Public Administration
Welcome
Welcome to the Master of Public Administration Program (MPA) in the College of Professional Studies at Albany State University. The program offers a professional degree that prepares students for managerial and leadership positions in public agencies, non-profit organizations and the private sector.
Founded in 1987, the program was initially accredited by The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs & Administration (NASPAA), in 2004 and re-affirmed for the 2012-2018 cycle. The program is currently accredited by NASPAA through the 2018- 2025 accreditation cycle.
Earning the Master of Public Administration degree requires the successful completion of 36 credit hours of course work, with a minimum of 27 hours of core course work (including the Capstone report and Professional Internship), nine hours of course work in an area of concentration. There is also a portfolio requirement as part of the exit process. The curriculum combines both theory and practice, as it stresses the ideals of performance, accountability, professionalism and ethics. It also affords students the opportunity to strengthen their abilities to think critically, enhance both written and oral communication skills, utilize analytical techniques, draw on information technology and develop an awareness of professional ethics.
There are currently four areas of concentration offered in the program: Criminal Justice Administration, Health Administration &Policy, Human Resources Management and Public Management. The MPA program collaborates with Albany State University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA), and the graduate Criminal Justice programs to deliver its educational services.
We welcome your interest in the program and will be delighted to talk with you. We encourage all qualified prospective students to apply for admission to the program.
Veronica Adams-Cooper, PhD
Professor and Director
Master of Public Administration Program
NASPAA Standard 7.0 Information
Degree Title
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Organizational Relationship Between Program and University
The MPA program is currently housed in the College of Business, Education & Professional Studies (CBEPS)
Modes of Program Delivery
The MPA program currently offers two modes of program delivery: A traditional model which combines face to face and online classes (hybrid), and an online model, begun in August 2020, which allows students to take courses online without a classroom or face to face option.
Number of Credit Hours
- Program completion requires the successful completion of 36 hours of academic credit, unless a student decides to pursue a double concentration which will require the completion of three additional hours in the second area of concentration.
- Graduation requirements include completion of an internship and an exit process including a portfolio and Capstone report(project report in the case of the Water Resources Management area of concentration)
Length of Degree
- Full time students can generally complete the degree within two years
- Part time students can generally complete the degree within three years
List of Dual Degrees
- The program does not offer dual degrees
List of Specializations (Areas of concentration)*
The program currently includes the following concentrations
- Criminal Justice Administration
- Health Administration &Policy
- Human Resources Management
- Public Management
.Fast Track Information
- A fast track Option is not currently available
Number of Students
- As of Fall 2021 there were 43 students in the program
Mission Statement
Provide a professional master’s level education for students aspiring to management positions in government, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector.
- Provide professional assistance to the public, governments, and nonprofit organizations in Southwest Georgia, Dougherty County, and the surrounding communities through public service of the faculty and students.
- Increase the number of qualified graduates from underrepresented groups with professional public administration skills, training, and education for leadership positions.
- Increase the number of qualified graduates from underrepresented groups with professional public administration skills, training, and education for leadership positions.
The current mission was adopted in the fall of 2002 and was revised in the fall of 2010 and spring 2011 semesters. As a result of the consolidation of the former Darton State College and Albany State University, the mission statement of the MPA program was further revised in the fall of 2016, spring 2017 and summer 2017 by all stakeholders of the program. The summer 2017 mission statement revision was done in preparation for the program’s re-affirmation which was completed successfully in 2018
An applicant for the Master of Public Administration degree must meet the following admission requirements:
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
- A minimum 3.0 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 point scale) for course work completed at the undergraduate level is required for regular admission. A cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 is required for provisional admission.
- The MPA program at Albany State University does not require GRE or MAT scores for admission purposes.
- Two official transcripts sent from all colleges and universities attended.
- Two current letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s ability to successfully complete the graduate program.
- In addition to the graduate school requirements prospective students will be required to submit a written statement of career goals.
- Submission of a completed graduate admissions application with a $20 processing fee.
- International students must take the TOEFL and meet other criteria established by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia ( The minimum score is 60 and the average score is 88)
All documents, including test scores, must be received in the Graduate Admissions Office at least 45 days prior to the desired semester of enrollment. Prospective applicants should contact the graduate recruitment and admissions officer in the Graduate School for more information.
Number of faculty teaching in the program
There are currently five full time faculty members with terminal degrees. Criminal justice courses are taught by faculty members in the graduate Criminal Justice Program.
Faculty Identified within the Unit including rank
- Peter Ngwafu, Ph.D., Tenured Professor
- Veronica Adams-Cooper, Ph.D., tenured Professor
- Robert Dauphin-Tenured Professor
- Bruce Neubauer, Ph.D., Tenured Associate Professor
- Sandra Handwerk, Ph.D., Tenure Associate Professor
Tuition Cost
Tuition rates for fall of 2021 are as follows
IN STATE TUITION FEES FOR 2021-2022
OUT OF STATE TUITION FEES FOR 2021-20222
ASU’s MPA Tuition And Financial Aid Information-2021-2022
The listed tuitions for the 2021-2022 academic year for graduate education are as follows:
- In-state full-time (12 semester hours): $3,222 per semester
- In -state full time ( 9 hours): $2,654
- In-state part-time (6 semester hours): $ 2, 018 per semester
- Out-of-state (12 semester hours): $10,079 per semester
- Out -of-State (9 hours ) $ 7, 793.00
- Out-of-state part-time (6 semester hours): $ 5, 507 per semester
Description of Financial Aid Including Assistantships
Eligible graduate students can receive up to $20,500 in student loans for the fall, spring, and summer, of which $8,500 can be made up subsidized loans and $ 12,000 can be unsubsidized loans. Students must be accepted to the graduate school as either provisional or regular graduate students in order to eligible for financial aid. Students who are classified as non-degree students are unable to receive financial aid. Students must be seeking a degree or working on a teaching certification in order to receive financial aid. During the 2020-2021academic year, the ASU MPA program offered two assistantships to two deserving students and is also offering two assistantships to two deserving students for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Internship Placement List
Since 2018-2021, one or more students were placed for internship experiences in each of the following:
2018-2020-INTERNSHIP PLACEMENTS
|
Agency |
|
Albany Beverage Company |
|
Albany Middle School - Dougherty County School System |
|
Belmont Village |
|
Bridgeman Food Companies |
|
City of Ashburn, GA |
|
The Columbus Organization |
|
Division of Child Support Services/Tifton - Georgia Department of Human Services |
|
Dooley County High School |
|
Dougherty County Human Resources Department |
|
Downtown Manager's Office - City of Albany |
|
Early Child Care Center - Albany Technical College |
|
Englewood Healthcare |
|
Forest Service, Southern Regional Office - USDA |
|
Judicial Correction Services |
|
Lincoln Elementary Magnet School - Dougherty County School System |
|
Live Oak Elementary School |
|
Lowe's |
|
Mitivate, Inc. |
|
Office of Congressman Sanford D. Bishop |
|
Office of Human Resources - Lincoln University |
|
Open Arms, Inc. |
|
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital |
|
Robert Harvey Elementary School |
|
Southside Middle School - Dougherty County School System |
|
Southwest Georgia Community Action Council, Inc. |
|
Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education, Inc. |
|
The Columbus Organization |
|
United States District Court, Middle District of Georgia |
|
Victim Witness Assistance Program - Dougherty County District Attorney's Office |
|
Center of Excellence for Community Engagement - Albany State University |
|
Division of Student Affairs - Albany State University |
|
DPA - Project Stop - Albany State University |
|
Graduate School - Albany State University |
|
Lois B. Hollis Center for Social Equity - Albany State University |
|
M.A.L.E.S. Mentor Program - Albany State University |
|
Office of Career Services - Albany State University |
|
Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment - Albany State University |
|
Office of Residence Life - Albany State University |
|
Office of Student Engagement - Albany State University |
|
Police Department - Albany State University |
|
Testing Center - Albany State University |
|
Veteran Student Success Program - Military and Adult Education - Albany State University |
|
2021 INTERNSHIP PLACEMENTS |
|
Albany State University-Department of Athletics |
|
Albany State University-Department of Health &Human Performance |
|
Albany State University- MPA Program Health Administration & Policy |
|
Albany State University- MPA Program- Lois B Hollis Center for Social Equity |
|
Albany State University- MPA Program-OPA Stronger Together Grant |
|
Albany State University- office of Human Resources Management |
|
Albany State University-Police Department |
|
Albany Technical College-Healthcare Technology Division |
|
ARTriumph Historical Society for the Artesian Renaissance |
|
Dougherty County School System- Albany Middle School |
|
Dougherty County School System- Albany Middle School-Robert A. Cross Middle Magnet School |
|
Global Payments Inc- For Profit |
|
H.E.R.O. & A Better Way Grocers |
|
Let’s Rebuild Tuskegee |
|
University of Georgia Extension Service-Mitchell County 4 H |
Student Completion Rates for the 2016-2017 Cohort
For the 2016-2017Cohort (SSY-5)23 students enrolled, 15 students graduated within two years, 20(an addition of 9 students) graduated within three years and 5 students or 23 students graduated within four years and 0 persisted towards graduation, therefore in all 23 students graduated or persisted towards graduation within four years
Sectoral Distribution of Employment Rates for students who graduated in the 2019-2020 academic year
National or Central government in the same country as the program----3
State, provincial or regional government in the same country as program---4
City, County or other local government in the same country as program--7
Government not in the same country as the program (all levels) or quasi-government—0
Nonprofit domestic-oriented----2---
Nonprofit/NGOs internationally oriented------0
Private Sector-Research/Consulting-------0
Private Sector but not Research/Consulting----3
Obtaining further education---------1
Military Service--------1
TOTAL-------------21
MPA Degree Requirements
Required Credit Hours
Length of Degree
- Full-time students can generally complete the degree within two years.
- Part-time students can generally complete the degree within three years.
Fast Track
At the present time there is no fast track option for degree completion.
Dual Degrees
At the present time there is no dual degree option.
MPA Admission Criteria
To be admitted to the MPA program an applicant must be admitted to the ASU Graduate School, and must also meet the following conditions, established by the program for regular, provisional, and non-degree admission.
Regular Admission
- Hold an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with an undergraduate grade point average of 2.88 or better.
- The MPA program at ASU does not require GRE or MAT scores for admission purposes.
- A written statement of career goals.
Provisional Admission
- An undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university with an undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.5 or better
- The MPA program at ASU does not require GRE or MAT scores for admission purposes.
- A written statement of career goals
A student who is admitted provisionally to the MPA program must complete the first nine hours of graduate coursework successfully with a grade of B or better in order to be admitted to regular status. To that end, the student must take no more than two courses or six credit hours each semester until the first nine hours of graduate course work have been completed successfully by earning a grade of B or better in each course. After successfully completing the nine hours of course work, the student’s status will be changed from provisional to regular. Otherwise the student’s enrollment in the program will be terminated. Individual programs of study may have higher provisional admission standards.
Non-Degree Admission
The MPA program only accepts non-degree admissions for qualified applicants who already hold a master’s degree who may be interested in taking MPA courses for their personal enrichment. No student will be allowed to take more than nine (9) hours in a non-degree status.