Public Administration

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Dean: Joel Kassiola

Public Administration Program
HSS 236
415-338-2985
Director: Genie Stowers

Graduate Coordinator: Genie Stowers

Faculty

Professors—LeGates, Stowers

Associate Professor—Naff

Assistant Professors—Cook, Gen, Paarlberg

Program

Master of Public Administration

Program Scope

The goal of the program is to prepare people for responsible positions in the public sector. This includes positions in government but also in such entities as community development corporations, nonprofit social service agencies, planning and consulting organizations, and activities of private firms in public affairs and public policy areas. Applications are welcome both from persons proceeding directly from an undergraduate degree without prior experience and from those with experience who wish to strengthen their capabilities or prepare themselves for new opportunities.

The Master of Public Administration is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).

The program is based on the premise that policy and administration must be understood in relation to each other, and the core of the program seeks to develop knowledge, skills, and understanding in both public policy and public administration. The common core of the program is heavily focused on essential knowledge and skills for public management. Beyond the core, the program offers five areas of emphasis as an opportunity for specialization. They are Integrated and Collaborative Service Delivery, Nonprofit Administration, Policy Making andAnalysis, Public Management, and Urban Administration. The requirements for the M.P.A., in general, and the specialty emphases, in particular, are shown in detail on the following pages. Taking an emphasis for specialization is optional. Those who choose not to pursue an emphasis may take appropriate electives to satisfy their professional needs, and students may opt to design their own emphasis. Students may choose courses relevant to their professional interests offered by other departments and programs throughout the university.

Career Outlook

Graduates from the M.P.A. program pursue their professional careers in various government agencies at federal, state, and local levels, such as the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Government Accounting Office, city management, and state offices. In addition, many others find careers in nonprofit organizations, and consulting and research firms. Some go on to the Ph.D. in Public Administration at other universities to enter into a career in higher education.

MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Graduate Advisers—Cook, Gen, LeGates, Naff, Paarlberg, Stowers

Admission to Program

After submitting the application for post-baccalaureate study to the university graduate admissions office, applicants should:

Write a letter of application or intent to the MPA program, setting forth professional and academic interests and relevant experience. A resume would also be helpful.
Send two letters of recommendation to the MPA program from persons familiar with the applicant's academic or professional ability.
Send one set of transcripts of prior academic work directly to the MPA program. Another set is required by the graduate admissions office.
Have a GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 60 units, or submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) combined scores of at least 1100 for the Verbal and Quantitative portions. Due to limited space in the program, this requirement is only a minimum.
Foreign students from non-English speaking countries must submit a paper-based TOEFL score of at least 550 or a computer-based score of 213 to the graduate admissions office.

Applicants must meet all university admission requirements to be accepted into the MPA program. Applicants are judged on a competitive basis.

For fully classified status in the program, applicants must meet the following prerequisites:

A course in microeconomics.
Successfully passing the Graduate Essay Test (GET).

Applicants who do not meet the prerequisites may be admitted on the condition that they complete these prerequisites within one academic year.

Potential applicants who are still completing their undergraduate work may wish to strengthen their preparation for the program with courses in public administration, economics, politics, public policy, and research techniques.

Written English Proficiency Requirement

Level One: satisfactory performance on the Graduate Essay Test (GET) before or during the first semester of attendance. Level Two: master's thesis or strategic assessment memo from PA 800 must be written at a level commensurate with professional standards in the field.

Advancement to Candidacy

Approval of a student's proposed course of study (the Graduate Approved Program) advances a student to candidacy. Completion of the Graduate Approved Program requirements qualifies the student to apply for the award of the master's degree. Besides meeting university requirements for advancement to candidacy, students are required to:

Complete prerequisites and any other conditions specified by the program.
Complete at least six units of work in graduate courses.
Maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA in all course work and in courses specified in the Graduate Approved Program.
Consult regularly with a program adviser.

On-line course descriptions are available. Upon advisement, upper division and graduate courses in other disciplines may be accepted if they contribute to a coherent program related to the student's educational objectives.

Core Requirements		Units
PA 700	Introduction to Public Administration & Public Policy	3
PA 705	Research Methods and Data Analysis I	3
PA 706	Research Methods and Data Analysis II	3
PA 710	Microeconomic Analysis for Public Administration	3
PA 715	Policy-Making and Implementation	3
PA 720	Managing Organizational Behavior	3
PA 725	Managing Human Resources	3
PA 730	Managing Budgets in the Public Sector	3
Internship Requirement ¹
PLSI 603	Public Service Internships (3) and	4
PLSI 604	Internship Seminar (1) or
URBS 603	Urban Internship Fieldwork (3) and
URBS 604	Urban Internship Seminar (1)
Culminating Experience Requirement		3
PA 800	Capstone Course or
PA 898	Master's Thesis
Emphasis or Electives on advisement		12
Minimum total		39-43

Emphases

*Integrated and Collaborative Service Delivery*		Units
BSS/EDUC 703	School/Community Partnership for Change	3
EDUC/BSS 803	Integrated and Collaborative Services for Children	3
Units selected from the following:		3
PA 740	Public Sector Management
PA 745	Administration of Nonprofit Organizations
PA 780	Urban Administration
Additional units of electives selected to complete emphasis		3
Total for emphasis		12

Students choosing this emphasis must take the internship, having been placed in an integrated services placement: PLSI 603/URBS 603, Public Service Internship, and PLSI 604/URBS 604, Internship Seminar.

Nonprofit Administration		Units
PA 744	Nonprofits, Public Policy, and Society	3
Units selected from the following:		9
PA 742	Strategic Public and Nonprofit Management
PA 745	Administration of Nonprofit Organizations
PA 747	Developing Nonprofit Resources
PA 750	Financial Management in the Public Sector
PA 755	Managing Information Systems in the Public Sector
PA 760	Diversity in Public Organizations
PA 762	Leadership for the Public and Nonprofit Sectors
PA 764	Contemporary Issues in Public Service Ethics
PA 770	Policy Analysis
PA 775	Program Evaluation
MS 800	Museum Management, Law, and Ethics
MS 860	Fundraising in Museums
SW 800	Planning and Program Development
Total for emphasis		12

Policy Making and Analysis		Units
PA 770	Policy Analysis	3
Units selected from the following:		9
PA 764	Contemporary Issues in Public Service Ethics
PA 775	Program Evaluation
ECON 320	Introduction to Econometrics
ECON 508	Economics and Public Policy
ECON 805	Applied Public Finance
Substantive policy area courses like ENVS 450, URBS 560, or URBS 570, upon advisement
Total for emphasis		12

Public Management		Units
PA 740	Public Sector Management	3
Units selected from the following		9
PA 742	Strategic Public and Nonprofit Management
PA 750	Financial Management in the Public Sector
PA 752	Public Administration and the Law
PA 755	Managing Information Systems in the Public Sector
PA 757	E-Government
PA 760	Diversity in Public Organizations
PA 762	Leadership for the Public and Nonprofit Sectors
PA 764	Contemporary Issues in Public Service Ethics
PA 770	Policy and Organizational Analysis
PA 775	Program Evaluation
ECON 601	Applied Microeconomics
PLSI 731	Ethics and Politics (4)
Total for emphasis		12

Urban Administration		Units
PA 780	Urban Administration	3
Units selected from the following		9
ECON/URBS 535	Urban Economics
GEOG/URBS 433	Urban Transportation (4)
GEOG/PA 858	Seminar in Environmental and Land Use Planning
PA 752	Public Administration and the Law
PA 755	Managing Information Systems in the Public Sector
PA 757	E-Government
PA 760	Diversity in Public Organizations
PA 762	Leadership for the Public and Nonprofit Sectors
PA 764	Contemporary Issues in Public Service Ethics
PA 770	Policy Analysis
PA 775	Program Evaluation
PA 782	Community and Economic Development
PA 784	Intergovernmental Relations
URBS 560	Urban Poverty and Policy (4)
URBS 565	Social Policy and Family Systems (4)
URBS 570	Urban Health Policy
URBS 580	Urban Housing
URBS 582	Homelessness and Public Policy
Total for emphasis		12

Culminating Experience Requirement

Students in the public administration program can choose between two options for their culminating experience:

Students may choose to take a capstone course (PA 800) and to complete a written comprehensive examination, the Strategic Assessment. The capstone course focuses upon synthesizing the knowledge, skills, and abilities learned during the course of each student's program through the analysis of case studies of policy and organizational issues from the field. Students summarize their Student Learning Portfolio, analyze selected case studies, and present their strategic assessment of what managers operating in those cases should do to take the issue "to the next step"—to resolve it. The strategic assessment memo is the written presentation of each student's analysis and plan for that case.
Students may also choose to undertake a traditional social science research project in the guise of the Master's Thesis (PA 898) option. Working with a faculty committee, students write a prospectus, have it approved the semester before undertaking the research, and write the thesis. After initiating this option, students must enroll each additional semester in PA 897, Research in Public Administration, until the thesis is completed.

Public Administration Program Portfolio

San Francisco State University public administration students graduate with a portfolio of work products and evaluations of student work designed to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired in the public administration program. The required components of the portfolio have been chosen based upon a careful assessment of the skills that are crucial for the success of the public administrator in the new millennium.

Eugene I. Pearl Memorial Scholarship

Students specializing in urban administration are eligible, on a competitive basis, for the Eugene I. Pearl Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship reimburses students for the cost of their textbooks; can be renewed each semester, also on a competitive basis.

Cho Public Service Scholarships

SFSU Cho Public Service Scholarships are available on a competitive basis for incoming and continuing students. Students are selected on the basis of outstanding academic achievement, outstanding community service, and potential for excellence in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Please contact the program office for information and applications.

Footnote

Internship requirement may be waived upon evidence and approval of previous or concurrent educationally appropriate work experience in public policy or administration or may be met with equivalent courses in related programs.