2024-2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
    Nov 21, 2024  
2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Public Administration, M.P.A., Public Financial Management Concentration


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The Master of Public Administration is the most widely accepted and valued professional degree in the field of Public Service. Our fully online MPA program provides students with the core skills and knowledge necessary to be a successful professional in Public Service, as well as offering students an opportunity to complete a concentration in one of five timely areas: 1) Municipal Management, 2) Public Financial Management, 3) Public Safety, 4) Nonprofit Management, and 5) Fire and Emergency Medical Services. Our MPA accommodates the needs of students new to the field as well as those already working in public service. In both cases, we seek students who are motivated to increase their knowledge and gain the skills necessary to take on challenging assignments in public service, particularly at the state and local levels.

Program Outcomes

By the end of this program, students will be able to:

  • Develop a plan to identify ethical practices within an organization.  
  • Analyze a public policy or issue using real world data.
  • Explain how political influences impact public decision making.
  • Explain how political influences impact budgetary decision making.  
  • Develop strategies for resolving labor-management conflicts.
  • Concentration Specific Outcome - Public Financial Management Concentration:
    Apply financial management principles in evaluation of a public organization.

Required Courses


The degree is comprised of 36 credits. Many students are eligible for 3 credits of waivers toward completion as a result of work in public administration settings, but those who are not will complete a 3-credit focused practicum,PADM 6600 . All students complete a basic core of courses including:

Concentration in Public Financial Management


The Public Financial Management concentration provides students with the analytic skills and knowledge to assess the finances and economic position of a municipality or other governmental unit with the power to tax. Students in this concentration must take PADM 6630 Fiscal Management for Local Government and two additional electives.

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