Academic Catalog
Public Administration (M.P.A.) 2023-2024 Catalog Year
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Political Science and Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) is a professional degree program that prepares students for administrative positions in the public and not-for-profit sectors. It is designed for students who have significant in-service experience as well as for students who have little or no prior work experience in public or not-for-profit organizations. Most of the MPA courses are offered in an internet-based format, enabling many students to complete their degree online.
Program Admission Requirements
See program website at URL listed above.
Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for all coursework in the M.P.A. program.
- Minimum grade of "B-" for each course used to satisfy requirements for M.P.A. required courses. Minimum grade of “C” for each elective course used to satisfy M.P.A. concentration requirements.
- Up to 15 credits earned by a student who has completed FGCU’s Local Government Management Certificate or FGCU’s Community Resilience Certificate can be applied to the M.P.A. degree. A grade of “B” or higher is required in a course for its credits to apply to the M.P.A. degree.
- Apply for graduation by the semester deadline indicated in the University calendar.
- Students must register for a minimum of one credit hour during the semester in which they apply for graduation.
- Earn more than 50% of the credit hours toward the degree through FGCU.
Program Requirements
- Required Courses in the Major (24 credits)
PAD 6060 Intro to Public Administration (3)
PAD 6101 Organizational Thry & Behavior (3)
PAD 6227 Public Budgeting (3)
PAD 6327 Sem in Program Plan & Evaluat (3)
PAD 6365 Public Policy (3)
PAD 6417 Public Personnel Admin (3)
PAD 6708 Research Methods & Analysis (3)
PAD 6940 Internship (3)*
PAD 6961 Capstone Seminar (3)
*Course can be waived for students with one year or more of professional experience, as determined by the MPA Admissions Committee. - Concentration (12 credits)
Select one of the concentrations listed below. Students are required to declare a concentration when applying for admission to the M.P.A. program. If no concentration is declared when applying to the program, the Public Leadership and Management Concentration is assigned.
Public Leadership and Management Concentration
Complete 12 credits of M.P.A. elective courses. At least 6 credits must be selected from the following list of electives. Up to 6 credits may be selected from the Community Resilience Concentration’s list of electives.
PAD 5041 Administrative Ethics (3)
PAD 5142 Management of Non-profit Org (3)
PAD 5933 Proposal Writing & Grant Admin. (3)
PAD 6136 Public Mgmt in Political Env (3)
PAD 6205 Public Finance (3)
PAD 6335 Strategic Planning (3)
PAD 6434 Administrative Leadership (3)
PAD 6605 Administrative Law (3)
PAD 6812 State & Local Politics & Admin (3)
PAD 6826 Intergovernmental Admin (3)
PAD 6908 Independent Study (1-6)
PAD 6934 Special Topics (3)
Community Resilience Concentration
Complete the following course:
PAD 6357 Community Resilience (3)
Complete 9 additional credits of M.P.A. elective courses. At least 6 credits must be selected from the following list of electives. Up to 3 credits may be selected from the Public Leadership and Management list of electives.
PAD 5255 Community/Economic Development (3)
PAD 5933 Proposal Writing & Grant Admin. (3)
PAD 5185 Social Justice & Public Admin (3)
PAD 6335 Strategic Planning (3)
PAD 6353 Environmental Governance (3)
PAD 6826 Intergovernmental Admin (3)
PAD 6398 Emergency/Disaster Management (3)
PAD 6710 Technology & Administration (3)
URP 5312 Growth Mgmt & Comp. Planning (3)
Note: Courses outside of those listed above may be substituted on a case-by-case basis, with approval by the Department of Political Science and Public Administration Chair.
Total Credits Required: 36
