Master of Public Administration (MPA)

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree prepares individuals from diverse backgrounds for a professional career of public service. The MPA degree emphasizes the analysis and the evaluation of information regarding administrative and policy issues. In comparison with many other professional degree programs such as law or medicine, the MPA provides broad based training in subjects such as economics, policy analysis, management, and professional communications.

Program Coordinator

Dr. Duanne Thompson
Executive Director of the Public Safety Institute 
Phone: 770-720-5927
Email: Duanne.Thompson@reinhardt.edu

Accreditation

Reinhardt University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, and masters. Questions about the accreditation of Reinhardt University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling(404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

Mission

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at Reinhardt University provides a high-quality generalist, practice-oriented, research-based, and ethics-focused program to educate and prepare students for professional and leadership careers in public service. The program helps students enhance their knowledge and develop principled, resourceful skills and abilities to contribute to the broad public good across all levels of government and within the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. The MPA program seeks to engage students, faculty, and researchers with public, private, and nonprofit professionals to serve the needs of the public and the community.

Admission Requirements

All admission documents should be sent to the following address:

Office of Admissions 
Reinhardt University 
7300 Reinhardt Circle
Waleska, GA 30183
PHONE: 770-720-5526
e-mail: admissions@reinhardt.edu

General admission to Reinhardt University graduate studies:

• The Graduate Admission Application form—complete and submit the Online Application for Admission.
• Submit official transcripts from all institutions attended; proof of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution should be on one transcript. If a transcript includes any graduate classes, the applicant should have left the graduate program in good standing.

Official transcripts must be mailed from the granting institution, or delivered in a sealed envelope from the institution, or sent via a professional electronic transcript sending service.

Additional admission requirements for the Reinhardt MPA

• A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with an overall undergrad GPA of 2.75 minimum (on a 4.0 scale)
• A résumé
• Other documents may be required at the discretion of the Program Coordinator

Transfer Credit

A maximum of six (6) credit hours of graduate work earned at an accredited institution may be transferred in to Reinhardt University’s MPA program.  The acceptance of any transfer credit is contingent upon approval of the MPA Program Coordinator and/or the Dean of the McCamish School of Business and Professions. . Transferred courses must correspond to those courses offered in Reinhardt’s MPA curriculum. Students will need to provide official transcripts of course work, course descriptions and course syllabi, and the amount of transfer credit awarded will be determined by the MPA Program Director.

Transfer credit will not be given for (1) any course in which a grade of less than a “B” was earned, (2) course work already applied toward another degree, (3) course work that is more than five years old, and (4) course work that was not applicable toward a graduate degree at the institution where the credit was earned. See Transfer Credit (p. 32) under “Academic Policies” for stipulations of Reinhardt University Graduate Studies.

MPA Program Goals

The general purpose or goals of the Reinhardt University MPA program are as follows:

• To provide a broad based professional education that emphasizes managerial skills, analytical competency, and a foundation in ethics to prepare for public service
• To address the critical issues confronting the public sector and apply the managerial skills, analytical competencies, and ethics background to addressing these issues
• To develop leadership qualities necessary for public service

MPA Program Student Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

Upon completion of the Master of Public Administration degree, the individual student should possess the following qualities, abilities, and skills:

PLO 1: Graduates will identify and analyze the intellectual history of American public admini- stration, the competing ideological frameworks, and the major issues or controversies in the public service that have emerged over time.

PLO 2: Graduates will be able to explain the unique political and legal environment in the public and nonprofit sectors and its human management implications as well as describe and evaluate the similarities and differences in intergovernmental and intra-governmental leadership, management and policy challenges.

PLO 3: Graduates will analyze and interpret data and policy formation, using various research methodologies and statistical techniques to demonstrative effective critical thinking skills and reasoning abilities to make recommendations for decision making and public policy creation.

PLO 4: Graduates will define and discuss the public policy process at the federal, state and local levels as well as identify and evaluate the effectiveness of the theories of public policy making.

PLO 5: Graduates will recognize and analyze ethical dilemmas and apply public administration’s code of ethics to decisions and value conflicts unique to public service.

Georgia P.O.S.T. Council Career Development Certifications

The Master of Public Administration program provides the opportunity for qualified individuals to complete training requirements for the award of Management and Executive Career Development Certification through the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T.).

The program consists of 12 courses with 480 hours of direct instruction, which is supplemented with blended independent / interactive online assignments. Each course requires 40 hours of direct instruction delivered through a mandatory face-to-face residency component. The residency component cannot be waived.

Training credit will only be granted for Master of Public Administration coursework approved by the P.O.S.T. Council and completed through Reinhardt University. Training credit shall not be awarded for graduate courses completed at other institutions.

Individuals seeking the award of career development training credit must meet the following conditions:

• Be in good standing with the Georgia

P.O.S.T. Council or cleared by P.O.S.T. for training and employment;

• Acceptance into the Master of Public Administration program as a degree seeking student;
• Maintain good standing as a degree seeking student in the Master of Public Administration program;
• Attend 90% or more of each course residency component as scheduled through Reinhardt University;
• Obtain a cumulative final average of 80% or higher in each course.

Curriculum

The MPA program is a 24-month program with a total of 36 credit hours. The courses have a 40 hour face-to-face component during each class. Students complete 6 credit hours per semester. The MPA is composed of core courses and an area of concentration.

MPA Core Courses (24 semester hours)

MPA 600 Public Administration and Policy

MPA 605 Leadership and Organizational Behavior MPA 610 Research Methods

MPA 611 Applied Statistics for Public Decision- Making

MPA 615 Special Topics in Public Administration MPA 620 Budgeting and Finance

MPA 625 Human Services Administration MPA 635 Ethics in Public Service

MPA Approved Elective Courses

MPA 660 Local Government Administration and Management

MPA 665 Public Organization & Management MPA 670 Public Policy Process

Concentration in Criminal Justice (12 semester hours)

MPA 630 Administrative Law

MPA 640 Criminal Justice Administration MPA 645 Police Administration

MPA 655 Criminal Justice Policy

Attendance

Graduate Students are expected to attend all class meetings and are required to follow the attendance policies of each individual professor.

Academic Performance

MPA students are expected to earn grades of “A” or “B” in their course work. Only one (1) course grade of “C” may be included in the computation for degree completion. A second course grade of “C” will result in Academic Probation.. The course must be retaken to count toward degree completion. A third course grade of “C” or a first course grade of “F” will result in Academic Dismissal (p. 28-30).

A student may appeal a dismissal by submitting a letter to the Vice President for Academic Affairs describing the condition and identifying the reasons for seeking a positive decision of the appeal.

See also Grade Appeals and Enrollment Related Appeals under Appeals and Petitions.

Graduation Requirements:

• A cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, and
• No more than (1) one “C” in the program, counted toward degree completion, regardless of the GPA.
• Final Research Project
• Comprehensive Examination
• A maximum of 5 years for completion

See Academic Performance and Degree Completion Requirements.

Final Research Project

Each student will compile a final research project to be submitted to the MPA faculty and Director during the last semester of the program. A student’s final research project is separate from and concurrent with the normal course load and is due during MPA 615: Special Topics in Public Administration. The purpose of the MPA finalproject is for students to demonstrate and further develop their public service leadership and administrative potential through an academic and professional product.

The MPA final project will consist of two parts: a final topic research paper and a formal presentation of the final paper. The final research paper will provide an in-depth analysis of the approved topic, a review of the current literature, and data analysis to support the conclusion. This final research paper will meet the MPA program's learning objectives and further the growth of future public administration.

Additionally, each student will deliver an oral presentation of his or her final research project before MPA faculty and the Director at the end of the MPA 615 course. This final research project taps the student’s knowledge, analytical abilities, writing and presentation skills, and the insights that have been acquired through the study, observation, and opportunities for direct involvement in the practice of public administration.

Comprehensive Examination

All students are required to complete a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive examination consists of written essays based on the general field of Public Administration. This examination is an opportunity for students to display an understanding of the discipline of Public Administration. Students are expected to integrate all course work (core Public Administration courses, approved electives, as well as the concentration in Criminal Justice Administration) into their examination answers. Program faculty and the MPA Director grade each examination, and the student’s answers will be assigned one of three grades: pass with distinction, pass, or fail. Students failing the MPA comprehensive examination on their first attempt may retake it two additional times.