Department of Political Science
MPA Program Curriculum

Students enrolling beginning in Fall 2023

As of Fall 2023, the Master of Public Administration program consists of two tracks, one for pre-service students looking to move into public administration careers (36 credit hours) and the other for in-service students (33 credit hours) who already have two or more years of relevant work experience and successful completion of the MPA ePortfolio in a non-thesis degree program.

As a part of the new curriculum, students are also required to complete 18 hours of electives in an area of specialization either through one of the graduate certificates offered by the MPA program or a set of electives that align with the other two specializations and are approved by the MPA Director.

The Auburn MPA Program has six specializations. Four are offered as Graduate Certificates. 1) Election Administration; 2) Nonprofit Organizations and Community Governance; 3) Economic Development; and 4) Global Public Service. The two specializations are: 1) Applied Research; and 2) State and Local Government.

Pre-Service Students (Track 1)

Core Courses (18 credit hours)

• POLI 6150 Intergovernmental Relations and Federalism (3)
• POLI 7000 Research Methods for Public and Nonprofit Organizations (3)
• POLI 7350 Foundations of Public Administration and Public Service (3)
• POLI 7360 Foundations of Public Policy (3)
• POLI 7520 Program Evaluation (3)
• POLI 7920 MPA Internship (3)
• POLI 7AA0 MPA ePortfolio
• MPA electives (18 hours)

Total Hours: 36

In-Service Students (Track 2)

Core Courses (15 credit hours)

• POLI 6150 Intergovernmental Relations and Federalism (3)
• POLI 7000 Research Methods for Public and Nonprofit Organizations (3)
• POLI 7350 Foundations of Public Administration and Public Service (3)
• POLI 7360 Foundations of Public Policy (3)
• POLI 7520 Program Evaluation (3)
• POLI 7AA0 MPA ePortfolio
• MPA electives (18 hours)

Total Hours: 33

For students enrolling prior to Fall 2023

Coursework in the MPA program consists of 42 graduate hours and successful completion of the MPA ePortfolio in a non-thesis degree program:

Core Courses (24 credit hours)

• POLI 7000 Research Methods for Public and Nonprofit Organizations (3)
• POLI 7140 Financial Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations (3)
• POLI 7150 Public Personnel Administration (3)
• POLI 7330 Administrative Leadership & Democratic Governance (3)
• POLI 7350 Foundations of Public Administration and Public Service (3)
• POLI 7360 Foundations of Public Policy (3)
• POLI 7920 MPA Internship (3)
• POLI 7930 MPA Research Project (3)
• MPA electives (18 hours)

Internships

Internships are taken by students without direct public sector experience; students with direct public sector experience normally complete an approved research project although they may choose an internship with the approval of the MPA Director. It is expected that students complete the internship requirement prior to the research project. Artifacts of student work in the ePortfolio must include and substantially consider work in and reflections from both of these courses. See Internships and Research Project for more details.

Electives (18 credit hours)

18 credit hours supporting the generalist curriculum as approved by the MPA Director. Certificate and specialization options include:

• Election Administration (Graduate Certificate available)
• Nonprofit Organizations and Community Governance (Graduate Certificate available)
• Community Planning (Graduate minor or Dual degree available)
• Economic Development (Graduate Certificate available)
• Applied Research
• State and Local Government

ePortfolio (required)

The MPA ePortfolio is a comprehensive demonstration of knowledge and skills reflected in the MPA Core Competencies. See MPA ePortfolio for more details.

Schedule of Core Courses

Under normal circumstances the core courses are offered on a fixed schedule (shown below) each year in order to facilitate student planning. The courses are offered in the late afternoon or evening one day per week in a two-and-a-half hour seminar. While the faculty try to maintain this schedule, modifications are sometimes necessary. The MPA Director will publicize any changes as far in advance as possible.
 

* POLI 7AA0 must be completed after POLI 7920 and during the semester of program completion.
** POLI 7350 and POLI 7360 are required to be completed during the first year of the MPA program.
 

Visit the Auburn University Graduate School website for more information on curriculum guidelines.