Public Administration

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Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) in Public Administration

Admission

Students must be admitted to the SIU Graduate School as well as the M.P.A. program. This process begins with the submission of the “Application Materials” (see below). Once admitted, students will be provided with an advisor to guide them through the program.

Applications to the M.P.A. program are accepted year-round for each of the three main semesters officially recognized by the University. In addition, applications for admission to enroll starting in the second half of a given term will also be accepted but may be subject to deferral to the following term if appropriate courses will not be available to the applicant.

Application Deadlines

Application deadlines vary based on the student's academic history and citizenship status. In all cases, the deadline refers to when a complete application must be submitted. See the following section for all materials required for a complete application.

Domestic applicants whose latest academic work was with SIU Carbondale have a deadline of 10 business days prior to the start of the term in which they wish to begin.

All other domestic applicants have a deadline of 20 business days prior to the start of the intended entrance term.

For international applicants intending to study online from abroad, the deadline is 30 business days prior to the start of the term.

For international applicants intending to complete their program of study from within the United States on a student visa, the deadline is at least 50 business days prior to the start of the term. However, the applicant should allot additional time based on the specific processes necessary to obtain their visa.

Residential program applicants seeking an assistantship must apply no later than 6 months prior to the start of the semester.

Late applications will be considered when deemed possible by the respective program administrator(s). Alternatively, late applicants may seek a deferral of their application subject to the limits imposed by the Graduate School.

See the University's academic calendar and course schedules for information on when each semester begins.

Application Materials

  1. Graduate School application. Applicants may find the application portal on Graduate School’s website. The portal may be found here: https://gradschool.siu.edu/apply/.
  2. Transcripts. Graduate School requires transcripts from all post-secondary institutions previously attended other than SIU Carbondale. If official transcripts have already been submitted in the process of applying for another program (such as previously applying for a baccalaureate degree program), please contact our office to determine if those transcripts would need to be sent again.
  3. Resume or CV. At a minimum, applicants should include all full-time professional experience they earned after being awarded a bachelor’s degree.
  4. Two references. Contact information for two references should be included on the resume. At the discretion of the admissions committee, letters of recommendation may be also requested, but are typically not necessary.
  5. Personal Statement. A personal statement must be provided which demonstrates the applicant’s fit with the program, and vice versa.
  6. International applicants:
    1. Additional requirements for international students are outlined elsewhere in this catalog as well as online at https://gradschool.siu.edu/apply/international.php.
    2. Note that financial disclosures and other materials that are only used for obtaining a student VISA are not required for those who will study from abroad. Please contact Graduate School (gradschl@siu.edu) for more information.

Admission Requirements

The M.P.A. in Public Administration program gives preference to students with undergraduate grade point averages of at least 2.7. Applicants with strong professional experience may be admitted with grade point averages below 2.7 in some cases. Admission decisions are made by the M.P.A. in Public Administration Director with the advice of the M.P.A. faculty for students who submit complete applications by the submission deadlines. Applications will be ranked for the purpose of final admissions decisions. The number of students admitted to the program for a given semester will be determined by program capacity and enrollment.

If the admissions committee recommends admission for an applicant despite academic deficiencies, the Graduate School will decide whether or not to directly admit that applicant. If Graduate School determines they are not qualified for direct admission, an applicant may instead seek non-declared graduate admissions until they establish a Graduate GPA of at least 3.0 across 9 credit hours. Upon completion, they may re-apply for admission to the program. Please note that non-declared students do not count as “Business” students for the purposes of applying policies such as those listed in the “Non-Business Graduate Students” section below.

Degree Requirements

M.P.A. students complete a 36-credit hour program of study as follows: (1) eight required courses totaling 24 credit hours; (2) 12 credit hours of elective course work; and (3) the capstone course for three credit hours. Of the 36 credit hours of graduate level coursework, at least 19 credit hours must be taken in M.P.A. program. Each of these requirements is described below.

Retention

All M.P.A. students are required to maintain a minimum level of academic performance. Any student earning a C grade or below in two or more M.P.A. required courses will be dismissed from the program. Students must otherwise conform to the standards set out in the M.P.A. Student Handbook. Issues not addressed by the Handbook fall under retention policy provisions in the Graduate School Catalog. 

Core Requirements - 24 credit hours

  • PADM 503: Research Methods for Public Administrators (3 CH)
  • PADM 537: Foundations of Public Administration (3 CH)
  • PADM 539: Program Analysis and Evaluation (3 CH)
  • PADM 542: Public Budgeting and Fiscal Management (3 CH)
  • PADM 543: Human Resource Management (3 CH)
  • PADM 545: Organization Theory and Behavior (3 CH)
  • PADM 546: Leadership in Public Administration (3 CH)
  • PADM 594: Capstone Seminar in Public Administration (3 CH)

Elective Requirements - 12 credit hours

  • Elective courses are selected by the student.

A substitution for one core course may be allowed if the substituted course is similar in content to the core course, or if competence in the subject matter of the course is clearly evident. All substitutions must be approved by the director of the program. M.P.A. students concentrating in aviation administration will substitute PADM 557 (Public Financial Administration) for PADM 539 (Program Analysis and Evaluation).

Electives

Elective courses may be selected from the offerings of various programs across the University, as well as those in the M.P.A. program. The student and the M.P.A. Director consult in selecting courses best suited to the student’s individual career goals. 400-level courses, of an introductory technical nature and other specialized courses especially relevant to the public administration profession, may be taken with the consent of the director of the program. Students may count no more than six credit hours of 400-level courses toward fulfillment of the degree.

Aviation Administration Concentration

To be considered for admission into the aviation administration concentration, pre-service applicants will have graduated from an accredited four-year college or university with a major in some aspect of aviation, with a minimum grade point average of 2.7. Inservice applicants with strong professional experience may be admitted with undergraduate grade point averages below 3.0, and with undergraduate majors outside of the aviation field. Prerequisite coursework including PADM 537 and additional aviation administration courses may be required in these situations.

Core Requirements - 25 credit hours

  • PADM 503: Research Methods for Public Administrators (3 CH)
  • PADM 535: Ethical Foundations of Public Service (3 CH)
  • PADM 540: Seminar in Public Management (3 CH)
  • PADM 542: Public Budgeting and Fiscal Management (3 CH)
  • PADM 543: Human Resource Management (3 CH)
  • PADM 545: Organization Theory and Behavior (3 CH)
  • PADM 546: Leadership in Public Administration (3 CH)
  • PADM 557: Public Financial Administration (3 CH)
  • PADM 594: Preprofessional Seminar in Public Administration (1 CH)

Aviation Requirements - 12 credit hours

(Select four of the five aviation courses, register for cross listed AVM courses.)

  • AVM 551/PADM 551: Aviation Policy, Law and Regulation (3 CH)
  • AVM 552/PADM 552: Advanced Airport Administration (3 CH)
  • AVM 553/PADM 553: Advanced Airport Safety Administration (3 CH)
  • AVM 554/PADM 554: Aviation Planning (3 CH)
  • AVM 555/PADM 555: I International Aviation (3 CH)

Internship Requirement - 3 credit hours

  • PADM 595: Internship in Public Affairs (3 CH)

Master of Public Administration/J.D. Concurrent Degrees

Students who have been admitted separately to the Southern Illinois University School of Law and the Master of Public Administration program may study concurrently for the Juris Doctorate and M.P.A. degree. Students interested in concurrent study should inform both programs before entering the second academic year as law students. Students will not be permitted to take course work outside the prescribed law curriculum during the first year of law school. The required courses for joint degree students are as follows:

Core Requirements - 22 credit hours

  • PADM 503: Research Methods for Public Administrators (3 CH)
  • PADM 539: Program Analysis and Evaluation (3 CH)
  • PADM 540: Seminar in Public Management (3 CH)
  • PADM 542: Public Budgeting and Fiscal Management (3 CH)
  • PADM 543: Human Resource Management (3 CH)
  • PADM 545: Organization Theory and Behavior (3 CH)
  • PADM 546: Leadership in Public Administration (3 CH)
  • PADM 594: Preprofessional Seminar in Public Administration (1 CH)

Law Requirements - 15 credit hours
(Select five law courses from the list below)

  • LAW 533, LAW 539, LAW 548, LAW 552, LAW 553, LAW 558, LAW 568, LAW 579, LAW 585, LAW 589, LAW 593, LAW 596, LAW 600, LAW 619, LAW 620, LAW 622, LAW 642, LAW 650, LAW 651, LAW 662, and LAW 668

Internship Requirement - 3 credit hours

  • PADM 595: Internship in Public Affairs (3 CH)

Law students accumulating 300 hours working in the field may petition to waive the PADM 595 service requirement. Successful petitioners will be granted in-service status. As in-service students, they will be required to submit the in-service paper. Students without any background in public administration may be required to enroll in PADM 537 as a prerequisite to the program.

Differential Tuition

The College of Business and Analytics has a differential tuition surcharge of 15 percent of applicable tuition for graduate College of Business and Analytics majors. The differential tuition surcharge will be assessed at the in-state tuition rate and will be capped at 15 credit hours per semester.