Public Administration, MPA

Contact:  MPA Program Director
Department of Political Science & International Affairs
1000 Chastain Road, Mail Box #2205
Kennesaw, Georgia 30144-5591
Office: (470) 578-6227
Fax: (470) 578-9152
email: mpa@kennesaw.edu
Web address: http://mpa.hss.kennesaw.edu/

Master of Public Administration Program Description

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a professional degree that prepares persons interested in public service for administrative and leadership positions in governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations. The program’s student and teaching oriented faculty seek to contribute to the development of professional individuals with an ethos of democratic administration by providing them with a combination of solid academic learning and concrete practical experiences. The MPA Program is located in the Department of Political Science and International Affairs. The Program works in cooperation with a number of other departments as well as the A. L. Burruss Institute of Public Service that provides community services and technical assistance to nonprofit and public organizations in Georgia.

Accreditation

The Master of Public Administration Program is formally accredited by National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).

General Requirements for Admission to the MPA Program

MPA Program admission requires:

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with at least 2.75 grade point average;
2. Submission of an application to the Office of Graduate Admissions and a non-refundable application fee;
3. A minimum combined score of 300 on the verbal and quantitative portions with a 3.5 minimum score on the analytical writing section of the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or a combined score of 450 on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). (Students submitting scores for the GRE taken prior to November 1, 2011, must submit a minimum combined score of 900 on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical portions of the Graduate Record Examination.) Applicants may make a formal request to waive this requirement only when the applicant has completed another graduate degree program and an appropriate transcript is submitted in support of the request;
4. International students must also provide satisfactory TOEFL or IETLS scores;
5. An application letter that states the applicant’s interest and goals for the MPA Program and the potential use of the degree;
6. A current résumé; 
7. Two letters of recommendation that address the applicant’s potential for graduate study and use of an MPA degree;

Students are admitted to the program based upon an overall review of all credentials including any work and community service experience that indicates potential success in graduate work and in professional public service.

Transfer Credit

Up to nine semester hours of graduate work from other accredited institutions may be transferred. To be transferred, course work from other institutions must correspond to Kennesaw State University’s MPA curriculum. Students will need to provide course descriptions and syllabi wherever possible, and the amount of credit granted will be at the discretion of the program director. Such course work may be no more than five years old.

Grades

Expectations for satisfactory graduate level student performance are detailed in Academic Policies section of this catalog.

Petition to Graduate

MPA candidates must petition to graduate at least one semester prior to completion of their degree requirements.

 

Program of Study

The MPA Program is a 36 semester-hour course of study that consists of three components: A 7-course core curriculum required of all students (21 hours); a 4-course concentration of the student’s choice (12 hours); and a professional exercise (3 hours). Students will be required to participate in a program assessment exercise prior to graduation.