MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

FACULTY

OBJECTIVES

The Master of Public Administration program provides a quality graduate degree that is affordable, responsive to local workforce needs and is accessible to working part-time commuting students who seek to serve the public through employment in governmental and other non-profit institutions.

The Master of Public Administration(MPA) degree is an interdisciplinary program sponsored by the departments of Political Science, Criminal Justice, Geography and Regional Planning, and Economics and Business Management.

The Westfield State M.P.A. program is informed by one central theme: that government and other public service agencies are central agents for improving the quality of life for people in our community. Our Public Administration program seeks to improve the knowledge and skills of those who design and implement public policies and who do the day-to-day work of public service. Our M.P.A. program advances the mission of Westfield State College to serve the greater commonwealth.

Our program is designed for both "in-service" people who have experience in the public sector and seek professional advancement and for students with primarily and academic background who seek meaningful employment in a government or non-profit agency.

ADMISSIONS

The Graduate Committee will evaluate applications for admission. Each application will include:

1. Official transcripts indicating a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, which includes at least 15 credits of coursework in a field appropriate for the program, such as management, political science, regional planning or criminal justice;
2. A minimum 2.8 GPA overall or minimum 3.0 GPA for the last two years of undergraduate studies;
3. A satisfactory GRE or MAT score;
4. A narrative statement (of approximately 350 words) about your professional goals, academic experience, work experience and other factors that support your application. The graduate committee will also consider, on an individual basis, applicants with significant professional experience or special qualifications who do not meet minimum admission standards

Program Reguirements: 39 credits

The M.P.A. program at Westfield State centers on a fixed set of nine required "core" courses and a 12 credit substantive specialization. Our core is informed by the NASPAA curriculum guidelines described in their "Standards for Professional Masters Degree Programs". As such, our core courses cover the essential areas of knowledge or skill necessary for public sector management. In addition, our core requires each student to take a course in "Ethics and Accountability" and one on "The Regional Economy of New England". We feel these additional core courses add a unique dimension to our M.P.A. program, and one particularly valuable to public sector managers in the greater Western Massachusetts area. Overall, the proposed M.P.A. curriculum requires students to complete 39 credit hours, comparable to other programs nationally and in the state.

Core Courses: 27 Credits

PADM 0600 Foundations Of Public Administration
PADM 0610 Human Resource Management Skills
PADM 0620 The Politics Of Budget-Making
PADM 0630 Public Policy Analysis And Evaluation
PADM 0640 The Regional Economy Of New England
PADM 0650 Research Methods For Public Administration
PADM 0660 Ethics And Accountability
PADM 0550 Quantitative Methods
PADM 0690 Capstone

Specialized Tracks: 12 Credits

Each student will complete a 12 credit specialization in one of the following three areas: (1) Criminal Justice Administration, (2) Community Planning, Development and Management, or (3) Non-Profit Management.

Criminal Justice Administration Track: Twelve credits, selected from the following (or from other CRJU graduate offerings as approved by an assigned advisor).

CRJU 0606 Criminological Theory I
CRJU 0611 Community Based Corrections
CRJU 0612 Corrections Casework Management
CRJU 0617 Policing Policy Developments
CRJU 0618 Corrections Administration
CRJU 0619 Criminal Justice Planning
CRJU 0624 Administrative Theory in Criminal Justice
CRJU 06XX Public Law and the Administration of Criminal Justice Agencies

Community Planning, Development and Management Track: Twelve credits chosen from the following (or from other GARP graduate offerings as approved by an assigned advisor).

GARP 0515 City Planning Theories and Practical Applications
GARP 0525 Legal Issues in Zoning and Planning
GARP 0535 Community Preparedness: Organization and Development of Community Protection Plans
GARP 0544 Advanced Geographical Information Systems
GARP 0599 Independent Study in Regional Planning

Non-Profit Management Track: Twelve credits from the following (or from other MGMT graduate offerings as approved by an assigned advisor).

MGMT 0539 Seminar in Non-Profit Management
MGMT 0620 Operations Management for Non-Profit and Public Organizations
MGMT 0608 Organizational Behavior for Non-Profit and Public Organizations
MGMT 0560 Resource Development for the Non-Profit Sector
MGMT 0570 Non-Profit and Governmental Accounting
MGMT 0599 Independent Study in Non-Profit Management

Because completion of the Capstone Experience validates and demonstrates mastery of curricular objectives, there will be no comprehensive examination requirements for students in the public administration program.

Click here to view course descriptions of required courses.

For more information, please contact Philip Zampini(M.P.A. Program Coordinator), Ph. D. at pzampini@wsc.ma.edu