Master of Public Administration

Admission

Application for admission to the M.P.A. program is made directly to the Graduate School. A completed application consists of the Graduate School application, a two‑page statement of career goals, three letters of recommendation, transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended, and the official score report on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test.

Pre‑career students should request at least two letters of recommendation from previous instructors who can judge their ability to do graduate work.  If pre‑career students have public sector experience, they should request a letter from an employer who can judge their potential as future public administrators.  In‑service students should request at least one letter of recommendation from a previous instructor and remaining letters from public sector employers.

Prerequisites for admission to the program are 9 semester hours in the social sciences, including at least one course in U.S. government, and appropriate undergraduate work in mathematics or statistics. With the approval of the student’s adviser, a maximum combined total of 15 semester hours of graduate credit transferred from other accredited institutions plus graduate credit earned in courses at Northern Illinois University as a student-at-large may be counted toward meeting the requirements of the M.P.A. degree. The limit on student-at-large hours may be waived in special circumstances, with the approval of the director of the Division of Public Administration.

Requirements

The M.P.A. degree normally requires the completion of a minimum of 39 to 50 semester hours of approved graduate study in the public policy/management core and a selected specialization. The student must complete a minimum of 39 semester hours of course work exclusive of internship hours.

In addition to credit-hour requirements, students must also develop a basic familiarity with the utilization of computers; submit a capstone paper while registered for PSPA 699; and pass a comprehensive examination. The capstone paper is a culminating research/analysis presentation, based on an approved research design, which is expected to be of professional, publishable quality. Every student must complete at least 5 semester hours of PSPA 699 prior to graduation. Each student must enroll for 2 semester hours of PSPA 699 after the completion of 9 semester hours of course work. Students must have completed a minimum of 27 semester hours of approved graduate study, exclusive of internship courses; have maintained a GPA above 3.00; be carrying no “incompletes”; and have completed a minimum of 4 semester hours of PSPA 699 to be eligible to sit for the comprehensive examination. After the completion of 30 semester hours of course work, the student must maintain continuous enrollment in PSPA 699 until graduation or capstone requirements are met.