Public Administration - MPA | Framingham University

MPA Video

Program & Admissions Requirements

This program 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.

Undergraduate Prerequisite (1):

Required Core Courses (7)

Elective Courses (3)

Any three (3) courses with the written approval of the student’s advisor. The following are suggested:

Complete the online graduate admission application.
Applicants must have received a bachelor’s degree with a minimum 3.00 GPA from a regionally accredited college/university and must submit all official college-level transcripts. Applicants who studies outside of the United State must submit official transcripts and a course-by-course evaluation for US equivalency. 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 courses and earning a grade of B (3.00) or better in each course;
OR
2. Taking either the Graduate Management Admissions Test, Graduate Record Examination, or the Miller Analogies Test and achieving a score in the 60th percentile higher.
Submit a typed, 300-word personal statement discussing their motivation for seeking a master’s degree in view of prior formal education, current job responsibilities, and career plans.
Two (2) recommendations must be submitted electronically through the Recommendation section of the application. One letter must be from an employer or supervisor, and the second letter must be from a faculty member who has taught the candidate at the collegiate level if the candidate attended classes in the last five years; if a faculty recommendation is not possible, the second letter should be another professional recommendation.
Have 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.

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

PADM 901 Foundations of Public Administration serves as a foundation for the core and elective courses in the Public Administration program. Students are recommended to complete this course prior to taking other core courses.
PADM 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 Dean of Graduate Studies. Students will not be able to fulfill this requirement with a course transferred from another institution. (Students must meet course prerequisites).

Fall Semester

PADM 901 Foundations of Public Administration
MGMT 904 Management and Leadership
PADM 929 Techniques of Policy Analysis
QUAN 908 Quantitative Analysis for Administrators
PADM 957 Risk Management and Fiscal Analysis

Spring Semester

PADM 937 Techniques of Public Budgeting and Resource Management
PADM 981 Personnel Management in the Public Sector
PADM 911 Grantsmanship and Development
PADM 984 Seminar in Public Administration

Learning Outcomes

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to manage in the public and non-profit sectors. Students will learn the theory and practice of management and leadership, policy analysis, budgeting, and program evaluation in the public and non-profit sectors.

At the conclusion of the program students will be able to:

Analyze public domain problems, thinking critically to create and evaluate potential solutions.
Integrate current and preferred management practices of fiscal and human resources, policy-making, and program administration to improve service delivery among non-profit/government organizations.
Assess their knowledge and experience of ethics and integrity and reflect on ways to incorporate public service values in administering agencies, policies, and programs.
Produce proficient clear oral and written communication by presenting succinct, well-organized materials and analysis tailored to the needs of internal and external organizational stakeholders.