Master of Public Administration Degree Requirements
The 36 credit hour MPA program is a fully online professional degree suitable to all students interested in pursuing a career in management within the public and nonprofit sectors.
The core MPA requirements are shown below. See all of the emphases requirements in the General Catalog.
Some courses require instructor approval. In such cases, you will need to complete an add course request to register for these courses.
Core Requirements - Complete All Seven Courses
| Course Number | Course Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PADM 6000 | Program Overview and Theory of Public Administration | 3 |
| PADM 6200 | Public Sector Economics | 3 |
| PADM 6300 | Administrative Law | 3 |
| PADM 6440 | Research Methods for Public Administration | 3 |
| PADM 6450 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
| PADM 6500 | Public Human Resource Mgmt | 3 |
| PADM 6620 | Critical Thinking and Ethics in the Public Sector | 3 |
| PADM 6990 | Capstone in Public Administration | 3 |
Experiential Learning
Our MPA program is committed to developing students’ leadership and administration skills within a hands-on, experiential learning environment. Many courses will include projects that involve working with community partners or working through case studies to develop students’ decision making skills. Experiential Learning is integrated into the curriculum in three ways:
MPA Capstone (PADM 6990)
Our primary experiential learning focus is our MPA Capstone course. The Capstone is taken at the end of a students’ coursework and involves a team based project in their area of interest that is conducted with community partners. This builds students’ professional experience and networking abilities while fulfilling our civic responsibility to serve our communities.
Examples of MPA Capstone projects include:
- Creating a Police Department Personnel Manual
- Creating a local town’s Economic Development Plan
- Conducting a citizen survey to get feedback and insights for a community
- Creating a Parks Master Plan
- Helping with a Higher Education Accreditation Review project
- Creating a Roads Master Plan
MPA Internship (PADM 6890)
Students who do not have one year of professional experience in a public or nonprofit sector organization are considered pre-service and must complete an Internship. These students are encouraged to seek out contacts and organizations they are interested in working for in the future, and will work with the organization and the MPA Director to secure an internship experience for 3 credit hours.
Internship Waiver
Students who have more than one year of professional experience in the public or nonprofit sector by the time they graduate from the program can apply to receive an internship waiver. This means that students will have an additional 3 hour elective of their choice to complete in reaching the 36 hours to graduate. Students seeking a waiver should provide a current resume that outlines their work experience, and contact their MPA Advisor for assistance. (Kassie Dunnell for last name initials A-L; Lorien Colbert for last name initials M-Z).
Sample internship placements in which our MPA students have participated include:
- Lt. Governor’s Staff Office
- Campus & Community Outreach
- Honors Aid and Advising
- Budget and Finance in International Affairs
- Zion National Park
- American Language and Culture Center (ALCC)
- Office of Enrollment Management
- Iron County Water District
- Non-traditional Students Office
- Washington City
- SUU Title IX Office
- Student Affairs, Completion and Student Success
Elective Courses
In addition to the required core and experiential learning courses, students have a variety of electives from which to choose each semester, including summer. Students will take 3-4 electives to complete the MPA degree, depending on the student's internship requirement. Read more about our Concentration Options to see how you can tailor your electives in a particular area of emphasis. Explore the catalog for more information about specific classes.