The M.A. in Public Affairs requires 36 or 39 graduate credits, including a thesis or a practicum. Students develop a core competence in methodology and in public administration and also select one of six interdisciplinary field specializations.
Public Affairs 36-39 cr.
1. Methodology Core 6-9 cr.
PLSC 500 Research Methods in Political Science [1] 3 cr.
PLSC 674 Analytical Techniques 3 cr.
CRIM 605 Research Methods 3 cr.
or
GEOG 612 Quantitative Techniques in Geography and Regional Planning 3 cr.
or
GSR 615 Elements of Research 3 cr.
or
SOC 665 Microcomputing Applications in Sociology 3 cr.
2. Public Administration Core 12 cr.
PLSC 570 Introduction to Public Administration 3 cr.
PLSC 666 Public Policy Analysis 3 cr.
PLSC 668 Public Sector Financial Administration 3 cr.
or
PLSC 670 Foreign Policy Studies [2] 3 cr.
or
PLSC 672 Comparative Political Studies [2] 3 cr.
or
PLSC 675 International Political Economy [2] 3 cr.
and
PLSC 671 Seminar in Public Administration 3 cr.
3. Field Specializations 15 cr.
Students must select one of the following with advice from a field specialization adviser:
- Criminal Justice Administration
- Planning and Regional Development
- Human Services Administration; Human Resources Management
- Local Government Management
- International Development Administration.
4. Directed Research Requirement 3 cr.
- Students must complete PLSC 690, Practicum, which includes a supervised field-based research project at a site appropriate to the student's specialization;
or
- Students may opt to write a thesis (PLSC 850). The thesis must conform to criteria published by the School of Graduate Studies and Research.
- A student whose undergraduate transcript shows “B or better” performance in a Research Methods in Political Science course may petition the MAPA program for exemption from PLSC 500. The exemption will be determined by examination by qualified faculty members in the Department of Political Science.
- Students who elect to pursue the International Development Administration field specialization will enroll for either PLSC 670 Foreign Policy Studies or PLSC 672 Comparative Political Studies or PLSC 675 International Development Administration, instead of PLSC 668 Public Sector Financial Administration.
