2024-2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
    Dec 03, 2024  
2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Public Administration, M.P.A., Public Safety 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 Safety Concentration:
    Analyze critical public safety issues using a public administration framework.

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 Safety


The Public Safety concentration is designed to give students a focused background in local and state Public Safety, from the perspectives of Criminal Justice, Emergency Management, Fire Science, National Security, or Investigations. Students in this concentration must take PADM 6649 Public Leadership and two additional electives.

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