Public Administration: Master of Public Administration Degree
Program Overview
Department of Government & Justice Studies
Program Director: Dr. Mark Bradbury; BradburyMD@appstate.edu
Concentrations: Administration of Justice; Public Management; Town, City, and County Management (The concentrations Emergency Management and Not-for-profit Management are under review and not open for admission)
Location of instruction: on and off campus - see Distance Education for locations off campus accepting applications
The Master of Public Administration degree is a terminal professional degree, which means that graduates receive in-depth training in the problems facing public sector managers. Like an MBA, law or medical degree, a terminal professional degree is designed to give graduates the necessary skills, knowledge base and training needed to allow them to act with minimal supervision while achieving significant results in leadership roles. Courses dealing with personnel issues, budgeting and fiscal management, leadership and organizational climate, evaluating the effectiveness of public services, research techniques, and an in-depth study of the major ideas, problems and concepts in public administration form the common core of the curriculum required of all MPA students.
Program Highlights
- To finish the program, you will need to complete 42 credit hours and you can expect to do this within two years.
- Internship: you will complete at least one internship involving full-time service with an experienced mentor-manager in order to gain invaluable on-the-job experience.
- Most classes are offered in the evening to accommodate graduate students who are employed full-time in nearby communities.
Application Essentials
Required Entrance Exam: GRE (score must be no more than 5 years old)
Required Number of References to specify in the on-line form: 3
Supplemental Information: (Required upload for application submission) Resume; Also upload a 2-3 page, double-spaced Personal Statement on what has prompted your interest in obtaining an MPA degree, and what appeals to you about the program at Appalachian State in particular? What professional plans or ambitions do you have once you have completed your Master's degree?
Deadlines for Application. A program not open for a particular term will be marked with an "x." If the program has early screening dates, those dates are listed in parentheses. Applications that are not complete by the early screening date risk denial of admission due to no seats available. Increased enrollment may lead to a term being closed for new applications.
- Spring: on campus 10/15
- Summer Session 1:
- Summer Session 2:
- Fall: 6/1 (3/15)
Basic Conditions for Consideration of Admission:
Meeting or exceeding the conditions below does NOT guarantee admission. All applications for a given entry term will be weighed based upon the number of seats available and the quality of the complete application packages. With special permission from the Graduate School, a program may admit a limited number of students with exceptional circumstances who do not meet the graduate school minimums.
Graduate School: 3.0 GPA in the last earned degree and official scores from the appropriate admission test(s), OR 2.5 GPA in the last earned degree and official scores at the 25th percentile level from the appropriate admission test(s).
Admission for Public Administration: UGPA > 3.0 and/or GREV > 25th percentile and GREQ > 25th percentile
