Public Administration

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Dean: Joel Kassiola

Public Administration Program
HSS 379
415-338-2985
Director: Yong Hyo Cho

Graduate Coordinator: Yong Hyo Cho

Faculty

 Professors--Browning, Cho, DeLeon, Gemello, LeGates, LeVeen, Miller, Osman, Pomerleau, Schneider, Seashore, Shen, Tabb

Associate Professor--Stowers

Program

Master of Public Administration

Program Scope

The goal of the program is to prepare people for responsible positions in the public sector. This includes positions in government but also in such entities as community development corporations, nonprofit social service agencies, planning and consulting organizations, and activities of private firms in public affairs and public policy areas. Applications are welcome both from persons proceeding directly from an undergraduate degree without prior experience and from those with experience who wish to strengthen their capabilities or prepare themselves for new opportunities.

The program is based on the premise that policy and administration must be understood in relation to each other, and the core of the program seeks to develop knowledge, skills, and understanding in both public policy and public administration. The common core of the program is heavily focused on essential knowledge and skills for public management. However, beyond the core, the program offers four areas of emphasis as an opportunity for specialization. They are Urban Administration, Public Management, Policy Analysis, and Non-Profit Administration. The requirements for the M.P.A., in general, and the specialty emphases, in particular, are shown in detail on the following page. Taking an emphasis for specialization is optional and not mandatory. Those who choose not to pursue an emphasis may take appropriate electives to satisfy their professional needs. Students may choose courses relevant to their professional interests offered by other departments and programs throughout the university.

Career Outlook

Graduates from the M.P.A. program pursue their professional careers in various government agencies at federal, state, and local levels, such as the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Government Accounting Office, city management, and state offices. In addition, many others find careers in nonprofit organizations, and consulting and research firms. Some go on to the Ph.D. in Public Administration at other universities to enter into a career in higher education.

MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Graduate Advisers--Browning, Cho, DeLeon, Gemello, LeGates, LeVeen, Miller, Osman, Pomerleau, Seashore, Schneider, Shen, Stowers, Tabb

Admission to Program

Ordinarily, applicants should have a grade point average of 3.0 or better in the last 60 units of academic work. In addition to the application for post-baccalaureate study submitted to the university graduate admissions office, applicants must:

For fully classified status in the program, applicants must meet the following prerequisites:

Applicants who do not meet the prerequisites may be admitted on the condition that they complete them within one academic year.

Students who lack basic knowledge about American society, government, and politics may be required to take additional preparatory work prior to advancement to fully classified status. Potential applicants who are still completing their undergraduate work may wish to strengthen their preparation for the program with courses in public administration, economics, politics, public policy, and research techniques.

Written English Proficiency Requirement

Level One: satisfactory performance on the Graduate Essay Test (GET) before or during the first semester of attendance. Level Two: master's project or thesis must be written at a level commensurate with professional standards in the field.

Advancement to Candidacy

Approval of a student's proposed course of study (the Graduate Approved Program) advances a student to candidacy. Completion of the Graduate Approved Program requirements qualifies the student to apply for the award of the master's degree. Besides meeting university requirements for advancement to candidacy, students are required to:

Courses for this program are listed in alphabetical sequence (consult Index for page reference). Upon advisement, upper division and graduate courses in other disciplines may be accepted if they contribute to a coherent program related to the student's educational objectives.

Core Requirements

										Units
PA 700		Democracy and Public Administration in Diverse Environments	3
PA 710		Research Methods for Public Administration			4
PA 720		Microeconomic Applications for Public Administration and Policy	3
PA 730		Politics of Policy-Making and Implementation			4
PA 740		Managing Organizational Behavior				3
PA 745		Managing Human Resources					3
PA 750		Managing Budgets in the Public Sector				4

Internship Requirement58 

PLSI 603	Public Service Internships (3) and
PLSI 604	Internship Seminar (1) or
URBS 650	Urban Internship Fieldwork (3) 
and
URBS 651	Urban Internship Seminar (1)					0-4

Culminating Experience Requirement

 
PA 895		Master's Project or
PA 898		Master's Thesis							3
Emphasis or Electives on advisement						10
Minimum total									37-41

Emphases
Urban Administration
 
PA 760	Urban Administration							3

Units selected from the following						7
ECON 506	Economics of State and Local Government
ECON/URBS 535	Urban Economics
GEOG 858	Seminar in Environmental and Land-Use Planning
GEOG/URBS 433	Urban Transportation (4)
PLSI 712	Seminar in Urban Politics and Policy Foundation (4)
URBS 514	Urban Growth Managment (4)
URBS 565	Social Policy and Family Systems (4)
URBS 570	Urban Health Policy
URBS 580	Urban Housing
URBS 582	Homelessness and Public Policy
Total for emphasis								10
Public Management
 
PA 725	Public Management							4

Units selected from the following						6
PA 765		Management Information Systems in the Public Sector (4)
PA 727		Advanced Seminar in Public Management
PA 747		Financial Management in the Public Sector
PA 767		Administrative Law
ECON 601	Applied Macroeconomics
ECON 806	Cost Benefit Analysis and Strategic Planning
PLSI 501	American Bureaucracy (4)
PLSI 731	Government and Ethics

Total for emphasis								10
Policy Analysis
 
PA 780	Policy and Organizational Analysis					4

Units selected from the following						6
PA 765		Managing Information in the Public Sector (4)
PA 784		Program Evaluation
ECON 320	Introduction to Econometrics
ECON 805	Seminar: Applied Analysis in the Public Sector
ECON 806	Cost-Benefit Analysis in Strategic Planning

Total for emphasis								10
Non-Profit Administration
 
PA 770	Administration of Non-Profit Organizations				4

Units selected from the following						6
PA 780		Policy and Organizational Analysis (4)
PA 727		Advanced Seminar in Public Management
PA 747		Financial Management in the Public Sector
PA 784		Program Evaluation
MKTG 868	Marketing of Non-Profit Organizations
PLSI 731	Government and Ethics
SW 800		Planning and Program Development
TPW 460		Grant Writing

Total for emphasis								10

Project or Thesis

 A master's project is accomplished in the project seminar, PA 895. It may involve research or carrying out a plan of action and submitting a report. The project may be conducted by a student working individually or by a group of students. Projects are subject to approval by the project instructor and by the program. A thesis involves research, usually on an individual basis, in consultation with a faculty committee. (For specific guidelines for thesis, consult Index for page reference.)

After initiating a research program (PA 895, Master's Project, or PA 898, Master's Thesis), graduate students must enroll each semester in PA 897, Research in Public Administration, until the project or thesis is completed.