The Department of Public Administration offers a Master of Public Administration degree. This degree is designed to meet the needs of those who intend to advance their careers in public service-related professions. Students admitted to this degree are required to complete 54 credits of coursework. The program allows students to apply and matriculate in fall, winter, and spring quarters, and proceed through the program in either full-time or part-time status.
Requirements
Substantive Core (30)
| PA 511 | Public Administration | 3 |
| PA 513 | Administrative Ethics and Values | 3 |
| PA 533 | Public Policy: Origins and Process | 3 |
| PA 534 | Administrative Law | 3 |
| PA 540 | Administrative Theory and Behavior | 3 |
| PA 551 | Analytic Methods in Public Administration I | 3 |
| PA 552 | Analytic Methods in Public Administration II | 3 |
| PA 582 | Public Budgeting | 3 |
| PA 585 | Financial Management in the Public Sector | 3 |
| PA 590 | Human Resource Management in the Public Sector | 3 |
PA 585 may be substituted with an economics course approved by adviser
Skill Development (6)
Two of the following:
| PA 525 | Grantwriting for Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| PA 536 | Strategic Planning | 3 |
| PA 545 | Organizational Development | 3 |
| PA 546 | Supervision in the Public Sector | 3 |
| PA 549 | Cross-cultural Communication in the Public Sector | 3 |
| PA 554 | Policy Analysis Research | 3 |
| PA 555 | Program Evaluation and Management | 3 |
| PA 556 | Public Contract Management | 3 |
| PA 558 | Managing Public Projects and Programs: From Local to Global | 3 |
| PA 562 | Managing Employee Performance in the Public Sector | 3 |
| PA 594 | Diversity and Inclusion at Work | 3 |
Other courses not listed here but appropriate to the educational goals of the student may be selected to fulfill the skill development requirements with consent of the student’s adviser.
Integrative Experience (3)
The integrative experience PA 509 is available to students only after they have completed at least 42 credits in their master’s program.
| PA 509 | Organizational Experience | 3 |
Field of Specialization (15)
The MPA program offers the following formal fields of specialization: nonprofit management, natural resources policy and administration, local government, and global leadership and management. Students may also work with their advisor to design their own specially designed field of specialization. Students declare an intended field of specialization by the time they complete 30 credits of the MPA program by filing a “field of specialization” form with a proposed program of study. The specialization and program of study may be changed based upon consultation with the faculty advisor.
Requirements for the formal fields of specialization are:
Nonprofit Management: Four required courses and one elective course. One of the four required courses in this specialization substitutes for the required budgeting course in the core of the program, allowing students to take an additional elective course.
Natural Resources Policy and Administration: Two required and three elective courses.
Local Government: Two required and three elective courses.
Global Leadership and Management: Two required and three elective courses.
Students are encouraged to work with their advisors to take advantage of course offerings in other academic units, as well as other professional experiences that may be recommended by faculty advisors. Detailed information on specializations can be found at www.pdx.edu/public-administration/mpa-specializations.
Diversity
At some point within their program of study students must satisfactorily complete one course the primary focus of which is diversity. This does not require additional credit hours or coursework beyond the 54 credit requirement and can include courses taken as skill development or specialization classes. Course options include, but are not limited to the following.
| PA 514 | Global Leadership and Management | 3 |
| PA 523 | Nongovernmental Organizations: Nonprofits on the World Stage | 3 |
| PA 529 | Nonprofit Field Study in Oaxaca, Mexico | 3-6 |
| PA 544 | International Field Experience | 3 |
| PA 547 | Culture, Values and Leadership | 3 |
| PA 549 | Cross-cultural Communication in the Public Sector | 3 |
| PA 593 | Civil Rights in Public Service | 3 |
| PA 594 | Diversity and Inclusion at Work | 3 |
Other courses can be approved by the adviser.