Program Objectives

• To provide education and skill acquisition for public service professionals with particular emphasis on the needs of government and not-for-profit organizations in Northern and Central California.
• To maintain and improve the capacity of local and regional governments to provide excellence in public service.
• To conduct research that will broaden the base of knowledge and skills in the field of public administration.
• To serve the regional community through faculty and student involvement in public affairs.

The program serves public service professionals seeking advanced education and training as part-time students and also serves full-time students preparing for careers in public service. Courses are offered on both the Turlock and Stockton campuses.

The MPA Program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) and has been placed on the national roster of programs conforming with NASPAA standards for professional graduate degrees in public administration.

Prerequisites for Admission

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
2. A grade point average of 2.7 or better in the last 60 semester units. GRE is not required.
3. Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can evaluate the applicant’s work or studies and can comment on the applicant’s potential as a graduate student and professional in the field of public administration. If possible, two of the letters should be from former college instructors who can comment on the applicant’s ability to succeed in graduate studies.
4. Current resume that details the applicant’s education, work experience, and other qualifications.
5. A one- to two-page letter of intent explaining the applicant’s purpose and career objectives in pursuing an MPA degree.
6. Application evaluation and approval by the Director of the Master of Public Administration program.
7. Regardless of citizenship or residency, persons who have not attended schools at the secondary level or above for at least three years (full-time) where English is the principal language of instruction must submit satisfactory scores on the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum acceptable scores required for graduate students are scores of 550 (213) Total and 54 (21) part-scores. U.S. immigrants may substitute satisfactory (954 or higher) English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT) scores to satisfy the undergraduate TOEFL requirement. Exemption from submission of TOEFL scores is not granted based solely on enrollment of an international student for two or more years at a two-year college.

Requirements (42 units)

1. All students are required to complete a minimum of 42 semester units of upper-division and graduate courses and seminars. A minimum of 30 of these units must be in graduate courses and seminars.
2. Students who have not had formal study in politics, economics, statistics, and introductory computer applications are advised to complete undergraduate courses before enrolling in graduate-level courses in these subjects.
3. All students are required to complete successfully one of the following options in partial fulfillment of the upper-division degree requirements:
   1. Thesis
      • Required and approved elective courses, 36 units
      • Approved research methods courses, 3 units
      • Thesis Research, 3 units minimum
      • Submission of written thesis
      • Passing an oral thesis defense
   2. Comprehensive Examination
      • Required and approved elective courses, 42 units
      • Passing a written comprehensive examination
      Note: The option is to be selected by the student in consultation with his/her adviser.
4. Students must complete the MPA program with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a scale of 0.0 to 4.0) on all upper-division and graduate coursework credited toward the MPA degree. No grade less than a B– (B minus) is acceptable for the completion of a required course. A student who receives less than a B– in a required course must take the course again. A student who takes the same required course twice and does not receive a B– or better will be dropped from the program. No elective course with a grade below B- may count toward completion of the required units for the MPA degree. Students who receive a grade lower than B- will have their performance reviewed by the MPA program director, put on academic probation, and may be dropped from the program. A student who completes more than two courses with grades below B- will be dropped from the program. No course which is to be counted toward the MPA degree may be graded credit/no credit, with the one exception of PADM 5940, Public Administration Internship.
5. A public service internship is a strongly recommended part of the MPA program, especially for the “pre-service” student. Internship positions and standards of experiential internship education are coordinated with local, county, regional, state and federal administrative agencies, not----for-profit organizations, or the offices of elected officials. An internship generally involves 300 hours of work with one or more public sector organizations. The intern works on agency assignments under the supervision of agency personnel while maintaining a close liaison with the faculty internship program coordinator. Interns may be voluntary or paid by the sponsoring agency. Interns are required to take PADM 5000, Administra-tion in Public Affairs and PADM 5940, Public Administration Internship. Internship experience can be a valuable start to a professional career for the pre-service public administration student. Your academic adviser or the faculty internship program coordinator will be able to provide further specific information and guidance.
6. The degree of Master of Public Administration will be awarded upon certifi-cation of successful completion of degree requirements by the MPA Graduate Studies Committee.
7. All students are required to complete the following nine courses
   (27 units):
   PADM 5000 Administration in Public Affairs, 3 units
   PADM 5006 Public Finance, 3 units
   PADM 5007 State and Local Public Finance, 3 units
   PADM 5010 Quantitative Analysis, 3 units
   PADM 5015 Public Policy Analysis, 3 units
   PADM 5100 Organizational and Administrative Theory, 3?units
   PADM 5110 Public Personnel Administration, 3 units
   PADM 5130 Public Service Ethics, 3 units
   PADM 5200 Public Agency Budgeting, 3 units
8. In addition to the required courses, all students will complete a minimum of 15 elective units chosen in consultation with the adviser. Up to 6 units may be 4000–level courses. These electives permit some specialization and may be selected to meet each student’s career needs.
   PADM 5106 Organizational Development/Group Dynamics, 3 units
   PADM 5120 Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector, 3?units
   PADM 5140 Combating Political Corruption, 3 units
   PADM 5203 Local Government Budgeting Simulation, 3?units
   PADM 5300 Urban/Regional Planning, 3 units
   PADM 5310 Environmental Planning, Policy, and Law, 3 units
   PADM 5400 Computer Applications in Public Administration, 3 units
   PADM 5500 Administrative Law and Public Policy, 3?units
   PADM 5505 Intergovernmental Relations, 3 units
   PADM 5554 Seminar in Case Analysis, 3 units
   PADM 5600 Political Theory in Public Management, 3?units
   PADM 5654 Bureaucracy in Novels and Plays, 3 units
   PADM 5700 County Government Administration, 3?units
   PADM 5715 Health Services Administration, 3 units
   PADM 5720 Research Design/Program Evaluations, 3?units
   PADM 5950 Seminar in Special Topics in Public Administration,1-5 units
   PADM 5940 Public Administration Internship, 3 units
   PADM 5980 Individual Study, 1-4 units
   PADM 5990 Thesis, 1-3 units
   PSCI 4060 Globalization and Democracy: Ideals and Institutions, 4 units
   PSCI 4315 Public Policy-Making, 3 units
   PSCI 4325 Land Use Planning, 3 units
   PSCI 4330 Urban Politics, 4 units
   PSCI 4350 Government, Business, and the Economy, 3?units
   PSCI 4600 Statistical Analysis for Politics, 4 units
   ECON 4100 Labor Economics, 3 units
   ECON 4300 Mathematical Economics, 3 units
   ECON 4415 International Economics, 3 units
   ECON 4600 Urban Economics, 3 units
   ECON 5050 Business and the Economic Environment, 3?units
   GEOG 4301 Permaculture Applications in Diverse Environments 3 units
   GEOG 4350 Urban Geography, 4 units
   GEOG 4750 Geographic Information Systems, 3 units
   MATH 4430 Operations Research, 3?units
   PHIL 4401 Professional Ethics, 3 units

Note: Other 4000 or 5000 level courses, besides those listed, may also be taken as electives toward the MPA degree if deemed relevant and approved in writing by your graduate adviser.