MPA Curriculum Requirements
The course requirements for the Master of Public Administration degree are classified into five categories: 1) integrative seminars at the beginning and end of the program, 2) foundation courses which are required before advanced and more specialized courses, 3) advanced required courses, 4) specialized and elective courses from Public Administration and other fields, and 5) a Public Administration internship. The MPA degree requires completion of 45 semester credit hours (39 credit hours for professional category students where the internship is waived). MPA courses are designed to be taken in the following sequence.
Integrative Seminar (3 Hours)
PA 600 Scope and Practice (3) Orientation to professional skills and the field of public administration.
Foundation Courses (12 Hours)
PA 610 Public Management Theory and Practice (3)
PA 620 Public Financial Management (3)
PA 630 Research Methods(3)
PA 640 Legal and Political Foundations (3)
Advanced Required Courses (9 Hours)
PA 720 Public Budgeting (3)
PA 730 Applied Research in Public Administration (3) or a three-credit research methods course outside of the Division as approved by your advisor.
PA 741 Human Resource Systems (3)
Elective Courses (12 Hours)
General Public Administration Elective Courses
PA 611 Public Planning (3)
PA 631 Information Management in Public Admin. (3)
PA 645 Public Administration and Policy Development (3)
PA 710 Administrative Behavior in Pub. Organizations (3)
PA 712 Administrative Ethics and Justice (3)
PA 743 Conflict Management (3)
PA 791 Advanced Study: (various topics) (1-6)
PA 794 Special Seminars: (various topics) (1)
PA 795 Independent Study (1-6)
Specialization and Joint Degree Elective Courses
* Healthcare Administration specialization courses
* Joint Degree courses in Social Work or Law
* Cultural Resource Management specialization courses
* Concentrations using electives from Public Administration and other fields (developed with advisor)
Internship (6 Hours)
PA 751 Public Administration Internship (6)
Integrative Seminar
PA 700 Capstone Seminar (3) Links MPA academic preparation to professional career through analysis.
TOTAL HOURS REQUIRED FOR MPA DEGREE = 45 Credit Hours
The Master of Public Administration program at West Virginia University is fully accredited by the Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration.
