Mar 28, 2024  
2009-2010 Academic Catalog 
    
2009-2010 Academic Catalog [Published Catalog]

Public Policy and Administration (MPPA)


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The objective of the MPPA program is to equip future leaders with the conceptual framework and the specific skills needed to be effective and innovative policy makers and administrators in various spheres of governance within governmental, regional, international and multinational institutions through structural course work, internship and research addressing public policy and administration issues in the region.

Admission

All applicants must satisfy the university’s graduate admission requirements and have two or more years of relevant professional experience.

Courses


Students seeking the degree of Master of Public Policy and Administration must complete 33 credit hours plus a thesis. The program core consists of 6 courses.

Note


Students concentrating in public and non-profit management are encouraged to take PPAD 504, 505, and/or 514, while students concentrating in designing and managing policy reform are encouraged to take OPMG 507 and POLS 556.  Students with a very limited background in public administration/policy are encouraged to take PPAD 506. 

Concentration Requirement (15 credit hours):


Students must complete 5 courses in one of the following two areas:

Note


Students pursuing either concentration may, with departmental approval, take courses from the Economics, Political Science, Soc/Anth, Law, or Management programs (including other PPAD courses) in substitution for up to six (6) credits of the concentration courses listed above in order to meet their professional aims. 

Practicum (PPAD 590): 3 credits


Students are strongly encouraged to undertake a practicum, ideally in conjunction with their thesis work.  The practicum consists of a 200-hour professional work assignment with an approved host organization involved in public administration and/or public policy, completed over a period of 4-6 weeks (for full-time students) or up to 14 weeks (for part-time students).  The Department will assist students in identifying appropriate hosts and in negotiating a scope of work with the host organization for their practicum.  The Department and host institutions will be jointly responsible for supervising and evaluating student practicum work.  A research paper is required as part of the practicum assignment.  The paper will address a policy topic closely related to the student’s practicum work and is expected to follow sound research methods, drawing on the support that will be provided through the policy research seminar (PPAD 591)

Policy research seminar (PPAD 591): 3 credits


Students engaged in a practicum and/or preparing the thesis are strongly encouraged, but not required, to enroll in the policy research seminar.  The policy research seminar provides a forum for students to participate in and critique the work of other PPAD students, as well as presenting their own work.  The course does not have assigned readings, but students will be required to read and comment on the work of other students, both orally and in writing, and to prepare short research papers throughout the course, as well as a research paper related to their thesis topic or practicum.

Thesis


Students are required to write a thesis on some aspect of public policy or administration.  The thesis cannot be submitted for examination until the student has made a presentation of a major part of it at a departmental seminar.  Students preparing the thesis enroll in PPAD 599 (Research Guidance and Thesis), a non-credit course.

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