Nov 21, 2024

Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2013-2014

Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2013-2014 [ARCHIVED CATALOG] See drop-down menu above to access other catalogs.

Public Administration, Sustainable Community Development Concentration, MPA

Department: Political Science

The purpose of the sustainable community development concentration is to develop leadership and administrative skills in integrating sustainable economic development, environmental protection and social well-being at local, regional, national and international levels of governance.

Admission Requirements

Detailed information about admission is provided in the “Admission-Graduate ” section of the catalog.

A bachelor’s degree from a four-year accredited college or university; if the degree has not yet been awarded at the time of application, the successful applicant must be nearing completion of the bachelor’s degree
A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75, an acceptable GRE score and an interview with the MPA program faculty. To receive a clear admit status, MPA applicants must have a composite score of 290 or greater on the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE General Test if taken on or after August 1, 2011 or a composite score of 900 on the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE General Test if taken before August 1, 2011. To receive a conditional acceptance, MPA applicants must have a composite score of 700-899 on the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE General Test if taken before August 1, 2011 or a comparable composite score on the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE General Test if taken on or after August 1, 2011.
A résumé
Three letters of recommendation should come from professors or practitioners familiar with the student’s academic ability. Students failing to meet the standard graduate admissions criteria may also be considered on a conditional basis of acceptance
Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work

The MPA graduate coordinator may waive the GRE requirement for qualified political science majors in their senior year who meet the following criteria:

graduation at the end of the term from BSU or another college or university that has an articulation agreement with the BSU Political Science Department;
a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher and a GPA in the Political Science major of 3.50 or higher; and
successful completion of POLI 279 - Introduction to Public Administration (or equivalent) with a grade of “B” or higher.

Students who are admitted to the MPA program on a conditional basis will work with the Writing Fellows Program until writing proficiency is demonstrated to the satisfaction of the graduate program coordinator. Students with a score of less than 450 on the quantitative portion of the GREs will successfully complete the quantitative skills module before enrolling in either POLI 521 (Public Finance) or POLI 510 (Introduction to Research Methods). With consent of instructor and graduate coordinator, students may take the quantitative skills module in the same term as POLI 521.

Contact the College of Graduate Studies to receive application materials.

Orientation Program

All MPA students must attend a department sponsored orientation program before the first fall term they enroll in classes as a matriculated student.

Grade Requirement

Students in the MPA program must maintain a 3.0 GPA. Students in the MPA program may not repeat courses which they have already completed, regardless of the grade they have earned for that course. Students who successfully graduate in the program may earn no more than one grade for a course that is less than a “B-“ — that is, a “C” or better. Students who earn more than one grade lower than a “B-” will be subject to separation from the program.

MPA Core Courses

Both precareer and in-career students must complete a 24-hour MPA core curriculum component of the degree program. These courses are:

Additional Concentration Requirements

Electives

As part of the nine credits required in electives, each student must take three one-credit professional development modules (POLI 506 Public Administration Module). At least two of the three modules must address elements of information management, technology applications and policy.

The remaining six credits in electives must be selected from the courses listed below:

Total minimum credits (in-career): 39

Internship

Students with a bachelor’s degree and no professional work experience must complete a six-credit internship in addition to the requirements above.

Note(s):

Internship (POLI 598 ), directed study or research (POLI 503 and POLI 502 ), and special topics (POLI 592 ) in political science credits may be applied to the elective courses and other concentration requirements only if they are related to the student’s concentration. This determination is made by the MPA coordinator.

Total minimum credits (precareer): 45

Exit Requirement

The MPA program offers some degree of flexibility for exit from this program. All students are required to fulfill an exit requirement, which in most cases will require passing a written comprehensive examination. This one-day examination allows program faculty to test students’ mastery of fundamental principles and issues covered in the core curriculum. To sit for the examination, students must have completed at least 30 hours of the degree program, including all core courses except POLI 591 - Capstone Seminar in Public Administration , which may be taken in the same semester as the examination. Students will have two opportunities to pass the examination.

In appropriate circumstances, such as a student interested in pursuing further graduate work at the doctoral level, a master’s thesis may be substituted for the comprehensive examination. Students approved for this option must complete the 39- to 45-credit program, depending on their program admission category. The master’s thesis will carry an additional six hours of graduate credit. Credit for a public service internship is granted under this option if the student completes both an internship and a thesis plus 39 hours of course work for a total of 51 hours of credit. The thesis option is especially appropriate for students wishing to pursue a doctorate after completing the MPA, but is open to all students who meet the criteria established by the department. Departmental standards require the student to work closely with his/her adviser and to phase the work so that the project proposal is carefully designed and approved before the student advances to the next stage.