Shippensburg University

Program Information

Degree Offered

M.P.A.

Format: Campus

Program Description:

Well-trained public administrators are needed today at all levels of government. Fiscal constraints and public demands for responsive government make effective management a necessity. MPA graduates hold policy-making positions with the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the national and state government. Graduates of the Shippensburg University program also use their managerial skills working for local government, not-for-profit agencies, and in the private sector.

To earn an MPA, students must complete eighteen (18) credits of core courses. Students must complete twelve (12) additional credits of public administration electives. Students planning to pursue an additional graduate degree may opt to complete a master’s thesis for six (6) credits.
Courses
Required Core (18 credits)
PLS 501 Organization Theory and Behavior
PLS 502 Human Resources Management
PLS 503 Foundations of Public Budgeting and Finance
PLS 601 Research Methods
PLS 603 Public Policy Analysis
PLS 605 Applied Management Techniques in Public Administration
Electives (12 credits)
PLS 431 Pennsylvania Local Government
PLS 491 Selected Topics
PLS 504 Ethics for Public Service Managers
PLS 511 State Government
PLS 512 Intergovernmental Relations and Programs
PLS 521 Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations in the Public Sector
PLS 551 Planning and Public Policy
PLS 561 Administrative Law
PLS 591 Selected Topics
Students may take one 3-credit course from another department for elective credit.
Internship or Thesis (6 credits)
PLS 611 Internship I
PLS 612 Internship II
PLS 621 Thesis I
PLS 622 Thesis II

Throughout the program, graduate students work with faculty members on applied research projects, primarily focusing on state and local government and the implementation of public policy.

Accreditation:

Shippensburg University is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, AACSB International, ABET Inc., American Chemical Society, Council on Social Work Education, Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, International Association of Counseling Services, Council for Exceptional Children and by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teachers.

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible for admission to the master’s program, a student must: have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; present an official transcript showing at least a 2.75 cumulative grade point average for his or her undergraduate studies; applicants with an undergraduate GPA of less than a 2.75 must take either the GRE General Test or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) and achieve scores equivalent to or exceeding the mean; and have taken at least six (6) semester credits in political science or public administration at the undergraduate level; applicants who have not completed the required course work may be admitted on a conditional basis.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Financial Aid Offered: No

Classification: Master's Colleges & Universities I

Institution Sector: Public

Locale: Distant Town

Size & Settings: 5,000 - 9,999