Public Administration, MPA

Program Learning Outcomes

In order to become effective public and nonprofit leaders, students must develop a solid foundation in the theories and skills applicable to the public and nonprofit sectors. To this end, the PUBA Program uses a competency-based curriculum which establishes specific skills and abilities students will acquire as they complete the MPA degree requirements.

Upon completion of the MPA degree, students should be able to:

1. Manage human resources and organizational processes effectively by applying policies, concepts, and skills of human resource management (HRM) and understand the contemporary issues facing public/nonprofit personnel management;
2. Communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry;
3. Appraise the organizational environment, both internal and external, as well as culture, politics, and institutional settings;
4. Prepare and analyze budgets in a public context in order to evaluate organizational effectiveness and assist in decision making;
5. Lead effectively and ethically by recognizing and assessing a variety of leadership techniques and styles and valuing different perspectives on leadership;
6. Develop an understanding of policy making processes, including strategies for implementation and evaluation, and apply critical thinking and analytic skills to public issues to decide what, if any, action to take;
7. Value the responsibilities of public service by demonstrating responsiveness to their publics, and recognizing the legal and ethical responsibilities for engaging in professional behavior.;
8. Frame research questions, identify and gather appropriate information, and recognize applicable research methods for systematically analyzing evidence, in order to answer the research questions.

The required courses are interdisciplinary and integrate a series of perspectives and skills important to effective work in public service. These courses include content in public ethics and leadership; budgeting; policy processes, analysis and implementation; organizational change, public personnel management, research design and methods; program evaluation, and public service values.

The electives allow each student to design a program of study built around a theme of their personal and professional interests. Students select their PUBA course electives (PUBA 600+) in consultation with their faculty advisor.