Master of Public Policy and Administration

Graduate Coordinator

Dr. Eddie French

Associate Professor
Office: 191 Bowen Hall
Phone: (662) 325-2711
Email: efrench@pspa.msstate.edu

Overview

The Department of Political Science and Public Administration offers the Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) degree in both a traditional and an intensive-semester format. The degree program has a favorable faculty-to-student ratio that permits students to have close contact with faculty. The faculty maintains a broad research agenda, and several faculty members possess governmental service experience.

We enroll students from all regions of Mississippi as well as from many other states. The MPPA program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). The program strives to professionalize and diversify state and local government in Mississippi and the region. The MPPA program prepares persons to serve effectively as public administrators at the national, state and local levels of government.

Important Links

Admission Criteria

A competitive applicant of the MPPA program must have completed the last two years of undergraduate work with a grade point average of 3.00. Applicants with previous graduate work must have a grade point average of 3.00 on such course work. Moreover, the applicant must submit a resume, the results of either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), and submit three letters of recommendation. An applicant with a lower grade point average may be admitted if she or he has a competitive score on the Miller Analogies Test or on the verbal, quantitative and analytical writing portions of the GRE.

An international applicant whose native language is not English must have a score of 600 PBT (243 CBT or 96 iBT) or better on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or 7.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). An international applicant whose native language is not English and who holds a degree from a college or university in the United States must submit a TOEFL score of at least 600 PBT (or equivalent) if the verbal Graduate Record Examination score is lower than 500.

A student who has not been enrolled for one regular semester (fall or spring) is required to submit a readmission form and a new statement of purpose. The readmission must be approved by the Graduate Coordinator. If a student has not been enrolled for one calendar year, the applicant must submit a new application and statement of purpose to be considered for readmission.

Provisional Admission

An applicant who fails to meet admission requirements may be admitted on a provisional basis. Students admitted on a provisional basis must receive no grade lower than B during the initial 9 hours of graduate work

Program of Study/Completion Requirements

The Master of Public Policy and Administration program consists of three facets:

(1) Core Courses—27 hours

These are courses that provide broad training in public policy and administration. These courses cover the fundamental competencies essential for professional practice in the field of public policy and administration.

PPA 8103	Seminar in Public Administration
PPA 8703	Government Organization and Administrative Theory
PPA 8713	Public Personnel Management
PPA 8723	Public Budgeting and Financial Management
PPA 8733	Public Program Evaluation
PPA 8743	Administrative Law
PPA 8803	Research Methods for Public Affairs
PPA 8903	Public Policy
PPA 8983	Integrative Capstone

(2) Elective Courses—12 hours

Each student must complete a 12-hour elective concentration to augment knowledge, skills and abilities acquired in required courses. These courses are tailored to the student's career objective.

(3) Internship—3 hours

Each student completes an internship in a public or nonprofit agency. The internship is waived for students possessing at least one year of relevant work experience.