The Master of
Public Administration
Course Requirements for the Master’s Degree: 42 units
Continuous enrollment is required. A maximum of 6 semester units
of transfer credit may be applied toward the degree.
Graduate Time Limit: All requirements for the degree are
to be completed within five years of the end of the semester of
enrollment in the oldest course applied toward the degree. See “Graduate Education” in The University Catalog for complete details
on general degree requirements.
Prerequisites for Admission to Conditionally Classified Status:
1. Satisfactory grade point average as specified in “Admission to Master’s Degree Programs” in The University Catalog.
2. Approval by the department and the Office of Graduate Programs.
3. An acceptable baccalaureate from an accredited institution,
or an equivalent approved by the Office of Graduate Programs.
4. Students entering into the MPA: Option in Health Administration
are expected to have completed a prerequisite course, HCSV 231,
Organization of the Health Care Delivery System, or its equivalent.
This course is a prerequisite to POLS 363 and POLS 364 for the Option
in Health Administration. This course can be completed as a postgraduate.
While taking 300-level courses, all new students enter as conditionally
classified graduate students. When the Department of Political Science
has doubts about the applicant’s qualifications to pursue the
master’s degree program (because of grade point deficiencies
or other reasons), the student may be encouraged to seek admission
to the Office of Graduate Programs as an unclassified student. This
gives the student a trial period to demonstrate ability. Normally,
a decision to admit the unclassified student to conditionally classified
status in public administration will be made after completion of
at least 9 approved units as an unclassified student.
Conditionally classified students are expected to make no grade
lower than a B- and finish all course work (no “Incomplete”
or “Satisfactory Progress”).
Prerequisites for Admission to Classified Status:
In addition to any requirements listed above:
1. Completion of a minimum of 9 units of graduate study as a conditionally
classified student, including a graduate seminar.
2. Formation of a graduate advisory committee. This should be done
as early as possible and in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator.
Generally, no more than 15 units will be counted toward the graduate
degree program in Public Administration taken before the formation
of the graduate committee. Students selecting the thesis option
must have a committee of three faculty members. At least two of
the three faculty members on the committee, including the chair,
must be chosen from the Department of Political Science, except
that committees for students in the Health Administration Option
may be chaired by a faculty member from HCSV. Students selecting
the professional paper plan must have a committee of two faculty
members. The chair of the committee must be the faculty member instructing
POLS 380 the semester that it is taken.
3. Development of an approved master’s degree program plan.
The graduate advisory committee works with the student in the development
of the student’s master’s degree program plan. The plan
must be approved by the graduate advisory committee, the Graduate
Coordinator, and the Office of Graduate Programs.
Advancement to Candidacy:
In addition to any requirements listed above:
1. Completion of at least 15 units of the student’s approved
master’s degree program plan.
2. Graduate advisory committee approval of the student’s thesis
proposal or POLS 380 instructor’s approval of policy analysis
topic and enrollment in POLS 380.
3. A minimum grade point average of 3.0.
Requirements for the Master of Public Administration:
Completion of all requirements as established by the departmental
graduate committee, the graduate advisory committee, and the Office
of Graduate Programs, to include:
1. Completion of an approved program consisting of 42 units of
300-level courses, as follows:
(a) At least 36 units in the discipline of Public Administration.
(b) Not more than 6 semester units of transfer and/or extension
credits. (correspondence courses and U.C. extension course work
are not acceptable.) Not more than 6 units from another department
within the university, and only with approval by the graduate advisory
committee.
(c) Not more than 3 units of internship course work and only if
the student’s graduate committee or the Graduate Coordinator
agrees that the internship is a meaningful educational experience.
Internships are encouraged for pre-service students.
(d) Not more than 9 units of independent study, Master’s Thesis
(POLS 399), or Culminating Practicum (POLS 380); not more than
6 units of Master’s Thesis (POLS 399). Independent Study (POLS
398) topics cannot be the same as POLS 380 papers or thesis topics.
CORE REQUIREMENTS:
21 units required:
POLS 300 Amer Institutions/Public
Orgs 3.0 FS
POLS 302 Public
Admin and Democracy 3.0 FA
POLS 331 Seminar:
Research Methods 3.0 SP
POLS 360A Seminar:
Public Management 3.0 FA
Prerequisites: POLS 302; POLS 362 is recommended.
POLS 360B Seminar:
Public Personnel Admin 3.0 SP
Prerequisites: POLS 302.
POLS 360C Sem: Public
Financial Resources 3.0 SP
Prerequisites: POLS 302; POLS 331 is recommended.
POLS 362 Sem: Org
Theory Public Sector 3.0 FA
ELECTIVES:
15-18 units selected from:
POLS 301 Seminar:
State and Local Govt 3.0 FA
POLS 352 Legl/Ethic
Iss Hlth & Hum Serv 3.0 FA
This course is the same as HCSV 352 which may be substituted.
POLS 361 Seminar:
Public Administration 3.0 FA
POLS 363 Sem Hlth/Hum
Serv Mgmt 3.0 SP
This course is the same as HCSV 363 which may be substituted.
POLS 364 Sem Pub
Policy Health/Human Svc 3.0 FA
POLS 365 Econ &
Global Fin Iss Hlth 3.0 SP
Prerequisites: POLS 360C, POLS 364.
This course is the same as HCSV 365 which may be substituted.
POLS 366 Mental
Health Policy & Admin 3.0 SP
POLS 367 Sem: Administration/Planning 3.0 FA
POLS 368 Seminar:
Public Policy Formation 3.0 SP
POLS 369 Public
& Non-Profit Program Eval 3.0 Inq
POLS 371 Seminar:
American National Govt 3.0 FS
POLS 389A Intern/Fieldwork
Public Admin 3.0 FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
POLS 398 Independent
Study 1.0-3.0 FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
CULMINATING ACTIVITY:
Completion and final approval of one of the following two plans
as specified by the student’s graduate advisory committee.
a. Thesis Plan
The candidate shall submit an acceptable thesis based upon research
developed by the student and agreed to by the student’s graduate
advisory committee.
(1) Thesis Proposal: A proposal (prospectus or detailed outline)
of the thesis must be submitted and approved by the graduate advisory
committee before the student begins the thesis. The proposal includes
at least a statement of the problem or hypothesis, the basic research
methods to be employed, justification of the study’s value,
and estimated time of completion. The proposal is a formal document
which must have appropriate attention given to the matters of format,
documentation, and quality of writing.
(2) Registration in POLS 399, Master’s Thesis: The student
should register for POLS 399 no earlier than the third semester
in the program and in accordance with his/her thesis plan. However,
it is advisable that the student complete most of the program course
work before registering for POLS 399. An approved thesis proposal
is required for registration in POLS 399.
(3) Approval of Thesis: The thesis shall be approved by all three
members of the graduate advisory committee.
(4) Oral Defense: A required oral defense of the thesis shall be
conducted by the candidate’s graduate advisory committee. Interested
faculty may attend. The oral defense is generally limited to matters
within the scope of the thesis. The candidate may repeat the oral
defense one time if failed by the committee on the first attempt.
The time and place of the defense must be noted in print and circulated
to the Office of Graduate Programs at least one week prior to the
date. The Political Science Department should be notified of the
oral defense two weeks prior to the date.
b. Professional Paper Plan
Enrollment in POLS 380, Culminating Practicum, and successful
completion of a professional research paper (Policy Analysis) of
sufficient range in subject and method to demonstrate a broad acquaintance
with the relevant theory and methodology and a capacity for in-depth
analysis and investigation. The completed paper shall be presented
before interested faculty and graduate students and approved by
both members of the graduate committee.
2. Approval by the department graduate committee and the Graduate
Coordinators Committee on behalf of the faculty of the university.
THE OPTION IN HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
Core:
21 units required:
POLS 300 Amer Institutions/Public
Orgs 3.0 FS
POLS 302 Public
Admin and Democracy 3.0 FA
POLS 331 Seminar:
Research Methods 3.0 SP
POLS 360A Seminar:
Public Management 3.0 FA
Prerequisites: POLS 302; POLS 362 is recommended.
POLS 360B Seminar:
Public Personnel Admin 3.0 SP
Prerequisites: POLS 302.
POLS 360C Sem: Public
Financial Resources 3.0 SP
Prerequisites: POLS 302; POLS 331 is recommended.
POLS 362 Sem: Org
Theory Public Sector 3.0 FA
Option:
15 units required:
POLS 352 Legl/Ethic
Iss Hlth & Hum Serv 3.0 FA
This course is the same as HCSV 352 which may be substituted.
POLS 363 Sem Hlth/Hum
Serv Mgmt 3.0 SP
This course is the same as HCSV 363 which may be substituted.
POLS 364 Sem Pub
Policy Health/Human Svc 3.0 FA
POLS 365 Econ &
Global Fin Iss Hlth 3.0 SP
Prerequisites: POLS 360C, POLS 364.
This course is the same as HCSV 365 which may be substituted.
POLS 366 Mental
Health Policy & Admin 3.0 SP
Recommended for pre-service students.
3 units selected from:
POLS 389A Intern/Fieldwork
Public Admin 3.0 FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
HCSV 389 Internship 3.0 Inq
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
3 units selected from:
POLS 398 Independent
Study 1.0-3.0 FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
HCSV 398 Independent
Study 1.0-3.0 FS
Culminating Activity:
POLS 380 Culminating
Practicum 3.0 SP
OR (the following course may be substituted
for the above)
POLS 399 Master’s
Study 1.0-6.0 FS
OR (the following course may be substituted
for the above)
HCSV 399 Master’s
Study 1.0-6.0 FS
(See Culminating Activity above.)
THE OPTION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT
Core:
21 units required:
POLS 300 Amer Institutions/Public
Orgs 3.0 FS
POLS 302 Public
Admin and Democracy 3.0 FA
POLS 331 Seminar:
Research Methods 3.0 SP
POLS 360A Seminar:
Public Management 3.0 FA
Prerequisites: POLS 302; POLS 362 is recommended.
POLS 360B Seminar:
Public Personnel Admin 3.0 SP
Prerequisites: POLS 302.
POLS 360C Sem: Public
Financial Resources 3.0 SP
Prerequisites: POLS 302; POLS 331 is recommended.
POLS 362 Sem: Org
Theory Public Sector 3.0 FA
Option:
15 units required:
GEOG 300 Advances
in Geography & Planning 3.0 FA
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
POLS 301 Seminar:
State and Local Govt 3.0 FA
POLS 364 Sem Pub
Policy Health/Human Svc 3.0 FA
POLS 367 Sem: Administration/Planning 3.0 FA
POLS 368 Seminar:
Public Policy Formation 3.0 SP
Pre-service students: 3 units recommended in local government:
POLS 389A Intern/Fieldwork
Public Admin 3.0 FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
Culminating Activity:
A local government topic must be selected.
3-6 units required:
POLS 380 Culminating
Practicum 3.0 SP
OR (the following course may be substituted
for the above)
POLS 399 Master’s
Study 1.0-6.0 FS
Graduate Literacy Requirement:
Writing proficiency is a graduation requirement.
Graduate students in Public Administration will demonstrate their
writing competence through POLS 302 or the first graduate seminar
in which they enroll. The instructor of that seminar will certify
to the Graduate Coordinator that the student has met the requirement.
Students should consult with the Graduate Coordinator for specifics.
Graduate Grading Requirements:
All courses in the major (with the exceptions of Independent Study-398
and Master’s Study-399) must be taken for a letter grade, except
those courses specified by the department as ABC/No Credit (200-level
courses), AB/No Credit (300-level courses), or Credit/No Credit
grading only. A maximum of 10 units combined of ABC/No Credit, AB/No
Credit, and Credit/No Credit grades may be used on the approved
program (including 398, 399, and courses outside the major). While
grading standards are determined by individual programs and instructors,
it is also the policy of the university that unsatisfactory grades
may be given when work fails to reflect achievement of the high
standards, including high writing standards, expected of students
pursuing graduate study.
Students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average in all course
work on the approved master’s degree program as well as in
all course work taken subsequent to admission to conditionally classified
status.
In addition, no course in which a grade lower than B-is earned
will be counted toward the fulfillment of any graduate degree requirements.
Graduate Advising Requirement:
Advising is mandatory each semester for all Public Administration
majors. Consult with the Graduate Coordinator for specifics.
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