Public Administration M.P.A. (Online)
Dr. Brandy Kennedy, Coordinator
E-mail: govsoc@gcsu.edu
Mission
The MPA program prepares students to ethically and competently serve, manage, and lead in the diverse public sector through teaching, research, and service to the discipline and broader community.
To accomplish our mission, we seek to:
- Prepare students for careers in the public sector
- Promote the diversity of the student body and faculty
- Cultivate faculty committed to teaching, scholarship, and service
The Master of Public Administration program at Georgia College is offered fully online.
Accreditation
The Georgia College MPA program is fully accredited by the Committee on Peer Review and accreditation of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).
Application Requirements
Prospective students seeking admission to the MPA program must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and show promise of high quality work at the graduate level. There is no specific undergraduate course of study for admission. However, students demonstrating marginal achievement may be advised to take preparatory course work. The deadline for submitting applications for the Fall semester is July 1, the deadline for submitting applications for the Spring semester is November 1 and the deadline for Summer semester is April 1.
All application materials must be filed with the Graduate Admissions Office. These materials consist of the following: (1) the application forms; (2) official copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts; (3) official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Applicants need only submit scores from the GRE general test, not from a subject test.
Prospective students seeking additional information on the MPA program may view the handbook online.
Regular Admission Requirements
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale in undergraduate work.
- Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 are not required to submit exam scores.
- Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 2.75-2.99 must submit official scores on either the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), Miller Analogies Test (MAT), or Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) scores. Scores must be for tests within the last five years.
- The applicant must have: GRE: A combined score of 290 (verbal and quantitative) or MAT: 395 or GMAT: 450.
Applicants may make a formal request to waive these requirements only when the applicant has completed another graduate degree program and an appropriate transcript is submitted in support of the request.
NOTE: Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 - If using a paper application, please indicate in the test score area that you are requesting a test waiver based on undergraduate GPA. If applying online, please send an email to grad-admit@gcsu.edu notifying Graduate Admissions that you are requesting a test waiver based on undergraduate GPA.
Provisional Admission Requirements
Provisional admission may be granted to applicants with at least a 2.75 GPA who are scored:
GRE: 280-289 or MAT: 380-394 or GMAT: 400-449
Provisional admission will be considered for applicants who do not meet the academic requirements if strong evidence of ability to perform well in graduate work is provided through reference to work experience or other means.
Provisional status may be granted for a maximum of one academic year. All students admitted under provisional status must maintain a 3.00 or higher GPA during the probationary period. At the completion of the provisional period of time, a decision will be made as to accepting the student as regular admission. To gain regular admission, a provisionally admitted student must take in that status the equivalent of a semester's full load (9-12 hours) of MPA courses and maintain a 3.00 GPA in all graduate coursework.)
Conditional Admission Requirements
Applicants who apply too late for full consideration for admission and/or have not submitted all required documents for evaluation may be assigned conditional admission status. While in this status a student may register for one semester only by completing a GC Conditional Registration Agreement for Graduate Students; this form requires the signatures of both the student and the graduate coordinator. Any student who registers under this agreement must be admitted to either regular or provisional status by the end of the first semester of enrollment to continue taking courses in the degree program. Earning a final course grade of less than B while in conditional status will cause the student to be ineligible for provisional or regular status in the MPA program. Any course taken in conditional status that will be counted in the MPA program must be approved by the MPA coordinator. Students may take no more than 12 semester hours of course work in conditional and provisional status combined.
Applicants should understand that the MPA program does not encourage students to enter under the conditional status. Students are not eligible for financial aid under the conditional admittance status. The GRE/MAT and undergraduate transcripts are indicators of the ability to do graduate work, and it is helpful to both the MPA coordinator and the applicant to know something of that ability before registering for courses.
Transfer Credit
Up to 9 hours of graduate work from other accredited institutions may be transferred toward the MPA program of study. To be transferred, coursework from other institutions must correspond to Georgia College's MPA curriculum. Students will need to provide course descriptions and syllabi whenever possible, and the amount of credit granted will be determined by the program director. Such course work may be no more than five years old.
Academic Dismissal Policy
It is very important for graduate students to be aware of the need and requirements for good academic standing. Grades of "C" are not satisfactory graduate level grades. A grade of "C" earned in a course when the student has conditional or provisional status will cause that student to be dismissed from the MPA program. Students with regular status must have a grade point average of 3.00 to graduate. Earning a "C" drops one below the 3.00 GPA, unless there is an "A" to compensate for the unsatisfactory grade. Two uncompensated "C's" (or a "D" without two compensating "A's") will cause one to be dismissed. Failing a course will also cause one to be dismissed. The academic policy section should be consulted for more detailed information about the academic grade point average and the academic standing policy.
Career Information
Most students in the MPA program are already employed in the public sector and are interested in the MPA program for reasons of career development and mobility. In-service students come from practically every possible public sector setting and every level of government. Pre-service students will have available to them the information and assistance of the GC Career Services Office. Faculty will work with students in exploring career options. Many students have found their classmates to be valuable sources of networking information. Students should understand, however, that the purpose of graduate education in public administration is to prepare one to be a better public manager. No graduate degree is a guarantee of employment.
A brief sampling of the positions now held by graduates of the Georgia College MPA program would include: city manager, county manager, director of social service agency, director of a public works agency, budget officer, personnel officer, grants manager, contracts officer, director of a planning agency, management analyst, county sheriff, city police chief, corrections administrator, health care administrator, and higher education administrator. Most MPA graduates work for governmental agencies. A growing number work with not-for-profit agencies that are neither fully public nor private in nature. Some work in private sector settings, especially for companies that have extensive dealings with the public sector.
Program of Study
Required Courses
Satisfactorily complete the following courses:
Elective Courses
The purpose of elective courses is to allow students the option to specialize in a subject area of choice according to the student's interest and career goals. Students may choose any PUAD 5000-6000 level course and any POLS 5000-6000 level course. Other graduate courses can be considered for elective credit upon approval of the Coordinator.
Capstone project option: Satisfactorily complete 9 semester hours of elective courses.
Thesis option: Satisfactorily complete 6 semester hours of elective courses.
Note: PUAD 6606 and PUAD 6625 can only be counted as elective credit if not taken in the Core Courses area. PUAD 6960 can only be counted as elective credit if not taken as a program completion option.
Capstone Project or Thesis option
Capstone Project
The Capstone Project, PUAD 6700, offers each student the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the theory and practice of public administration by applying the knowledge and skills gained in the MPA program to a project of the student's choice.
Students should work with their advisor or another faculty member in developing a proposal for the Capstone Project course in advance of the semester in which they will enroll. Contact the MPA coordinator or Government and Sociology department office for more information.
Thesis
Students contemplating further graduate work or wanting an in-depth research experience should consider the thesis option. The thesis option entails 6 semester credit hours consisting of two separate courses taken in sequence and followed by a thesis defense.
Students interested in the thesis option should apply to the MPA Coordinator in advance of the semester in which they would like to enroll in the first course in the thesis sequence. For more information, contact the MPA Coordinator or Government and Sociology department office.
Total Credit Hours: 36
Additional Information
Prospective students desiring additional information may contact the Graduate Coordinator for the Master of Public Administration program, Department of Government and Sociology, Georgia College, Campus Box 18, Milledgeville, GA 31061. 478-445-0938.