Dr. Marybeth Beller
Director of MPA Program
Smith Hall 740F
(304) 696-2763     
Email Dr. Beller

The master’s degree in Public Administration will provide graduate training in academic, research and service to prepare students for leadership positions in public service, both in the non-profit and public sectors of society. The graduate curriculum consists of a 36 semester credit hour requirement, including a core of courses required for all student and a specialty area of emphasis. The core consists of 18 semester credit hours designed to train students to lead agencies in areas of budgetary development and management; data collection and analysis; personnel training, and policy development and implementation. All students are required to complete a six credit hour practicum in their specialty area and to submit a portfolio for review at the end of the practicum.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should follow the admissions process outlined in the Graduate Catalog or at the Graduate College Website at http://www.marshall.edu/graduate/programs/how-to-apply-for-admission.

Program Description

The MPA will consist of a core curriculum to include the following:

  • MGT 620, Human Resource Management
  • MGT 672, Organizational Behavior
  • PSC 533, Public Administration and Policy Development
  • PSC 553, Governmental Budgetary Administration
  • PSC 604, Data Analysis
  • PSC 616, Public Administration Scope and Practice

The program will require students who are not in the professional workforce (pre-service) to complete a six-hour practicum. This can be accomplished through agency placements for internships.

Students who are in the professional workforce (in service) will complete a project report analyzing public administration as practiced in their place of employment.

The program will offer concentrations of twelve credit hours in general administration policy, non-profit management, and urban governance.

The M.P.A. program, then, will be composed of the following:

  • Core Curriculum: 18 hours
  • Concentration: 12 hours
  • Practicum or Project Report: 6 hours
  • TOTAL: 36 hours

Concentrations/Menu of Courses

General Administration Policy

  • ACC 510, Survey of Accounting
  • ECN 550, Public Finance
  • FIN 554, Insurance Planning and Risk Management
  • LS 532, Human Relations in the Public Sector
  • LS 615, Leadership in the Public Sector
  • LS 645, Community Relations in the Public Sector
  • MGT 680, Entrepreneurship
  • PSC 550, Administrative Law
  • PSC 552, Public Personnel Administration
  • PSC 618, Seminar in Public Administration
  • PSC 660, Seminar in Policy Administration
  • PSY 518, Personnel Psychology
  • PSY 520, Industrial/Organizational Psychology
  • SOC 523, Sociology of Class, Power and Conflict
  • SOC 533, Sociology of Work

Non-Profit Management

  • ECN 550, Public Finance
  • FIN 554, Insurance Planning and Risk Management
  • GEO 511, Medical Geography
  • GEO 516, Environmental Issues in Planning (GEO 514, Principles and Methods of Planning, is a prerequisite for this course.)
  • LS 532, Human Relations in the Public Sector
  • LS 615, Leadership in the Public Sector
  • LS 645, Community Relations in the Public Sector
  • PSC 532, Nonprofit Management
  • PSC 542, Politics and Welfare
  • PSC 561, Urban Problems and Public Policy
  • PSC 660, Seminar in Policy Administration
  • PSY 520, Industrial/Organizational Psychology
  • SOC 501, Population and Human Ecology
  • SOC 523, Social Class, Power and Conflict
  • SOC 525, Race and Ethnicity
  • SOC 528, Medical Sociology
  • SOC 640 Problems and Prospects for an Aging Society

Urban Governance

  • ECN 515, Regional Economics
  • ECN 560, Economic Development
  • FIN 554, Urban Insurance Planning and Risk Management
  • GEO 510, Urban Geography
  • GEO 514, Principles and Methods of Planning
  • GEO 515, Urban Land Use Planning (GEO 514, Principles and Methods of Planning, is a prerequisite for this course.)
  • GEO 516, Environmental Issues in Planning (GEO 514, Principles and Methods of Planning, is a prerequisite for this course.)
  • GEO 526, Principles of GIS
  • GEO 529, Intermediate GIS – Vector Analysis (GEO 526, Principles of GIS, is a prerequisite for this course.)
  • GEO 530, Intermediate GIS – Raster Analysis (GEO 526, Principles of GIS, is a prerequisite for this course.)
  • GEO 531, Principles of Remote Sensing and Programming
  • LS 615, Leadership in the Public Sector
  • LS 645, Community Relations in the Public Sector
  • PSC 561, Urban Problems and Public Policy
  • PSC 621, Urban Administration
  • PSY 520, Industrial/Organizational Psychology
  • SOC 501, Population and Human Ecology
  • SOC 523, Social Class, Power and Conflict
  • SOC 533, Sociology of Work
  • SOC 542, Urban Sociology