Master of Arts in Public Administration - Division of Graduate & Continuing Education Framingham State College

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Public Administration

Master of Arts concentration in Public Administration
2007-2008 Curriculum

The Master of Arts with a concentration in Public Administration stresses the practical skills and knowledge necessary for a career in the public sector. The program is designed for students presently serving in government and non-profit organizations, those involved in the private sector who are involved with and affected by governmental activities, and those who seek careers in government at the management level. The program provides a pragmatic approach which balances the theoretical with the practical. Students are exposed to the normative and empirical aspects of problem-solving, organizational management, budget and resource management, policy-making, and program administration. In this period of increased interdependency among the public, non-profit, and private sectors, the program is dedicated to the increased responsibilities and challenges confronting the public manager. The program provides the student with a concrete foundation for the acquisition of administrative expertise and tools essential for management at all levels of government and within non-profit service-oriented organizations. After completion of the program, students are expected to be able to analyze problems, to develop solutions, and to acquire the advanced skills of written and oral analysis, presentation, and communication.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university. The evaluation of a candidate is primarily based upon the applicant's quality point average which is used as an indicator of intellectual development and ability. Extracurricular activities, employment and non-employment experiences, career goals, and motivation for graduate work serve as additional admission criteria. An overall undergraduate quality point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in a program acceptable to the admissions committee is expected. Students who do not meet these requirements may be offered the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to do successful graduate work by:

1.	Taking two advisor-approved graduate or undergraduate courses and earning a grade of B or better in each course;
	OR
2.	Taking either the Graduate Management Admissions Test, the Graduate Record Exam, or the Miller Analogies Test and achieving a score in the 60th percentile or higher.

In addition to a suitable QPA or possession of other indicators of academic success, admission will be granted only to persons with acceptable employment experience. Acceptable employment is usually a minimum of one year of full-time paid experience in the field and is usually verified by appropriate letters of recommendation. This requirement may be waived after a personal interview. Evaluations of the materials submitted by the applicant for admission to the Master of Arts will begin as soon as all required documents have been received. Applicants may be admitted to the program for the Fall or Spring semesters, although courses may be taken during the summer.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts in Public Administration consists of ten (10) courses which are divided into a core component (seven courses) and an elective component (three courses).

Students are expected to be familiar with office/management level software.

Students may take courses in any sequence subject to the following general requirements:

1.	62.983 Foundations of Public Administration serves as a foundation for the core and elective courses in the Public Administration program. Students must complete this course prior to taking other core courses unless an exception is given in writing by the advisor.
2.	Students must meet course prerequisites.
3.	62.984 Seminar in Public Administration is the culminating course in the student’s program and may not be taken before the final semester of the program. Exceptions, requiring advisor approval, may be made for students taking an elective course over the summer. Registration for the seminar requires prior written approval from the Associate Dean of Graduate and Continuing Education. Students will not be able to fulfill this requirement with a course transferred from another institution.