MPA Concentration – for students admitted in Fall 2008
The work that people do in the public service is vast. To meet this need, the MPA program offers three areas of concentration so students can tailor their learning to meet their particular requirements. The concentrations offered by the program are:
Public and Non-profit Administration
Students in this concentration will prepare for, or advance in, careers as administrators in public or nonprofit organizations. Coursework covers the critical elements of administration—budgeting, strategic planning, human resources and information systems, public law, leadership and ethics, multicultural competencies, and more—as well as the unique nature and needs of nonprofit and government organizations.
| Degree Requirements for Public and Non-profit Administration Concentration | |
|---|---|
| 1st and 2nd Year Core* | 26 credits |
| Electives | 30 credits |
| Capstone | 4 credits |
| Total Credits | 60 credits |
Public Policy
Students in this concentration will prepare for, or advance in, positions as policy analysts, budget analysts, or evaluators. Students in this concentration will complete 2 Public Policy Concentration courses (Foundations of Public Policy and Advanced Research Methods), plus one or more elective courses in specific policy areas. Elective courses will be offered in areas such as health policy, poverty policy, education policy, environmental policy, energy policy, and possibly others. Students with an interest in other policy areas may study them through individual learning contracts with MPA faculty.
| Degree Requirements for Public Policy Concentration | |
|---|---|
| 1st and 2nd Year Core* | 26 credits |
| Foundations of Public Policy | 4 credits |
| Advanced Research Methods | 4 credits |
| Electives | 22 credits |
| Capstone | 4 credits |
| Total Credits | 60 credits |
Tribal Governance
The goal of this concentration is to develop administrators who can assist both tribal governments and the public agencies with which the tribes interact. Students go through the entire program as a cohort and finish in two years. Students take a Core course and a Concentration course each quarter. Courses are taught in an intensive format, meeting 4 weekend sessions each quarter (2 sessions for the Core course and 2 sessions for the Concentration course). Each session is 20 hours long and meets Friday afternoons and all day on Saturday and Sunday. Students complete a series of five 4-credit courses focusing on issues of critical importance to tribes. Other MPA students can enroll in these Tribal Concentration courses as electives on a space-available basis.
| Degree Requirements for Tribal Governance Concentration | |
|---|---|
| 1st and 2nd Year Core* | 26 credits |
| Tribal Concentrations | 20 credits |
| Electives | 10 credits |
| Capstone | 4 credits |
| Total Credits | 60 credits |
*Pre-requisite Note: Before students are allowed to register for first year core courses, they must complete an MPA-approved 4 credit “Introduction to Statistics” course. The student must earn a minimum grade of “C,” and credit must have been earned within the previous five years.