Public Administration (MPA)

The Public Administration program at Roger Williams University prepares students for careers in the education, nonprofit, government, for-profit, private and public sector management or consulting, environmental agencies, health care, policy analysis, homeland security and more.

Students tackle critical social issues affecting people around the world as well as close to home and work to find solutions. Courses focus on management areas such as financial administration and organizational management as well as larger concepts like ethics and global awareness. Graduates go on to employment in a broad range of organizations from local municipalities and state agencies to working as government policy analysts and fundraisers.

Master of Public Administration

The Master of Public Administration program (MPA) is a 36-credit hour program designed for individuals employed or interested in service in federal, state, local, regional or international government, non-profit and non-governmental organizations. Non-profit organizations include museums, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, membership associations and other 501 (c) (3) institutions. The curriculum is based on the standards of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). The MPA Program seeks to create competencies for the student in line with those of NASPAA.

Course Requirements for the Master of Public Administration
(All courses are three credits unless otherwise indicated)

Required Core Coursework:

Choose an area of specialization and complete four courses.

Either:

Public Management Concentration Courses (complete four of the seven courses)

Or:

Health Care Administration Concentration Courses (complete all four courses)

Internship/Research Requirement and Directed Study Requirement

At the completion of the degree students should be competent to:

1. manage in public organizations
2. participate in and contribute to the policy process
3. analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make decisions
4. communicate and interact with diverse groups and in diverse settings

The degree program will also emphasis the following public service values:

1. Accountability
2. Transparency
3. Respect for citizen privacy
4. Ethical actions and values
5. Participatory process

Courses within the curriculum are grouped into four areas: core courses, areas of concentration, research/internship, and capstone experience. The six-course core sequence provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to become effective public managers. Students then pursue a greater depth of study in a four-course concentration in either public management or health care administration. Following the core course sequence and the chosen concentration, students complete either an internship (pre-service students) or a research course (in-service students). The 36-credit hour curriculum is completed with a capstone project of the student’s own design guided by faculty advisement. As students progress through the program they are encouraged to draw on the full array of research opportunities available through the MPA and allied resources as they consider their capstone project.