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Academic Catalog 2021-2022

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  • Public Administration, MPA

Public Administration, MPA

2021-2022 Edition

  • Undergraduate
  • College of Professional Studies Undergraduate
  • Graduate
    • General Admission and Transfer Credit
    • Information for Entering Students
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    • University-​Wide Academic Policies and Procedures
    • PhD Programs
    • College of Arts, Media and Design
    • D'Amore-​McKim School of Business
    • Khoury College of Computer Sciences
    • College of Engineering
    • Bouvé College of Health Sciences
    • School of Law
    • College of Professional Studies
    • College of Science
    • College of Social Sciences and Humanities
      • General Regulations
      • School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
      • Economics
      • English
      • History
      • Political Science
      • School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs
        • Public Policy, PhD
        • International Affairs, MA
        • Public Administration, MPA
        • Public Policy, MPP
        • Engineering and Public Policy, MS
        • Environmental Science and Policy, MS
        • Urban Informatics, MS
        • Urban Planning and Policy, MS
        • Law, JD /​ Public Policy, MPP
        • Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropy, and Social Change, Graduate Certificate
        • Public Policy Analysis, Graduate Certificate
        • Sustainability and Climate Change Policy, Graduate Certificate
        • Urban Analytics, Graduate Certificate
        • Urban Studies, Graduate Certificate
      • Sociology
      • Interdisciplinary
    • Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership
    • Faculty
    • Appendix
  • Course Descriptions
  • Catalog Archives
  • Overview
  • Program Requirements

Website

CSSH Graduate Programs General Regulations

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) is the management and leadership degree for those seeking to serve the public good. The program seeks to equip its students with skills in policy analysis, program evaluation, research methods, and written and verbal communications.

Students have an opportunity to develop competencies in budgeting and human resources, organizational management and leadership, and the interplay between ethics and accountability in a diverse society.

Throughout the degree program, students gain career-oriented experience through internships, small group projects, and other interactions with professionals in the field. These experiences are designed to enable the Northeastern MPA graduate to move into a wide array of public and nonprofit sector positions at the local, state, national, and international levels. The Northeastern University MPA program is nationally accredited by NASPAA.

Mission Statement

The mission of the MPA 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 pledges the best instruction available in a set of courses designed to integrate theoretical foundations with practical skills. The MPA program is designed to 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, postgraduate 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.

The MPA program requires all students to pursue an internship experience and offers an optional cooperative education experience (co-op) to eligible students. Cooperative education is central to both the Northeastern experience and to the experiential liberal arts framework of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. Northeastern’s signature co-op ecosystem provides qualified master's students with six-month work experiences in businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in Boston and across the United States.

Healthcare Management and Policy Concentration

This graduate concentration is available to students in the Master's of Public Administration (MPA) program in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. It is designed to enable students in the MPA program to develop a deeper understanding of the contemporary healthcare sector, including the intricacies of U.S. health policy, and competencies in healthcare management. The concentration is comprised of three courses, one from each of three focus areas, and an elective.

Please review the tuition and fees page as credit costs differ depending on the college the course is located in.

Academic Standing/Progress 

Students in the program are monitored for academic progress. Those students whose cumulative grade-point average (GPA) falls below 3.000 are notified by and meet with the director of academic programs. They are counseled that if their GPA does not rise to 3.000 or higher, they run the risk of not graduating and are advised on strategies for improvement. 

Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.

Core Requirements

A cumulative 3.000 GPA is required for the core requirements.

Course List
Code Title Hours
Quantitative Techniques
INSH 6500Statistical Analysis4
Analysis
PPUA 6506Techniques of Policy Analysis4
PPUA 6502Economic Analysis for Policy and Planning4
Administration and Management
PPUA 6500Principles of Public Administration4
PPUA 6505Public Budgeting and Financial Management4
PPUA 6507Institutional Leadership and the Public Manager4
Capstone
PPUA 7673Capstone in Public Policy and Urban Affairs4

Internship Requirement

An approved internship or waiver is required.

Course List
Code Title Hours
Internship Waived
Electives
Complete 12 semester hours from the course list.12
Internship Completed Not for Course Credit
PPUA 6861Internship0
Electives
Complete 12 semester hours from the course list.12

Concentration Option

A concentration is not required. Students may complete electives (from the elective list below) in lieu of a concentration.

Healthcare Management and Policy Concentration

Course List
Code Title Hours
Health Management
Complete one of the following:3-4
HRMG 6220
Health Organization Management
PPUA 6220
How Healthcare Works: Business and Policy Innovations
STRT 6220
Strategic Management for Healthcare Organizations
Health Policy
Complete one of the following:3-4
PHTH 5212
Public Health Administration and Policy
PHTH 5234
Economic Perspectives on Health Policy
PPUA 5240
Health Policy and Politics
Electives
Health Elective
Complete one of the following:3
PHTH 5120
Race, Ethnicity, and Health in the United States
PHTH 5212
Public Health Administration and Policy
PHTH 5214
Environmental Health
PHTH 5222
Health Advocacy
PHTH 5230
Global Health
PHTH 6200
Principles and History of Urban Health
PHTH 6204
Society, Behavior, and Health
General Elective
Complete an additional course from the Health Elective list above or one of the following:2-3
PPUA 6212
Research Toolkit for Urban and Regional Policy: Project Management
PPUA 6213
Research Toolkit for Urban and Regional Policy: Data Visualization
PPUA 6216
Research Toolkit for Urban and Regional Policy: Grant Writing

Electives

Course List
Code Title Hours
LPSC 5000 to LPSC 7999
PPUA 5000 to PPUA 7999
CRIM 5000 to CRIM 7999 (by advisement only)
ECON 5000 to ECON 7999 (by advisement only)
ENGL 5000 to ENGL 7999 (by advisement only)
HIST 5000 to HIST 7999 (by advisement only)
POLS 5000 to POLS 7999 (by advisement only)
SOCL 5000 to SOCL 7999 (by advisement only)

Optional Co-op Experience

Course List
Code Title Hours
Requires two consecutive semesters of Co-op Work Experience and Experiential Integration:2
PPUA 6964
and INSH 6864
Co-op Work Experience
and Experiential Integration

Program Credit/GPA Requirements

40 total semester hours required (42 with optional co-op)
Minimum 3.000 GPA

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  • 2021-22 Undergraduate PDF

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