Description

The Department of Public Administration’s Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degree program prepares students for employment or advances their careers as public administrators. The program is intended to produce graduates equipped with management and analytical skills needed for successful careers in governmental or nonprofit organizations, and closely related business fields.

Degrees Offered

Master of Public Administration

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions and Registration section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all graduate students. Minimum requirements for regular admission are (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 for the last 60 attempted semester hours of undergraduate study, or (2) a total score of 1000 or higher on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE.

A limited number of students who do not meet these requirements may be admitted on a provisional basis. These students must demonstrate proven public sector leadership experience, present strong recommendations from either academic or professional advisers, and provide a clear statement of education goals. More specific information on provisional admissions may be obtained from the department. Provisional admissions are limited and competitive. Students who are interested in these spots should contact the department as early as possible for consideration.

Individuals whose native language is other than English or whose bachelor's degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution are required to have a minimum score of 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

A course-by-course transcript evaluation is required of all students who attended a college or university outside the United States. For information and instructions about transcript evaluations, please see Transcripts and Evaluations on the Graduate Students website.

Students are expected to be computer literate upon entry to the program or are expected to obtain these skills immediately upon admission to the program.

Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Master of Public Administration	Jan 15	Jul 15	Dec 1	Apr 15

 

International Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Master of Public Administration	Jan 15	Jan 15	Jul 1	Nov 1

 

International Transfer Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Master of Public Administration	Jan 15	Mar 1	Sep 1	Dec 15

Master of Public Administration

Degree Requirements

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program consists of 42 credit hours. Each student completes a core of nine courses (27 credit hours), an advanced curriculum of four courses (12 credit hours) selected in consultation with the adviser, and a capstone experience equivalent to one course (3 credit hours). Courses and credit hours used for undergraduate degrees cannot also be counted towards the MPA degree.

Independent learning is demonstrated throughout the curriculum, through the process of inquiry and dialogue. Tangible projects, such as research scholarly papers, internships, and our capstone experience also contribute to the self-development of our students. The research study and final report in the Capstone Experience will focus on reviewing and analyzing contemporary research in a student’s particular specialization within the profession in order to help students acquire knowledge and skills pertaining to research-based best practices in that specialization area.

Minimum Hours Required for M.P.A.—42 Credit Hours

Minimum Core Requirements—27 Credit Hours

• PAD 6053 Public Administrators in the Governance Process (3 credit hours)
• PAD 6035 Public Administration in the Policy Process (3 credit hours)
• PAD 6700 Analytic Techniques for Public Administration I (3 credit hours)
• PAD 6701 Analytic Techniques for Public Administration II (3 credit hours)
• PAD 6037 Public Organization Management (3 credit hours)
• PAD 6207 Public Financial Management (3 credit hours)
• PAD 6227 Public Budgeting (3 credit hours)
• PAD 6417 Human Resource Management (3 credit hours)
• PAD 6335 Strategic Planning and Management (3 credit hours)

Advanced Curriculum—12 Credit Hours

An advanced curriculum of at least four courses that concentrate on a specific area germane to the practice of public administration may be taken within the Department of Public Administration or from other departments. Those elective courses offered within the department will provide an emphasis on state and local government; however, other emphases may be developed in consultation with the adviser. (Those students without practical administrative experience in the public sector are strongly advised to complete an internship (3 credit hours) as part of the advanced curriculum. A research report option (3 credit hours) is available for students wishing to complete a more substantial research project than might be accommodated in the other courses). The MPA program of study does not accept 4000-level courses.

Capstone Experience—3 Credit Hours

Students will engage in a capstone experience intended to bring together the various areas of knowledge and skills covered in the MPA program. Students will complete this requirement through enrollment in PAD 6062 Advanced Concepts and Applications in Public Administration.

Exit Requirements

General requirements state a minimum of a 3.0 GPA is required to maintain graduate student status and for graduation. MPA requirements state a student must achieve a grade of “B" (3.0) or better in every course listed under minimum core requirements including the Capstone Experience. (Please note that a "B-" is lower than a "B"). Exit requirements for the MPA program state students must achieve a GPA of 3.0 in all courses listed under requirements. Students who earn two “Cs” will be warned and students who earn a third “C” may be dismissed from further study in the major. See Policies Chapter, Academic Progress .

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

• If you are interested in financial assistance, you are strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
• You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
• If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
• UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. University graduate fellowships are awarded based on academic merit and therefore are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
• Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application). For university fellowship applications, see Financing Grad School.
• For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program director of your major.

Contact Info

Ronnie Korosec, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-2604
rkorosec@mail.ucf.edu