The Master of Public Administration (MPA) integrates research, teaching, and service in a manner that enhances leadership skills, administrative capabilities, management practices, and an understanding of environmental constraints on policy. Program content emphasizes the administration of local, regional, and state government agencies; health care organizations; and other public and nonprofit agencies.
Program Benefits:
The WMU MPA program develops knowledge and skills that are essential for the management of organizations. The core courses develop an understanding of organizations and strategies for producing organizational change; methods for analyzing issues confronting agencies; the collection, analysis and interpretations of information; and trends in administration. The introduction of political and economic perspectives encourages the analysis of issues from multiple perspectives and the development of novel solutions. In addition, this program has the following benefits:
- Facilitates a deeper understanding of policy and administrative processes.
- Emphasizes constraints and opportunities generated by political, cultural, historical, and economic environments.
- Graduates engage in public sector services that are essential to the functioning of society.
- The public, nonprofit, and health care sectors provide unparalleled opportunities for new ideas and innovation.
- There will be more job opportunities in the public sector than the private sector.
- Opportunities for promotion will be greater in the future than has been the case in the past.
Admission requirements and procedures: open close
Admission decisions are based on the applicant's undergraduate grade point average, work experience, letters of recommendation, and career goals. These criteria provide an opportunity to admit students who, for various reasons, did not earn a high undergraduate GPA, but have proven themselves through a strong record of performance and advancement in their jobs. Although the policy generates high ratios of admissions to applicants, the MPA program incorporates a rigorous set of standards and expectations that demands a high level of performance to complete the degree requirements.
All of the elements must be submitted by the following deadlines. Applicants will receive notification of the MPA Admissions Committee's decision within the time frames listed below.
Fall Semester:
Deadline: June 1
Notification of Admission Decision: Early July
Spring Semester:
Deadline: October 1
Notification of Admission Decision: Early November
Fall Semester:
Deadline: February 1
Notification of Admission Decision: Early March
The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program curriculum consists of an 18 credit hour core and a 18 credit hour concentration and a 3 credit hour capstone project. Pre-career students also complete a three credit hour internship.
The core program addresses the body of knowledge and skills that is common to the administration of health care, nonprofit, and public entities.
The 18 credit hour concentration provides an opportunity for MPA students to tailor the program to their specific needs and interests. MPA students select an area of concentration from six options that include health care administration, human resources administration, nonprofit leadership and administration, and public management. The subcategories for the public management concentration are local government administration and state agency administration. Each of the concentrations includes a course in each of the following areas: law, budgeting, human resources administration, and the capstone project. The remaining credit hours are selected from a list of electives and/or courses that are approved by the student's advisor.
- Exposes them to the world of professional administration and the organizational environment in which the dynamics of an agency are developed;
- Acquaints them with the values and attitudes of administrators;
- Provides an opportunity to work on agency projects under the joint supervision of an academic and agency representative;
- Strengthens their resume, and;
- Assists in developing a network.
