Master of Public Administration: Graduation Requirements

Master of Public Administration, Graduate School of College of Charleston

In order to complete the MPA degree, students must meet the following requirements:

A minimum of 39 semester hours, including:

21 hours of core courses
15 hours of electives (18 hours if the internship requirement is waived for previous experience), and;
A three to six hour variable credit internship. Internships are graded on a satisfactory/ unsatisfactory basis.
A minimum Grade Point Average of 3.0.

Core Courses (3 credit hours each)

Perspectives on Public Administration studies the practice of public administration in the United States in the 21st Century. This course also examines the historical development of the field of public administration and current approaches to the study and practice of public administration.
Public Personnel Administration examines the organization, techniques and theories of personnel management, interpersonal relations in organizations; personnel change and development; changing conditions in the public service-educational specializations, unions, collective bargaining and ethics.
Research and Quantitative Methods for Public Administration examines the various aspests of locating, collecting and processing primary and secondary data utilized by public administrators and policy analysts. It includes design of original surveys, library and archive searches, problems of storage and retrieval and statistical description.
Financial Administration examines the organization and techniques of governmental financial management, budgetary theories and intergovernmental financial relations.
Public Policy examines the activities of individuals, groups, and institutions that define or ignore public problems, participate or fail to participate in political struggles over these problems, and confront or avoid opportunities to develop and implement solutions. The implications of these complexities for public employees and public managment are emphasized.
Administrative Ethics and Accountability is a critical examination of legal, politcal, professional and organizational accountability demands made on administrators and thier relationship to ethical decision making and ethical integrity.
Capstone Seminar is designed to be a culminating experience that helps the student integrate knowledge and skills acquired throughout the program. Students engage in applied reserach. Prerequisite: Completion of all MPA core courses and at least 30 semester hours or permission of instructor or MPA director.

Internship

The Internship requirement is an integral part of the MPA student's preparation for employment in the public or nonprofit sector. The internship is a supervised, field experience in which you will observe and participate in the functioning of a public sector organization in a government or not-for-profit organization.
Given its importance, the student should begin examining internship opportunities in the initial advisement session. To ensure the optimal amount of choice in an internship placement, the student should explore as many avenues as possible.
Both the MPA Director and the Internship Coordinator will periodically evaluate the student's performance, including visiting the placement site and interviewing the internship supervisor. Students who are in-service or have significant previous work experience may be granted an internship waiver. In doing so the student is required to take an additional elective course.

Electives

In addition to core courses, students in the M.P.A. program are expected to take 15 hours of additional elective courses. Electives may be taken from courses available within the public administration program or selected from appropriate graduate course listings offered by other graduate programs at the Graduate School of the College of Charleston, The Citadel, or the Medical University of South Carolina.

Additional Graduation Requirements

Candidates for a MPA graduate degree must submit an Application for Graduation to the Graduate School Office byt he dtaes indicated on the academic calendar. If a candidate fails to complete his or her degree requirements, the graduation application must be cancelled at least two weeks before the end of the semester. The application must be resubmitted in the semester the requirements are completed.
Students must also pay a graduation fee at the time of submission or resubmission of the application. Fees may be paid at the Graduate School Office or the Treasurer's Office. No bill will be sent.
Students must be enrolled in courses or in one-hour of continuous enrollement (PUBA 900) in the semester in which they intend to graduate.
MPA students are also required to file an Application for Graduation with USC. The deadlines for submittal may be different from those of the CofC Graduate Office, so it is vital that candidates check with the MPA Office at the beginning of the semester in which they intend to graduate for all the necessary details.