Department of Social Sciences

Master of Public Administration

The Master of Public Administration degree is a professional course of study for persons currently employed in, preparing for, or aspiring toward mid-level or upper-level management positions in public and nonprofit organizations. The program emphasizes the theoretical, practical, and analytical abilities required of persons holding responsible public-sector positions. The program is housed in the Department of Social Sciences, which permits the incorporation of specialized fields of interest such as general administration, criminal justice, cybersecurity, municipal management, and non-profit management.

Admission Requirements

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
2. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4-point scale on the last 60 hours of undergraduate and/or graduate coursework. 
3. A satisfactory score on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). However, the GRE may be waived for those applicants that have earned a 3.25 overall undergraduate GPA, previously earned a graduate degree from an accredited university, or have at least three years' experience in public-sector or non-profit agencies.
4. A letter expressing interest and motivation for pursuing the degree.
5. Consideration is also given to one or more of the following: the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to his or her chosen field of study, socioeconomic background, first generation college graduate, multilingual proficiency, geographic region of residence, and level of responsibility in other matters including extracurricular activities, employment, community service, and family responsibilities.
6. A course in research methods is recommended (not required) prior to admission.
   
   

MPA Degree Requirements

Each candidate for the degree must satisfactorily complete 36 hours of course work as indicated:

Core Curriculum (24 hours required)

MANA 5320 Organizational Behavior
PADM 5331 Information Systems in Public Administration
PADM 5332 Public Budgeting and Finance
PADM 5336 Administrative Ethics
PADM 5350 Seminar in Human Resources Management
PADM 5396 Research Methods
PADM 5397 Advanced Social Science Analysis
PADM 5353 Public Administration Capstone Seminar

Area of Concentration (12 hours)

The MPA program offers 4 areas of concentration: criminal justice, cybersecurity, municipal management, and non-profit management.

Criminal Justice:
CRIJ 5302 Judicial Policy and Social Processes 
CRIJ 5303 Contemporary Criminological Theory 
CRIJ 5307 Criminal Justice Policy
CRIJ 5313  Contemporary Issues in Corrections (or)
CRIJ 5332 Law Enforcement: Environment and Practice

Cybersecurity:
COSC 5341 Cybersecurity
COSC 5342 Cybersecurity Management
COSC 5364 Cybersecurity Risk Analysis
COSC 5388 Digital Forensics

Municipal Management:
PADM 5307 Metropolitan Problems
PADM 5339 Urban and Regional Planning
PADM 5385 Studies in Demography
PADM 5308 Local Government Management (or)
PADM 5309 Public Sector Grant Writing

Non-profit Management:
PADM 5307 Metropolitan Problems
PADM 5312  Non-Profit Management
PADM 5309 Public Sector Grant Writing
PADM 5313  Strategic Planning for Non-Profit

Graduation Requirements

All candidates for the Master of Public Administration degree must also meet the following requirements:

1. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 basis) on all work taken for graduate credit. No course with a grade below “C” may be applied toward this degree.
2. A grade no lower than “B” in the capstone course. 

Proposed Two-Year Course Rotation:

• 2024-2026 Course Schedule

UT Tyler Department of Social Sciences
Master of Public Administration program
Rick Helfers
Office: 903.566.7399
Building: CAS 154B

• More Information About the Public Administration MPA Degree