The Master of Public Affairs requires 40-43 credit hours and is intended for persons interested in public service careers in local, state, and federal agencies; private, nonprofit agencies and voluntary organizations; public affairs offices in private businesses; and legislative staff positions. It provides professional training designed to meet current demands in public service positions and build the foundation for long-term development and advancement in a public service career. The M.P.A. program is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).

The program provides a foundation in the major substantive areas of public affairs: policy-making and policy analysis; administration, management and organizational behavior; quantitative analysis and evaluation; and the political context of public administration. Beyond these areas, students can declare a concentration (Community and Economic Development; Local Government Management; or Nonprofit Management) or take a mix of electives in the department and up to 9 credits in other departments (e.g., geography, conflict and peace studies, public health education).

Students with no work experience in public or nonprofit agencies must complete an additional 3-credit supervised internship, along with a field research project.

For information regarding deadlines and requirements for admission, please see https://grs.uncg.edu/programs/.

In addition to the application materials required by the Graduate School, applicants must submit a personal statement.

Degree Program Requirements

Required: 40-43 credit hours

Core Courses

The eight required courses are to be taken in approximately the following order, when possible. Consult an advisor for specific sections of 511.

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Core Courses (23 credits)
PSC 511J	Topics in Public Affairs: Legal Issues in Public Administration	1
PSC 600	Public Administration and Management	3
PSC 601	Politics of Public Policy	3
PSC 602	Quantitative Analysis and Program Evaluation	3
PSC 603 & 603L	Budgeting and Fiscal Administration and Budget Analysis Laboratory	4
PSC 604	Public Personnel Management	3
PSC 612	Organizational Behavior and Leadership	3
PSC 611	Program and Policy Evaluation	3
Electives (17 credits)
Select 17 credits from the following: *		17
PSC 510	Topics in Public Policy
PSC 511	Topics in Public Affairs
PSC 520	Urban Political System
PSC 540	Nonprofit Management and Leadership
PSC 560	Special Topics in Public Administration
PSC 613	Local Government Administration
PSC 615	Human Resource Development and Performance Management
PSC 620	Urban and Regional Development Policy
PSC 630	Community and Economic Development Theory and Practice
PSC 645	Nonprofit Financial Management and Budgeting
PSC 650	Philanthropy and Resource Development
Total Credit Hours		40

*

Students may take up to 9 credits from approved graduate courses in other departments.

Experiential Component

Students not having approved prior work experience will be required to take Applied Policy Research (PSC 694) or complete a supervised internship (PSC 695) in a public or nonprofit agency for 3-6 credits, depending on the duration of the placement, together with a directed field study (PSC 696). Students with prior work who desire experience in a new area of public affairs may choose to complete an applied policy analysis or internship as well.

Comprehensive Examination (Capstone Experience)

The required exam consists of two parts:

1. A written essay examination (based on core courses) when halfway through the graduate program.
2. A summary of learning paper completed near the end of graduate work.

Community and Economic Development Concentration

This concentration combines the M.P.A. core requirements with courses emphasizing the knowledge and skills to prepare students to work in organizations focusing on community and economic development activities. The prerequisite, comprehensive exam, and the experiential component are the same as for the M.P.A.

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Required Courses (13 credits) 1
PSC 511J	Topics in Public Affairs: Legal Issues in Public Administration	1
PSC 520	Urban Political System	3
PSC 620	Urban and Regional Development Policy	3
PSC 630	Community and Economic Development Theory and Practice	3
GES 602	Sustainable Urban Planning in an Entrepreneurial Environment	3
or ENT 610
Electives (5 credits)
Select 5 credits of electives 2		5
Internship (3-6 credits)
PSC 695	Public Affairs Internship 3	3-6
Total Credit Hours		21-24

¹

Students must complete all of the M.P.A. core courses including the required research tools course. Students will need to consult with an advisor for specific section of 511. They must also complete 15 credits of course work related to community and economic development skills and knowledge.

²

With the approval of the Graduate Program Director, students may select additional course work from political science or other departments, such as geography, sociology, business administration, or economics.

³

An internship is required for students who have no prior experience in a professional or management position in community and economic development.

Local Government Management Concentration

This concentration combines the M.P.A. core requirements with courses emphasizing the knowledge and skills to prepare students to work as local government managers. The prerequisite, comprehensive exam, and experiential component are the same as for the M.P.A.

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Required Courses (6 credits) 1
PSC 520	Urban Political System	3
PSC 613	Local Government Administration	3
Electives (11 credits)
Select 11 credits of electives 2		11
Internship (3 credits)
PSC 695	Public Affairs Internship 3	3
Total Credit Hours		20

¹

Students must complete all of the M.P.A. core courses (23 credits), including the required research tools course. For the concentration, they must complete 6 credits of required course work related to local government management skills and knowledge.

²

9 of the elective credits together with the 6 credits of required concentration courses listed above complete a 15-credit concentration in local government management.

³

An internship is required for students who have no prior experience in a professional or management position in a government agency.

Electives

Recommended courses include:

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
PSC 510K	Topics in Public Policy: Ethics in Public Policy	3
PSC 511	Topics in Public Affairs	1
PSC 560	Special Topics in Public Administration	1-3
PSC 630	Community and Economic Development Theory and Practice	3
GES 602	Sustainable Urban Planning in an Entrepreneurial Environment	3
or ENT 610

With the approval of the Graduate Program Director, students may select additional course work from political science or other departments, such as geography, sociology, business administration, or economics. Students will need to consult with an advisor on specific sections of 510, 511 and 560.

Nonprofit Management Concentration

This concentration combines the M.P.A. core requirements with courses emphasizing the knowledge and skills to prepare students to work in or with the nonprofit sector. The prerequisite, comprehensive exam, and the experiential component are the same as for the M.P.A.

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Required Courses (9 credits) 1
PSC 540	Nonprofit Management and Leadership	3
PSC 650	Philanthropy and Resource Development	3
Select three courses (3 credits) from the following:		3
PSC 511B	Topics in Public Affairs: Marketing for Public and Nonprofit Agencies
PSC 511D	Topics in Public Affairs: Strategic Planning
PSC 511G	Topics in Public Affairs: Grant Writing
PSC 511V	Topics in Public Affairs: Volunteer Management
Electives (9 credits)
Select 9 credits of electives 2		9
Internship
PSC 695	Public Affairs Internship 3	3
Total Credit Hours		21

¹

Students must complete all but one of the M.P.A. core courses. The research tools requirement in the M.P.A. core will be met by PSC 611 Program and Policy Evaluation . They must also complete 15 credits of course work related to nonprofit management skills and knowledge.

²

With the approval of the Graduate Program Director, students may select courses from political science or in other departments, such as social work, gerontology, or sociology.

³

An internship is required for students who have no prior experience in a professional or management position in a nonprofit agency.

M.P.A. with Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Gerontology

Students with an interest in public service work related to the elderly and meeting the needs of an aging society may complete elective course work in the M.P.A. degree by jointly completing the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Gerontology.

Accelerated B.A. or B.S. to M.P.A. in Public Affairs

Application and Admission

Qualified UNC Greensboro undergraduate students may apply for admission to the Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) in Public Affairs. In addition to the regular admissions requirements for the M.P.A. program, AMP applicants must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.5 in a related major based on at least 30 credits earned at UNC Greensboro. Applicants must have completed at least 60 credits and may not apply for admission to the AMP before the first semester of their junior year. Applicants are not required to take the GRE. All applicants must complete the Accelerated Master's Program information along with their application for admission to the graduate degree program.

Courses

Admitted students may apply a maximum of 12 credits of graduate-level course work toward completion of both the undergraduate and graduate degree, provided they earn a grade of B (3.0) or better in each course and fulfill graduate-level requirements. These courses must be approved by the Graduate Program Director from the following list.

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
PSC 511	Topics in Public Affairs	1
PSC 511J	Topics in Public Affairs: Legal Issues in Public Administration	1
PSC 510K	Topics in Public Policy: Ethics in Public Policy	3
PSC 511N	Topics in Public Affairs: Nonprofit Law	1
PSC 520	Urban Political System	3
PSC 540	Nonprofit Management and Leadership	3
PSC 600	Public Administration and Management	3
PSC 601	Politics of Public Policy	3
PSC 602	Quantitative Analysis and Program Evaluation	3
PSC 603	Budgeting and Fiscal Administration	3

Please consult with your advisor to determine how courses taken at the graduate level will meet requirements in the bachelor's degree program. All degree requirements for the undergraduate major and the M.P.A. degree remain the same.