Master of Public Administration

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Welcome to the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program at Northeastern University. Acceptance into the program signifies a high level of achievement in your previous professional and academic efforts and demonstrates your commitment to excellence in public service. We look forward to working with you to help develop and sharpen the skills and capacities needed for a career in public service or in the nonprofit sector and increase substantially your effectiveness as an administrator.

Three general themes underlie our efforts. First and foremost, we make every effort to provide you with effective and relevant instruction in a curriculum that integrates theoretical foundations with practical skills. In turn, we expect you to extend every effort in your courses to meet high standards of academic excellence.

Second, our program is directed toward defining and developing analytical, conceptual and practical competencies. Practicing public administrators among our adjunct faculty and student body provide linkages with all levels of government, permitting us a unique opportunity to maintain a high level of professional relevance.

Last, but by no means least, we strive to emphasize the “public” dimension of public administration. We view ourselves as being distinct from the private sector, motivated first by ethical and democratic imperatives to serve the public interest. Throughout the Program's curriculum and activities, we will reiterate and focus upon our public responsibilities.

The information provided here is of use to current and prospective students alike. Please do not hesitate to call on the faculty—particularly your academic advisor—or staff for assistance. We hope your experience in the program is productive and rewarding.

Mission Statement

The mission of the M.P.A. program at Northeastern University is to serve the needs of the public affairs community, including students, working professionals, faculty, and researchers by providing a practice-oriented and research-based graduate educational experience. The faculty pledge the best instruction available in a set of courses designed to integrate theoretical foundations with practical skills. Our M.P.A. Program will prepare students to be effective in a dynamic and increasingly diverse professional environment, We also commit ourselves to assisting students in every possible way to secure internships, post-graduate employment, and overall career advancement. Students, in turn, are expected to meet high levels of academic excellence combined with ethical and professional integrity. Committed to the ideals of public service and advancing the public interest, we seek students who share the same enthusiasm.

Accreditation

NASPAA Accredited Logo The M.P.A. program at Northeastern University is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, the membership association of graduate programs in public administration, public policy and public affairs. NASPAA’s twofold mission is to ensure excellence in education and training for public service and to promote the ideal of public service. NASPAA accreditation signifies that a master's program in public affairs and administration has gone through a rigorous process of voluntary peer review conducted by the Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation (COPRA), and has met NASPAA's Standards for Professional Master's Degree Programs in Public Affairs, Policy and Administration.

The M.P.A. program at Northeastern went through its most recent NASPAA accreditation review in 2004, and has been reaccredited through 2010.

Program History

Founded in 1969, the M.P.A. Program at Northeastern builds on and maintains the University’s distinctive tradition of blending classroom learning with relevant experience. In the beginning the program had a small student body served by two professors. Today it is comprised of approximately forty students served by full time and adjunct faculty. Most classes are held after 5:00 p.m. on at the University’s Boston campus. The faculty consists of full-time professors at Northeastern University as well as part-time adjunct professors who are practitioners in the various fields of public administration. Areas of faculty expertise include policy analysis, budgeting, U.S. government, and public law, as well as a variety of substantive policy areas (e.g., education, health, environment). The Program is designed to integrate theoretical foundations with practical skills directed toward defining and developing analytical, conceptual and practical competencies. Northeastern offers an academic program that is geared toward meeting the needs of today's public and non-profit sector administrator.

Graduate students come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and from both U.S. and international colleges and universities. American students come from every section of the United States, while international students hail from virtually every corner of the globe. Many students are currently employed in the public and/or non-profit sectors.

Recent Graduates

2007-2008 Graduates

2006-2007 Graduates

2005-2006 Graduates

2004-2005 Graduates

2003-2004 Graduates

Admission

Admission to the M.P.A. program is on a rolling basis throughout the academic year, although applicants for fall admission who are seeking financial aid are advised to apply by February 1. All applicants must submit, along with the graduate school application form and application fee, three letters of recommendation (with at least one preferably from a faculty member), official copies of all transcripts, a current resume, and a personal statement explaining career interests and reasons for applying to this program. Scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) are optional, but recommended for applicants without prior work experience. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for international students, except those who received their previous degrees from universities where the primary language of instruction was English. A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 out of 4.0 is desired.

Candidates for the M.P.A. program usually come with a background in the social sciences, but applications from fields such as engineering, law, the physical and natural sciences, and business, are not uncommon.

Students may enroll on either a full-time or part-time basis. Full-time equivalency is at least three courses per semester. All courses are convened after 5:00 p.m. so as to meet the needs of working adults. The program offers a limited schedule during the summer semester.

The Deadlines for Fall 2009 admission are:

Apply for the MPA online

Degree Requirements

Graduates of the M.P.A. Program must successfully complete 42 semester hours (or fourteen courses) of credit in a prescribed curriculum. Full-time students can expect to complete the degree in two academic years. Coursework is divided between 24 credits in eight required courses, referred to as the core, and 18 credits in six elective courses. For students without work experience, an internship is required and replaces one of the elective courses.

The M.P.A. Core

The following eight core courses are required of all M.P.A. students.

Each core course is offered at least once a year. Students are encouraged to complete POL G350, Institutional Leadership and the Public Manager, in the first fall semester of their studies, and they should complete POL G306, the Capstone Seminar, in the last spring semester of their studies. Students should consult with their academic advisor when planning the sequencing of their core courses.

Electives

Electives are offered in an array of areas, including urban policy and administration, education, health policy, environmental policy, and business-government relations. With permission, up to six semester hours (two courses) may be taken in other graduate programs at Northeastern. Up to six semester hours may also be taken as “directed study” in particularly specialized areas, subject to the prior approval of the graduate program. No more than nine semester hours may be earned through a combination of directed studies and internships.

Internships

An internship (POL G407) is required for students without sufficient prior professional experience, and is counted as an elective. An internship comprises 225 hours of work over a semester and concludes with a written analysis of the internship experience or work done in it, with the specific topic approved by the supervising faculty member.

Internships are intended to provide professional experience for students in an area where they may wish to pursue a career. Interns normally participate in professional activities such as administration, planning, research, policy formulation and implementation, and budgeting, while keeping clerical and support tasks to a minimum. At the same time, the intention of the Program is that interns acquire a broad perspective and gain exposure to a variety of tasks rather than become absorbed in a single narrow activity.

The internship experience is valued chiefly for its contribution to the educational process. Accordingly, monetary compensation, while desirable, should not be a factor in deciding on the desirability or appropriateness of different assignments. While the sponsoring agency or organization is encouraged to provide a stipend, such arrangements are at their discretion and a matter of negotiation between the intern and the sponsor.

Interns are expected to work a minimum of 225 hours over a semester. While interns may choose to work more hours, they can earn no more than three semester hours of credit for a single internship and no more than two internships may be taken to satisfy the requirements of the M.P.A. degree. No credit will be given for work done in their current jobs by students already holding professional positions. Interns will be required to write a paper on their experience in which they describe their internship activities and present an analytical discussion relating their internship to the academic curriculum of the M.P.A. Program. The Intern Advisor will assign a final grade to each intern based on an overall appraisal of various performance measures collected over the period of the internship.

Each intern is required to meet with the Intern Advisor over the course of the semester. There will be an ongoing evaluation of all interns based on communication between the Intern Advisor and the field supervisor. Upon completion of the internship, the field supervisor will be required to complete an intern evaluation and will be encouraged to submit a letter of recommendation to be included in the intern's academic file.

Current internship opportunities are collected by the Internship Advisor and are announced periodically in classes, via e-mail, on this web site, and posted in the Department of Political Science. Students who are interested in an internship should consult with the Intern Advisor at least six weeks prior to the semester in which the internship is to be undertaken.

Grading

Students must have a final grade point average of at least 3.000 to obtain the M.P.A. degree. In addition, an overall grade point average of 3.000 is required in the core courses with no grade of F. A total of six semester hours of repeated courses and/or additional courses may be taken in order to satisfy degree requirements. Each course may be repeated only once. The initial grade received in a course that has been repeated, as well as grades received for transfer credit, will be excluded from the final average.

Satisfactory progress in the M.P.A. Program is defined as maintaining a grade point average of 3.000. Students who fall below this average in one semester must consult with their academic advisor. Students who fall below this average in two consecutive semesters are subject to dismissal from the program.

Program Policies

Structure and Administration of the M.P.A. Program

The M.P.A. Committee is the chief policy-making body for the Program. Decisions regarding curriculum, program direction and development are within the jurisdiction of this committee. The chair of the Program supervises day-to-day operational matters and coordinates such activities as curriculum planning, program development, student affairs, and recruitment of adjunct faculty.

Advising

Academic advising is provided by full-time faculty members and covers course planning, program policies, and career advice. New students are assigned faculty advisors according to their intended area of focus or, if pursuing a generalist degree, alphabetically. Students may choose their own advisors by reviewing the fields of expertise of each faulty member, and may petition to change advisors once they are in the program. All students are urged strongly to speak to an advisor before registering for courses each semester. The Department requires that all new students, students enrolled under provisional status, and students with an overall grade point average below 3.00 to meet with an advisor before registration.

Changes in Requirements

Continuing development of the Masters in Public Administration Program necessitates occasional revision of the curriculum. When no hardship is imposed on the student because of changes, and when the facilities of the program permit, the student is expected to meet the requirements of the most recent Program Guide. However, if it can be demonstrated to the M.P.A. Committee and the director of the Graduate School that doing so imposes substantial hardship, the requirements in the Program Guide of the year in which the student matriculated will be applicable.

Program Guide

A 2008-2009 Program Guide

for all graduate students is available on-line or in the Graduate Program Office. This Guide provides information on program requirements, curriculum, financial aid, and other aspects of the graduate programs in the Department of Political Science.

2007-2008 Program Guide

2006-2007 Program Guide

2005-2006 Program Guide

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Northeastern University

Dept of Political Science
Northeastern University
301 Meserve Hall
Boston, MA 02115

Phone: (617) 373-2796
Email: polisci@neu.edu