Master of Public Administration Requirements (2007-08)
The Master of Public Administration program offered by the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Western Michigan University provides an advanced, practitioner-oriented education for in-career professionals and pre-career students who aspire to positions of administrative leadership in public, nonprofit and health care organizations.
The entire M.P.A. program is 39 or 42 credit hours, depending upon admission status. The curriculum consists of:
- An 18-credit-hour core.
- An 18-credit-hour concentration.
- A three credit hour capstone—PADM 6800: Project Paper Seminar.
Pre-career students also complete a three-credit-hour internship.
The core program addresses the body of knowledge and skills that is common to the administration of health care, nonprofit and public entities. A listing of courses that fulfill each component of the core is provided below. Course descriptions can be accessed by selecting the course numbers.
Concentrations
The 18-credit-hour concentration provides an opportunity for you to tailor this part of your program to your specific needs and interests. Select an area of concentration from the six options:
- Health care administration
- Human resources administration
- Law
- Nonprofit leadership and administration
- Public management: local government administration
- Public management: state agency administration
Concentrations include a course in each of three areas—an overview of the field, budgeting and human resources administration—with the remaining credit hours selected from a list of electives and courses that are approved by the student's advisor.
Capstone course
As a culmination to the program students will take the three-credit-hour capstone course, PADM 6800: Project Paper Seminar. In this course, you will conduct a non-thesis analytical research project designed to apply the knowledge you gained in the coursework of the M.P.A. program to a practical problem or issue. For more information on the PADM 6800: Project Paper Seminar, please consult the M.P.A. Handbook.
If you are a pre-career student, you must also enroll in a three-credit-hour (300 contact hour) internship designed to provide you with meaningful work experience, expose you to the world of professional administration and organizations and assist you in developing a professional network. The internship will typically involve work on a project for the agency, with joint supervision from the School of Public Affairs and Administration, which can be utilized as subject material for the seminar. You must complete at least 20 credit hours of M.P.A. coursework before you enroll in an internship. For more information on the internship, please consult the M.P.A. Handbook.
You are encouraged to plan and track your coursework on a Course Planning Form available from your advisor. When coupled with advisor consultations, this form eliminates the possibility of taking courses that do not fulfill program requirements and maximizes the utility of the courses in which you enroll.
Core courses
- PADM 6060: Analytical Methods (three credit hours)
- PADM 6070: Quantitative Data Analysis (three credit hours)
- PADM 6080: Organizational Theory and Behavior (three credit hours)
- PADM 6180: The Political and Economic Environment of Public Administration (three credit hours)
- PADM 6390: Managing Public Performance and Information Technology (three credit hours)