The mission of Jacksonville State University’s MPA Program is to provide a diverse student population with the knowledge and core competencies to become effective public administrators.  Through the use of a standardized public administration curriculum and interdisciplinary cooperation, our program is able to prepare students for leadership roles in a variety of public and non-profit organizations.  Utilizing traditional classroom and on-line formats, our program is able to provide quality graduate education that promotes the values and ideals of public service to all students. 

Applicants to the MPA with a major in public administration must select one of the following concentrations: administrative management, criminal justice, education, emergency management, environmental science management, geographical information systems, or political science.

Deadline dates for application and receipt of all required application materials for the MPA degree are:  November 1 for spring semester admission, April 1 for summer admission, and July 1 for fall semester admission.  

Concentration in Administrative Management

Concentration in Criminal Justice

Concentration in Education

Concentration in Emergency Management

Concentration in Environmental Science Management

Concentration in Geographical Information Systems

Concentration in Political Science

Required Application Materials

Applicants for the MPA must submit all of the following documentation to the College of Graduate Studies, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Road North, Jacksonville, Alabama 36265-1602, to be considered for admission:

1. Completed JSU Graduate Application for Admission
2. Non-refundable $30.00 application processing fee
3. Official transcript(s) from all postsecondary institutions attended. (Students who have previously attended JSU do not need to request a transcript from the University.
4. Official test scores on the GMAT, the General Test of the GRE, or the MAT
5. Three "Graduate Reference Forms" completed by individuals who can provide qualitative assessment of the applicant's potential for success in graduate course work.
6. A statement of purpose/interest that shows why the MPA degree is important to the applicant, what the applicant will bring to the program, and how the degree will benefit the applicant's career aspirations.
7. A professional resume including academic history, employment, and voluntary/community work. Students who have one year or more of experience working for federal, state, or local government, or a nonprofit organization must include this experience on their resume and include a letter from the federal, state, or local government or nonprofit organization employer in order to be exempt from the internship requirement of this degree. The employer's letter must state the dates of employment as well as the student's main responsibilities while employed within the organization. Students lacking substantial prior administrative experience in government or nonprofit organizations must also register for 3 semester hours of internship credit (PSC 597 Public Affairs Internship), successfully complete internship responsibilities in a government (federal, state, or local) or nonprofit organization, and receive a passing grade for PSC 597.
8. If English is not the applicant's native language, the applicant is required to submit an official TOEFL score report, an IELTS score report, or a PTE score report.

Admission Requirements

Applicants who meet the general admission requirements to the College of Graduate Studies are eligible for admission to the MPA.  A particular undergraduate major is not specified for admission to this program. 

Applicants must meet one of the following admission formula requirements.  For purposes of computing the undergraduate GPA, a 4.0 grade-point scale is used. The plus (+) and minus (-) grades from undergraduate transcripts are not used in calculating the GPA.

Minimum Requirements

A total of 39 semester hours is required for most concentrations; an exception is education which may require 40 semester hours.   The student must complete 18 semester hours in required public administration courses (21 if an internship is required); 15 semester hours in a concentration from one of the following fields: administrative management, criminal justice, education, emergency management, environmental science management, geographical information systems, political science, or sport management; and six hours of electives (only 3 semester hours of electives if an internship is required).  All degree candidates lacking substantial prior administrative experience in government or nonprofit organizations must also register for 3 semester hours of internship credit (PSC 597 Public Affairs Internship), successfully complete internship responsibilities in a government (federal, state, or local) or nonprofit organization, and receive a passing grade for PSC 597.  In addition, students who need to take PSC 597 Public Affairs Internship must enroll in the course during their last semester of coursework. 

Concentration in one of the Following Fields of Study (15 semester hours):

Administrative Management: 15 required semester hours
or
Criminal Justice: 15 semester hours by advisement
or
Education: 15-16 required semester hours
or
Emergency Management: 15 required semester hours
or
Environmental Science Management: 15 required semester hours
or
Geographical Information Systems: 15 required semester hours
or
Political Science: 15 semester hours by advisement

 

Electives (6 semester hours, 3 semester hours if internship is required):

The remaining six hours are electives (3 semester hours if internship is required) in a field appropriate to the student’s interest and career objectives. Students concentrating in administrative management may not elect these six hours in business courses.

39 Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree
Course descriptions for the public administration courses are provided in the Political Science section of this Bulletin.

Course descriptions for the concentration courses are provided in the various program sections of this Bulletin.

Master of Public Administration with a Concentration in Administrative Management

The two remaining required courses (as noted above) will be selected from any of the College of Commerce and Business Administration classes for which students have met all prerequisites. These will be determined for each student based on interaction with their Administrative Management concentration adviser.

39 Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree

Notes:

Course descriptions for the administrative management courses are provided in the Business Administration section of this Bulletin.

Course descriptions for the public administration courses are provided in the Political Science section of this Bulletin.

Master of Public Administration with a Concentration in Criminal Justice 

Master of Public Administration with a Concentration in Education

Master of Public Administration with a Concentration in Emergency Management

Master of Public Administration with a Concentration in Environmental Science Management

The Department of Physical and Earth Sciences offers an area of concentration in environmental science management within the MPA degree program.

A graduate certificate in environmental science management is also available for non-degree students who wish to specialize in the area of environmental science management.

Please refer to the Environmental Science Management section of this Bulletin for requirements for the graduate certificate in environmental science management.

Required Environmental Science Management Courses for the MPA with a Concentration in Environmental Science Management

A total of 39 semester hours is required for this degree program. The student must complete 15 semester hours in the environmental science management concentration courses, 18 semester hours in required public administration courses, and six semester hours in electives (three semester hours of electives if an internship is required).

Required Public Administration Courses (18 semester hours):

Master of Public Administration with a Concentration in Geographical Information Systems

Master of Public Administration with a Concentration in Political Science