MPA Video
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.
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.
Applicants must:
- Complete the online graduate admission application.
- Submit the $50.00 application fee.
- Have earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
- 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.
- Provide two letters of recommendation submitted on the Framingham State University Letter of Recommendation form and sent directly to the University’s Graduate Admissions office by the recommender. One letter must be from an employer or supervisor, and the other must be from a faculty member who has taught the candidate at collegiate level if the candidate attended classes in the last five years;
- 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.
- Have an overall undergraduate quality point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 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 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.
Evaluation of the materials submitted by the applicant for admission to the Masters of Public Administration program will begin as soon as all required documents have been received. Applicants may be admitted to the program for the fall and spring semesters, although courses may be taken during the summer.
EFFECTIVE AS OF THE 2023-2024 GRADUATE CATALOG
Program 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.
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.
- Students must meet course prerequisites.
- 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.
Undergraduate Prerequisite (1):
- MGMT 904 Management and Leadership
- PADM 901 Foundations of Public Administration
- PADM 929 Techniques of Policy Analysis
- PADM 937 Techniques of Public Budgeting and Resource Management
- PADM 981 Personnel Management in the Public Sector
- PADM 984 Seminar in Public Administration
- QUAN 908 Quantitative Analysis for Administrators
Any three (3) courses with the written approval of the student’s advisor. The following are suggested:
Learning Outcomes
The Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) 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:
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Analyze public domain problems, thinking critically to create and evaluate potential solutions.
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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.
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Assess their knowledge and experience of ethics and integrity and reflect on ways to incorporate public service values in administering agencies, policies, and programs.
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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.