Students with a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration (BSPA) degree can continue their education in law, planning, policy analysis, 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. 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 BAPA major must be completed with a C or better.  Students are encouraged to work closely with an undergraduate 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-H365 Health Administration Practicum

PUBLIC ADMINSTRATION CONCENTRATION (24 credit hours)

Requirements: FIVE (5) courses (15 cr) from the following, chosen in consultation with PAHM undergraduate advisor.

• PAHM-V 346 Introduction to Government Accounting & Financial Reporting
• PAHM-V 366 Managing Behavior in Public Organizations
• PAHM-V 368 Managing Government Operations
• PAHM-V 370 Research Methods and Statistics
• PAHM-V 386 Case Study for Policy Analysis
• PAHM-V 405 Public Law and the Legislative Process
• PAHM-V 444 Public Administrative Organization
• PAHM-V 460 Intergovernmental Relations

AND

THREE (3) of the following courses (9 credit hours)

• PAHM-V 221 Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector
• PAHM-V 362 Nonprofit Management and Leadership
• PAHM-V 412 Leadership and Ethics   or  PAHM-H 474 Health Administration Ethics
• PAHM-V 443 Managing Workforce Diversity
• PAHM-V 473 Management, Leadership, and Policy

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