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General Information

The Master of Public Affairs program is an interdisciplinary, professional program that prepares students for positions in local, state, or federal government, quasi-governmental service, or the nonprofit (including philanthropic) arena. It broadens students' comprehension of the economic, environmental, political, and social context in which the public servant works. The course of study requires completion of (1) the M.P.A. core, (2) the concentration requirement, (3) the experiential requirement, and (4) sufficient electives and/or mid-career option credit to total 48 credit hours.

The curriculum of this program as contained in the core requirements encompasses preparation in a broad range of skills relevant to the operation of public agencies. It is based on the academic disciplines but not limited to any one. It is also problem-oriented, bringing the disciplines to bear on critical social, environmental, economic, and administrative issues.

Although the environment of public service is diverse and changing, effectiveness in that environment requires the development of special skills attained through detailed study in a chosen field of concentration. The fields of concentration span the variety of professional specialties found in public service. Thus, the program provides expertise in the core requirements and a specific concentration area, as well as a general working knowledge of public affairs.

The M.P.A. program is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).

Degree Requirements

(48 credit hours)

Before enrolling in the M.P.A. program, students must show proficiency in the foundation areas of computing, economics, government, mathematics, and statistics to facilitate mastery of core course material. Graduate credit is not given for work done to satisfy these undergraduate requirements.

The core requirements of the M.P.A. degree consist of 18 credit hours of work in six courses. Each student must also complete the requirements of (at least) one concentration.

The experiential requirement ensures that each graduate of the M.P.A. program has gained insight into the world of public service by way of an experience outside the classroom. This experience may or may not involve the accumulation of credit hours toward the degree. The remaining credit hours necessary for graduation, if any, are general electives that can be used to add breadth to a student's program; to further explore a field of concentration; or to enhance skills in foreign languages, quantitative tools, or administrative techniques.

Core Requirements

(18 credit hours)

The M.P.A. core is designed to ensure that each student acquires both the prerequisite analytical skills and an understanding of policy issues and governmental processes that compose the environment within which graduates will pursue their careers.

Required Courses
SPEA-V 502 Public Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 506 Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 517 Public Management Economics (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 540 Law and Public Affairs (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 560 Public Finance and Budgeting (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 600 Capstone in Public and Environmental Affairs (3 cr.)

Also, students are urged to include SPEA-V 680 Research Design and Methods in Public Affairs (3 cr.) in their study plan.

Extremely well-prepared applicants may petition the campus director to waive one or more of the core requirements on the basis of advanced course work done elsewhere. Students may be exempted on the basis of satisfactory equivalent course work or by examination. Credit hours waived from the core add to the electives a student may use. Students requesting course waivers should contact the appropriate campus director for requirements and guidelines.

Concentration Requirements

(18-21 credit hours)

Concentrations give students educational experiences in a substantive area of interest. The course of study in each concentration area is determined in conjunction with an advisor. Up to 3 credit hours of the concentration may be taken in SPEA-V 585 Practicum in Public Affairs, if approved in advance by an advisor.

Concentration requirements may be waived on the same basis as core requirements. Consult with an advisor about course prerequisites.

Experiential Requirements

Each M.P.A. student must obtain professionally relevant experience through one of the following options: an approved internship (0-6 credit hours); SPEA-V 590 Research in Public Affairs; SPEA-V 601 Workshop in Public Affairs; the Environmental Fellowship Program; or the Mid-Career Credit Option.

Mid-Career Credit Option

The Graduate Admissions Committee of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs may grant up to 12 credit hours toward the M.P.A. degree for students who have had significant technical, administrative, or policy-level work experience in their backgrounds. Credit will be granted for work experience gained until the end of the semester in which the student completes 24 credit hours according to the following guidelines:

To receive 3 credit hours, a student must have a minimum of one year's technical, administrative, or policy-level work experience with a government or private agency.
6 credit hours will be awarded for one to four years of managerial experience in directing programs, preparing budgets, and making decisions on organizational or staff development, or for one to four years of professional experience in policy analysis or planning.
Those with four or more years of executive assignment may be awarded 9 to 12 credit hours. Applicants must have had responsibility for supervision of high-level staff, budget preparation, and organizational control of public agencies, or executive responsibility for policy analysis or planning.

Application Process and Policies
Students are eligible to apply for mid-career credit at the time of application to the M.P.A. or during the first semester of M.P.A. graduate study in order to take full advantage of available credit. Applicants may appeal the initial mid-career credit decision by submitting a request, in writing, for reconsideration and providing additional information to the program or campus director.

Determination of mid-career credit is made separately from decisions about transfer of credit. Under no circumstances will the mid-career credit and transfer credit total more than 21 hours of the 48 required for the M.P.A. degree. Students receiving mid-career credit should carefully plan the balance of their program with an advisor.

General Elective Courses

Graduate courses, or undergraduate courses approved for graduate credit, may be used to complete the overall degree requirement of 48 credit hours.

Fields of Concentration

Concentrations give students both a general preparation for leadership and a focused educational experience in a substantive area of interest. The concentration is selected in conjunction with a faculty advisor and the appropriate SPEA administrator. Concentrations offered on the South Bend campus are:

health systems administration and policy
public and community services administration and policy

Return to Fields of Concentration

Health Systems Administration and Policy Concentration

(18 credit hours)

The health systems administration and policy concentration is for professional people already working in health care organizations, as well as for students planning health care careers. This concentration affords the student the opportunity to study policy, issues, and programs related to the health field.

Choose six (18 credit hours) or other advisor-approved courses.
SPHA-H 501 U.S. Health Care: Systems, Policies, and Ethical Challenges (3 cr.)
SPHA-H 503 Principles of Health Systems Management and Policy Development (3 cr.)
SPHA-H 509 Financial Management Principles of Health Care (3 cr.)
SPHA-H 514 Health Economics (3 cr.)
SPHA-H 516 Health Services Delivery and the Law (3 cr.)
SPHA-H 517 Managerial Epidemiology (3 cr.)
SPHA-H 521 Management Sciences for Health Services Administration (3 cr.)
SPHA-H 604 Ambulatory Care and Managed Care Programs (3 cr.)
SPHA-H 626 Health Services Human Resource Management (3 cr.) or
SPEA-V 561 Public Human Resource Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 631 Health Planning (3 cr.)

Public and Community Services Administration and Policy Concentration

(18 credit hours)

The public and community services administration and policy concentration is for managers already employed in governmental or private not-for-profit organizations, as well as for students planning for such careers. This concentration provides the student the opportunity to study policy, issues, and programs related to the governmental and social service fields.

Required Courses (9 credit hours)
SPEA-V 512 Public Policy Process (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 542 Governmental Financial Accounting and Reporting (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 595 Managerial Decision-Making (3 cr.)

Choose two (6 credit hours)
SPEA-V 504 Public Organizations (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 561 Public Human Resources Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 569 Managing Interpersonal Relations (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 570 Public Sector Labor Relations (3 cr.)

Choose one (3 credit hours)
SPEA-V 518 Intergovernmental Systems Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 525 Management in the Nonprofit Sector (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 562 Public Program Evaluation (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 563 The Planning Process (3 cr.)

Return to Fields of Concentration

General Information
Admission
Program Restrictions
Certificate in Health Systems Management
Certificate in Nonprofit Management
Certificate in Public Management

Certificate Programs

General Information

Three graduate certificates are offered on the South Bend campus:

Certificate in Health Systems Management
Certificate in Nonprofit Management
Certificate in Public Management

Certificate programs are flexible and adaptable to the needs of either precareer or in-service students.

Admission

Admission Eligibility
The student must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university to apply.

Application
Application forms and literature may be obtained from the same SPEA offices that offer material for the graduate degree programs.

Students should apply to the SPEA admissions office on the South Bend campus.

Application Deadlines
The Graduate Admissions Committee meets three times a year to consider applications for admission. To be considered in the August, December, or April meetings, applicants must have all materials in the SPEA recorder's office by mid-July, mid-November, or mid-March respectively.

Application Fee
Students must pay a nonrefundable application fee.

Program Restrictions

Students enrolled in a certificate program must complete it within 15 credit hours of approved SPEA course work with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (B). Failure to do so results in automatic dismissal from the certificate program.
Students who have completed more than three SPEA courses are not eligible for admission to a certificate program.
Transfer credit, course substitutions, or course waivers are not accepted for meeting the Public Management, Nonprofit Management, or Health Systems Management certificate requirements.
Students admitted to a SPEA graduate degree program are not eligible for admission to the certificate program or eligible for the awarding of a certificate.
Admission to or successful completion of a certificate program does not guarantee subsequent admission to a SPEA graduate degree program.
Students enrolled in the certificate program who apply to SPEA's graduate degree programs must meet all existing admission requirements.
Students planning to request admission to a SPEA graduate degree program after successfully completing a certificate program should refer to the application procedure presented earlier in this bulletin.

Return to Certificate Programs

Certificate in Health Systems Management

The Certificate in Health Systems Management is a 15 credit hour program of study. The certificate program is designed to serve administrators and physicians who are actively engaged in managerial duties, physicians and health care workers who may want to pursue managerial duties in the future, or those who want to gain greater understanding of the structure, processes, and goals of their health care organizations and the environment in which they operate.

Certificate Requirements

(15 credit hours)

Required Courses (9 credit hours)
SPHA-H 501 U.S. Health Care: Systems, Policies, and Ethical Challenges (3 cr.) or SPEA-V 545 The U.S. Health Care System (3 cr.)
SPHA-H 503 Principles of Health Systems Management and Policy Development (3 cr.) or SPEA-V 631 Health Planning (3 cr.)
SPHA-H 509 Financial Management Principles of Health Care (3 cr.)

Electives (6 credit hours)
Two additional SPEA graduate courses are selected with the approval of the student's advisor with 3 credit hours devoted to managed care.

Certificate in Nonprofit Management

The Certificate in Nonprofit Management is a 15 credit hour program of study. The certificate is designed to serve the needs of individuals who would like exposure to the nonprofit sector and nonprofit management issues but who do not wish or need to pursue a degree in nonprofit management. The certificate complements other courses of study or career experience in such areas as social work, library science, and parks and recreation. Students pursuing a nonprofit management certificate gain an understanding of how to work in and with nonprofit organizations.

Certificate Requirements

(15 credit hours)

Required Courses (9 credit hours)
SPEA-V 522 Human Resource Management in Nonprofit Organizations (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 525 Management in the Nonprofit Sector (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 526 Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations (3 cr.)

Electives (6 credit hours)
Two additional SPEA graduate courses are selected with the approval of the student's advisor. A sampling of current course titles includes: Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector, Ethics and Values of Philanthropy, Fund Development for Nonprofit Organizations, Public Relations in Nonprofits, and History of Philanthropy in the West.

Students interested in continuing for the Master of Public Affairs (M.P.A.) should consider selecting the electives from the nonprofit management concentration.

Certificate in Public Management

The Certificate in Public Management program is a 15 credit hour program of study in public management. The certificate program is flexible enough to be adapted to the needs of precareer and inservice individuals. Graduate students in other disciplines can use the program to supplement their primary fields with course work in public management, possibly using the certificate courses as part or all of a doctoral or master's degree minor. Career employees of public and private sector agencies seeking courses in public management, and especially those changing from professional or technical roles to managerial roles, find the certificate program beneficial.

Certificate Requirements

(15 credit hours)

Required Courses (9 credit hours)
SPEA-V 502 Public Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 560 Public Finance and Budgeting (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 561 Public Human Resources Management (3 cr.)

Electives (6 credit hours)
Two additional SPEA graduate public affairs courses approved by the program director.

Note: Students interested in continuing on for the Master of Public Affairs degree should consider selecting the two elective courses from the M.P.A. core; one of the courses recommended is V 506 Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making. These courses may also be applied to the Master of Planning upon admission to the M.Pl. program.