Public Administration, M.P.A.

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the Master of Public Administration program are required to submit the following to the Graduate School:

1. An application for graduate admission
2. Official transcripts of all college work (undergraduate and graduate)
3. Official scores on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
4. Three recommendations from individuals who are in a position to evaluate the applicant’s professional competence as well as potential for graduate study (ideally at least one reference should be an academic instructor).
5. A personal statement describing educational and professional experiences, their reasons for pursuing graduate study in public administration, and career goals
6. Resume
7. Optional writing sample
8. Application and supplemental documents must be submitted by the published deadline.

Applicants seeking admission to the program must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, or its equivalent from a foreign institution of higher education based on a four-year program; a strong academic record with an average GPA of 3.0 or better in the undergraduate program; academic potential as indicated by satisfactory performance on the GRE General Test or GMAT. Individuals who fall below a specified criterion may be admitted if other factors indicate potential for success. Individuals with identified deficiencies may be accepted provisionally with specified plans and goals for the remediation of these deficiencies. Such remediation may include a requirement of additional hours beyond those normally required for the degree.

Academic Regulations

In addition to the policies contained in the Code of Student Life, the university catalog, and other university and MPA program publications, students admitted to the MPA program must comply with the following additional policies.

Non-degree Seeking Students

The MPA program allows non-degree seeking students to take a limited number of courses for credit. Non-degree seeking students are limited to taking no more than 9 credit hours before they are required to apply for admission as a degree-seeking student. Additional hours must be approved in advance by the MPA director. Since non-degree seeking students are subject to different admissions requirements, the MPA director may limit the courses that a particular non-degree seeking student is allowed to take. The courses taken may be used to satisfy degree requirements if approved by the MPA director.

Registration

A degree seeking student in the MPA program is limited to registering for, and receiving credit for, a maximum of 12 credit hours in any one semester. A student enrolled in summer classes shall not register for, and will not receive credit for, more than 6 hours in any one session or 9 total hours for all summer sessions. Non-degree seeking students are limited to a maximum of 9 credit hours in a semester and 6 total hours in the summer. Permission of the MPA director is required to exceed these maximum credit hour requirements.

Retention Policy

Two grades of a C or lower, one grade of F, or one grade of U for a thesis results in automatic dismissal from the MPA program. Further, if a student falls below 3.0 GPA at any time, he or she goes on academic probation and has three subsequent courses or nine credit hours to raise their GPA above a 3.0 or they are dismissed from the MPA program. If the student raises their GPA above a 3.0 and it falls below a 3.0 for a second time, they are dismissed from the MPA program. Students must have a GPA above 3.0 to enroll in either PLS 595 , PLS 594 , or PLS 598 .

Minimum Competency Requirement

The core requirements (18 credit hours), internship or practicum (3 credit hours), and applied skill-based electives (3 credit hours) are courses that require a minimum level of competency of a B or better or an S. Any student receiving a B- or lower or a U must repeat the course and receive a grade of B or better. Such courses may only be repeated once and failure to receive a B or better grade or an S (internship) will result in dismissal from the MPA program. Both the initial and repeated grades will count towards determining the GPA but only the initial hours will count toward the degree requirements.

Academic Honor Code

The MPA program is committed to the university‘s honor code. No form of academic dishonesty will be tolerated (see the university catalogs and Code of Student life for examples of dishonesty). Students are encouraged to report occurrences of academic dishonesty to their course instructors or the MPA director. Students found guilty of academic dishonesty may be dismissed from the program by the MPA director regardless of the penalty imposed by the university‘s disciplinary procedures.

Student Conduct

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a professional degree program. All MPA students are expected to act and behave with professionalism both on and off campus. Acceptance of admission to the MPA program shall be construed as evidence that an MPA student agrees to comply with all rules and regulations of the university as stated in the Code of Student Life, the university catalog, and other university and MPA program publications. Students accused of conduct that warrants proceedings by the Dean of Students according to these university policies may be suspended by the MPA director pending the resolution of the administrative proceedings. Students found guilty during these proceedings may also be suspended or dismissed from the MPA program following a disciplinary hearing regardless of the penalty imposed by the Dean of Students.

The MPA Program also strives to develop future professionals who will work in managerial and leadership positions in the public and nonprofit sectors. Therefore, MPA students are expected to act in accordance with the code of ethics developed by the MPA program as well as other applicable codes developed by professional associations in the field of public administration. Moreover, any student accused or found guilty of a crime involving moral turpitude or a crime with the potential to create a danger to the campus community or would create an adverse learning environment or hostile workplace (broadly defined) may be suspended or dismissed by the director of the MPA program following a disciplinary hearing. Students accused or found guilty of unacceptable personal conduct as defined by the North Carolina Department of Administration‘s Disciplinary Action and Dismissal Policy or personal or professional conduct that violates established codes of ethical conduct adopted by the MPA program or professional associations within the field of public administration may be suspended or dismissed by the director of the MPA program following a disciplinary hearing. Disciplinary hearings conducted by the MPA program shall be conducted by the MPA director (or their designee) and 2 other members of the MPA program‘s faculty and students will have an opportunity to present evidence. Failure of the student to attend any disciplinary meetings or hearings or failure of a student to respond to a request for information pertaining to the allegations shall be grounds for suspension or dismissal by the MPA director. If a student is arrested or is accused of behavior subject to this policy, the student is required to notify the MPA director as soon as practicable. Failure to notify the MPA director shall be grounds for suspension or dismissal by the MPA director.

Degree Requirements (42 total hours)