Students with a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration (BSPA) degree can continue their education in law, planning, policy analysis, health care administration or business administration. For those who choose immediate employment, the degree is flexible enough to provide the necessary background to begin a career in the public or nonprofit sector and health care management. The BSPA requires 120 credit hours.

Degree Requirements

The program includes three main areas: general education, core courses in the major area, and general electives.

General Education Core: Graduates of the BSPA program must fulfill all of the General Education requirements as passed by the Faculty Senate. These general education requirements are effective for Fall 2015 admitted students and are found elsewhere in this bulletin.  All general education courses in the BSPA major must be completed with a C or better.  Students are encouraged to work closely with an undergraduate academic advisor.

REQUIRED PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION CORE (27 credit hours/9 courses)

Students must have a C or higher in the core and concentration/minor courses. Some courses are only offered in the fall or in the spring and some only every other year. Please work with an advisor to create your schedule.

• PAHM-V 171 Introduction to Public Administration (prerequisite for all PAHM courses)
• PAHM-V 263 Public Management
• PAHM-V 264 Urban Structure and Policy
• PAHM-V 372 Government Finance and Budgets
• PAHM-V 373 Human Resources Management in the Public Sector
• PAHM-V 376 Law and Public Policy
• PAHM-V 378 Public Policy Process in the US
• PAHM-V 379 Performance Measurement and Program Evaluation
• PAHM-V 380 Internship in Public Affairs  or  PAHM-H 365 Health Administration Practicum

HEALTH MANAGEMENT CONCENTRATION (24 credit hours)

Requirements: EIGHT (8) courses (24 credit hours)  from the following, chosen in consultation with PAHM undergraduate advisor.

• PAHM-H 320 Health Systems Administration
• PAHM-H 352 Healthcare Finance I
• PAHM-H 354 Health Economics
• PAHM-H 401 Strategic Planning for health Care Organization
• PAHM-H 402 Hospital Administration
• PAHM-H 411 Long-Term Care Administration
• PAHM-H 432 Health Care Marketing
• PAHM-H 441 Legal Aspects of Health Care
• PAHM-H 474 Health Administration Ethics Seminar  or  PAHM-V412 Leadership and Ethics
• PAHM-H 455 Topics in Public Health 
• PAHM-H 456 Managed Care

ADDITIONAL elective courses to reach 120 credit hours required for graduation.