CURRICULUM AND COURSES

The Master of Public Administration degree requires the completion of 36 hours of coursework, consisting of 21 hours of core courses, 12 hours of elective courses (track-specific), and a 3-credit-hour capstone internship or thesis. A full-time student can often complete the program in two years, subject to appropriate planning for the final capstone project.

Core Courses

PS502 Fundamentals of Public Administration (3)
PS505 Organizational Theory and Behavior (3)
PS518 Public Policy Analysis (3)
PS545 Research Methods (3)
PS603 Public Personnel Administration (3)
PS615 Government Budgeting Process (3)
PS655 Federalism (3)
PS697 Internship (3) OR Thesis (3)

Nonprofit Track

PS631 Nonprofit Management (3)
PS632 Nonprofit Marketing (3)
PS636 Grants and Fundraising (3)
PS691-696 Topics in Political Science (3)

State and Local Governance Track

PS621 Social Media and Politics (3)
PS691-696 Topics in Political Science (3)
PY571 Introductory Behavioral Statistics (3)
SC560 Organizational Communication (3)

Elective Courses

Final Examination

Choose one of the following with advice of program coordinator:

GR698 Master’s Final Comprehensive Examination (0)
GR699 Master’s Oral Examination (0)

Other Degree Information

• The capstone internship (PS697) involves 120 hours of work with the host organization, and the writing and defense of a scholarly internship paper on the experience.
• Undergraduate students who apply for and meet the eligibility requirements of the accelerated MPA program can take as many as four of the 500-level core courses and have them count toward both their undergraduate and MPA degrees.
• SEMO Online requires that at least 18 credit hours of the 36-hour program must be at the 600 level.
• Students are also expected to comply with graduate school general requirements, including continuous enrollment provisions.