – Economic Development: Theory and Practice 3 Credit(s)
• PA 569 – Government and Nonprofit Accounting and Budgeting 3 Credit(s)

Students may complete, as an elective, an internship (PA 594). This means obtaining a full-time paid or unpaid position for a period of eight weeks (not less than 320 hours) in a public sector or not-for-profit agency. The internship typically involves the student working on an administrative policy or management issue confronting a public or not-for-profit organization. It is an opportunity for the student to relate her/his academic experience in the master’s program to the issue that is the focus of the experience.

Internship positions are coordinated by the MPA Program Chair. Some internships are competitive in nature and are available on a regular basis with federal, state, county, and local governments. Others are posted from time to time as they are made known to the University. Still others become available on an ad hoc basis through the initiative of the student. A student’s progress in an internship is monitored by the student’s immediate supervisor at the agency sponsoring the internship and by the instructor.

The student prepares a report on the internship documenting the experience and its product, indicating the value of the experience for the student, and offers personal reflection on:

• Achievement of the core and emphasis area student learning outcomes.
• Opportunities for integration of program values in practice.
• Future career directions based on the experience and related learning.

The report incorporates documentation prepared for and submitted to the sponsoring organization regarding the issue studied, and is submitted to the instructor of record for PA 594 as the evidence of completion of the experience. The sponsoring organization will prepare a report on the work and effectiveness of the student. These reports, along with the student’s work product, will be considered in assigning a grade to the Internship. The report is graded on a pass/fail basis.

The Internship (PA 594) is graded pass/fail for transcript purposes.

The UIU MPA program identifies diversity, democracy, and due process as “core democratic values.” The MPA program strives to:

• Develop and maintain a collaborative and inclusive learning environment that promotes the values of diversity, democracy, and due process.
• Develop and maintain a high-quality curriculum that develops students’ leadership, managerial, and analytical skills for public service in government and non-profit organizations.
• Develop a culture of intellectual inquiry for faculty to pursue teaching excellence and for both students and faculty to pursue scholarship that advances the public administration field.

The program student learning outcomes are based on the core competencies recommended by the Network of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). The program is designed to promote and develop the following student learning outcomes:

1. Students will have demonstrated an ability to lead and manage.
2. Students will have demonstrated an ability to participate in and contribute to the public policy process.
3. Students will have demonstrated an ability to analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions.
4. Students will have demonstrated an ability to articulate and apply a public service perspective.
5. Students will have demonstrated the ability to communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry.

The average time is two years though students who take more than one course per session may graduate in less time.

Students who graduate with this degree find employment in variety of government agencies or non-profit organizations. The degree can be paired with any occupation and subject matter.

Yes. Students can take an internship course for credit and faculty will help students arrange and complete the experience.