Master of Public Administration

The Master of Public Administration program (MPA), offered through the Department of Political Science, is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. Distinguishing characteristics of the program include opportunities for students from a variety of academic backgrounds; various times and locations for classes; a choice of diverse subspecialties; rich and frequent contact between students and faculty; opportunities for professional networking for students with alumni; focus on continued professional development; emphasis on management in political institutions and processes; intergrations of theoretical and applied approaches to management. The MPA program's mission is to prepare students for careers as managers and leaders in public service.

Admission
To qualify for admission for the MPA degree you must have the following:

A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
A GRE score on file in the Graduate College
A GPA of 2.75 (4.0) in the last 60 hours of undergraduate courses and a preferred GRE score (verbal and quantitative combined) of 900 or above. A preferred GRE score of 1000 (verbal and quantitative combined) is required if the GPA is below 2.75.
A score of 550 on the TOEFL and a score of 3 on the TWE examination are required for international students

Curriculum
The MPA program consists of 39 credit hours, 30 of which are core courses. The remaining nine (9) hours may be selected from the following career support areas:

General Public Administration
Government Information Systems
Human Resources in Public Administration
Public Finance Administration
International Relations

Legal and Judicial Administration
Administration of Allied Health Services
Administration of Criminal Justice Systems
Social Policy
Urban and Environmental Planning

Students
    Class enrollment is usually between 10 and 20 students. Each class is typically offered one evening per week, either on the main campus in San Marcos or at sites in downtown and North Austin. Students in the MPA program have varied academic backgrounds and work experiences. Since classes are small, students and instructors have continuing opportunities to take advantage of the diversity of backgrounds represented in the classroom.

Alumni
    MPA program alumni hold responsible management positions in city, county, state, and national government as well as the private and non-profit sectors. Their achievements reflect the diversity, challenges, and opportunities in the public sector, and are a valuable resource to both the students and the faculty of the MPA program.

Award-Winning Student Research
    Since 1997, there have been 5 national and 10 regional awards for student research papers. -- View the Award Winning Research Projects

Additional Information

MPA Handbook (DOC, 343.0 KB)

NASPAA Code of Good Practices

Contact Information

Ms. Dodie Weidner
Administrative Assistant
dw29@txstate.edu
(512) 245-2143
ELA 266

Dr. Patricia Shields
Director, MPA Program
ps07@txstate.edu
(512) 245-2143
ELA 266

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