Master of Public Administration
This program is available on the Aurora campus and the Woodstock Center location.
This program is offered in an Evening, Online and a Full-Time Plus-One format.
Program Description
The Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree is the professional degree for students seeking a career in the public sector or nonprofit management. The MPA program develops the skills and techniques used by managers to implement policies, projects, and programs that resolve important problems within their organization and in society.
Sound leadership and management are vital to organizational and governmental effectiveness. The Aurora University MPA program prepares graduates for senior-level positions in an organization that implements and manages public sector policies. The MPA is divided into two parts, the MPA core and MPA electives. Upon completion of the MPA, graduates will gain a comprehensive understanding of how leadership, management, policy, and politics intersect along with the tools to enhance communication, collaboration, and ethical, data-driven decision-making.
Graduates with an MPA serve in various roles, including local, state, and national government, nonprofit management, and industry.
MPA Plus One Program
In addition to the online MPA program, AU offers a select MPA Plus One program designed for early career professionals. The MPA Plus One program is a full-time, day cohort version for completing the MPA program, generally intended for students who have completed their bachelor’s degree within 24 months preceding the start of the cohort. Since the MPA Plus One program is designed for early career professionals with typically fewer years of public sector experience, the cohort emphasizes not only MPA content found in the regular MPA program but development of professional skills and dispositions through a required internship experience.
The MPA Plus One program and registration for its courses are limited to students admitted to the MPA Plus One program. As a cohort, all MPA Plus One students are required to take the following prescribed MPA curriculum. Students seeking to fulfill the MPA degree requirements through other courses than those prescribed by the MPA Plus One will be required to receive special dispensation from the Program Director or withdraw from the cohort and finish the MPA through other MPA degree delivery modalities.
Admission Requirements
The general admission requirements can be found in the “Graduate Admission Requirements” section. Requirements for admission include:
- Completed Graduate Application for Admission (aurora.edu/auapply)
- Submit transcripts (official, sealed in envelope) for all prior college and/or university credit. Aurora University accepts official electronic transcripts at AUetranscripts@aurora.edu
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a grade point average of 3.0 or greater (on a 4.0 scale). Students with a GPA of less than 3.0 will be considered on a case-by-case basis
- A professional resume
- Applicants may be required to complete an interview the program director and provide letters of recommendation
MPA Program Detail
Aurora University’s MPA program accepts students from all academic backgrounds and an undergraduate degree in public administration is not required. There are no prerequisite courses required for admission to the MPA program. In the interest of ensuring student success, the program director may require limited foundational coursework for students whose academic and/or experiential backgrounds suggest they would benefit from such preparation. Decisions about required foundational courses are made collaboratively with students and are based on a review of academic transcripts, professional experience, and the results of a personal interview.
The Master of Public Administration is offered in the regular (Evening or Online) and a Full-Time Plus-One format. The program requirements for each are listed below.
Program Requirements - MPA
The MPA degree requires 36 semester hours: 21 semester hours of required core courses plus 15 semester hours from electives, concentrations, and/or special topics courses.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Required Core Courses | ||
MBA-6130 | Economics | 3 |
MPA-6110 | Administration of Public Institutions | 3 |
MPA-6120 | Public Policy and Analysis | 3 |
MPA-6130 | Government and Community Relations | 3 |
MPA-6140 | Public Finance and Budgeting | 3 |
MPA-6170 | Applied Research, Insights, and Evaluation | 3 |
MPA-6200 | Advanced Seminar in Applied Public Administration | 3 |
Selected Courses | ||
Select 15 semester hours of approved elective coursework of the following: 1,2 | 15 | |
Nonprofit Management and Leadership | ||
Grant Writing, Philanthropy, and Advancement | ||
Public Safety Administration | ||
Public Sector Law and Civil Liability | ||
Principles of Community and Economic Development | ||
Selected Topics in Public Administration | ||
MPA Internship | ||
Total Credits | 36 |
- 1
MPA students may also select up to two non-MPA classes in ACC, MBA, or MKT graduate programs to the MBA elective requirements (maximum total of six non-MBA elective semester hours).
- 2
Since MBA-6130 Economics is part of the MPA core course requirements, it does not count toward MPA elective courses.
Program Requirements - MPA Plus One
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Required Courses | ||
MBA-6130 | Economics | 3 |
MBA-6310 | Design Thinking | 3 |
MPA-6110 | Administration of Public Institutions | 3 |
MPA-6120 | Public Policy and Analysis | 3 |
MPA-6130 | Government and Community Relations | 3 |
MPA-6140 | Public Finance and Budgeting | 3 |
MPA-6170 | Applied Research, Insights, and Evaluation | 3 |
MPA-6200 | Advanced Seminar in Applied Public Administration | 3 |
MPA-6350 | Nonprofit Management and Leadership | 3 |
MPA-6450 | Public Safety Administration | 3 |
MPA-6940 | MPA Internship | 6 |
Total Credits | 36 |
Graduate Degree Requirements
- When a student's academic performance does not meet minimum standards, the instructor should send an academic alert to the student.
- A student is placed on academic warning at the end of any semester when their cumulative or semester program/major GPA is less than 3.0.
- A student, placed on academic warning for a second time (not necessarily consecutive semesters) will be academically dismissed, for poor scholarship.
- A student, will be academically dismissed if their Term GPA is 0.00 in any given semester.
- A graduate student, who is dimissed from Aurora University for poor scholarship may apply for readmission after one full semester away (Spring, Summer, or Fall).
- To be considered for readmission, a new application for admission and a petition for readmission are both required to be filed no less than 30 days prior to the requested semester of return, with the Office of Admissions.
- The petition will be reviewed by an academic program committee, comprised of the academic program director/chair and two faculty designated by the Jurisdictional Academic Dean, to make a determination based on the academic standards of the program. The academic program committee may require an in person meeting with the student as deemed necessary.
- Should readmission be granted, the student will be readmitted on Academic Warning. Should the cumulative program GPA fall below 3.0 in a subsequent semester, the student will be dismissed from the university.
- A student who had already had their petition for readmission denied by the academic program may appeal the decision to the Jurisdictional Academic Dean over the program. The step must be completed in the form of a written request to the Academic Dean within one calendar week after the student has been informed of the program committee decision. The Academic Dean will appoint two faculty members to serve on an ad hoc committee working to review the student's appeal. The ad hoc appeal committee will review all relevant materials and meet with the student and others, as deemed necessary. The decision of this ad hoc appeal committee is final. The ad hoc appeal committee will then report back to the program and the University Registrar regarding the final decision and its reasoning.
Attendance Policy
Attendance is required for all class sections. If a student is to be absent for any reason, they must discuss the expected absence with the course instructor before it occurs.
Academic Standards and Evaluation
Grades will be assigned to each student at the conclusion of each course according to the procedures outlined in the section “Graduate Grading System.”
At the graduate-level, a “C” grade indicates less than complete mastery of the content of a course. Only two grades of “C” are accepted at the graduate-level in the MPA program. If a “C” is received within the first three courses, the student may be removed from the program by action of the Program Director.
Residency Requirement
A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit must be earned at Aurora University in order to receive the MPA degree. A maximum of six (6) semester hours of graduate credit may be transferred from an accredited college or university and applied to the requirements of this degree. Any coursework substituted for transfer must be approved by the Program Director. See the section “Transfer of Credit” for the conditions governing the transfer of credits.
Learning Outcomes
-
Students will experience professional development and demonstrate personal progress in professional comportment. This means their work will look as much as realistically possible like a professional MPA’s work.
-
Students will gain professional experience working on real-world problems in order to build skills and competency for working in the public sphere.