Public Administration

The Auburn Montgomery Master of Public Administration degree was ranked among America's Best Graduate Schools for 2010 by the U.S. News & World Report in it's recent publication. To see Auburn Montgomery's ranking click here.

 
Auburn Montgomery's Master of Public Administration provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills to prepare them for the successful management of public and nonprofit sector organizations.The Master of Public Administration is designed for students who have a strong background in the social sciences, business administration, the health sciences, urban studies or planning or who have appropriate career experience closely related to such fields will be considered to have sufficient preparation for admission.

Accreditation

The Auburn Montgomery Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). NASPAA accreditation recognizes that a master's program has gone through a rigorous process of voluntary peer review conducted by the Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation (COPRA), and has met NASPAA's Standards for Professional Master's Degree Programs in Public Affairs, Policy and Administration. Of nine MPA programs in the state of Alabama, only three are NASPAA accredited. AUM's NASPAA accreditation is the longest standing of the three Universities in the state that have it.

• To be eligible for the Comprehensive Examination, a student must be in a "fully admitted" classification and have completed 33 semester hours of course work.
• Students must take a total of 36 semester hours of course work.
• Twenty-one hours are in required core courses; 15 hours represent electives to be chosen from the public administration and political science courses offered at the master's level.

The elective curriculum in the MPA program has three areas of concentration from which students may choose, or they may select a broader based set of electives. Students taking three or more courses in a designated area (as specified below) will be considered to have a concentration in that area and will be certified as such to prospective employers by the Public Administration faculty.

Areas of Concentration

Health Care Administration: Four courses from PUAD 6810, PUAD 6820, PUAD 6830, PUAD 6840

Objectives: To provide graduate students an introduction to the administration of hospitals, health care organizations, and agencies; the American health care system, including its major characteristics, components, structures, methods of financing and delivery, and problems; and the formulation and administration of health care policy in the United States at the national and state levels, with emphasis upon the impact of public policy upon the health care system. To provide graduate students with in-depth study of major problems in the financing, delivery, and administration of health care in the United States through research, case study, and other methods. Completion of these four courses leads to a Certificate in Health Care Administration and Policy

Nonprofit Management and Leadership: Three courses from PUAD 6710, PUAD 6720, PUAD 6730

Objectives: To provide students with a comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge of the dynamics of managing nonprofit organizations in American society; to develop an understanding of the unique management issues of nonprofits; to acquaint students with the historical development and contemporary growth of nonprofits; to develop an appreciation of the interrelationship of nonprofit organizations with public and private sector organizations; to develop an understanding of the financing of nonprofit organizations; and to appreciate the role of marketing for nonprofits. Completion of PUAD 6710, PUAD 6720, and PUAD 6730 along with PUAD 6040 leads to a Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership.

State and Local Administration: Three courses from POLS 6300, PUAD 6310, POLS 6130, POLS 6160

Objectives: To provide students with an understanding of the important structures, procedures, and processes in the administration of programs by the public administrator in state and local government; to develop an understanding of the character and effect of the intergovernmental system on the public administrator in state and local government; to introduce significant contemporary trends and developments in state and local government; to acquaint students with the nature and importance of accepted research procedures in the study of public administration in state and local government; to understand ethical issues that appear in the administration of state and local government programs; and to appreciate that a successful public administrator in state and local government must understand the heterogeneous social and cultural environment in which administration occurs.

Elective Courses