Public Affairs (M.P.A.)

Program Description

The Master of Public Affairs is a professional degree program designed to prepare students to lead and manage in public affairs. Students will study the context and fundamental principles of managing public service organizations, both government and nonprofit, as well as the policy challenges that these types of organizations encounter. The program is suitable for students who possess professional experience and seek additional education to prepare for career advancement (in-service students) and also for students planning careers in the public service area (pre-service students). Coursework integrates public affairs theory and practice to improve the leadership, managerial, analytical, and communication skills of students and includes areas of emphasis on local government and nonprofit leadership, particularly within the Western North Carolina region. The course of study provides accessibility to working professionals and flexibility for students to choose from elective courses to fit their professional goals.

Public Affairs Core (27 hours)

PA 669 - Legal Issues in Public Affairs Credits: 3
PA 670 - Public Affairs Administration Credits: 3
PA 671 - Public Budgeting and Financial Management Credits: 3
PA 672 - Public Organizational Theory and Behavior Credits: 3
PA 673 - Public Policy Analysis Credits: 3
PA 674 - Research Methods for Public Affairs Credits: 3
PA 677 - Public Human Resource Management Credits: 3
PA 685 - Internship in Public Affairs Credits: 3
PA 699 - Public Affairs Capstone Experience Credits: 3

Requirements

The program requires a minimum of 39 semester hours. Each student must complete the Public Affairs core requirements (27 hours), and 12 hours of guided electives. Students without public service experience will be required to complete an internship (PA 685). Students with public service experience may request to replace the internship with 3 hours of coursework selected from program electives. At least 2 electives (6 hours) must be taken from MPA program offerings (designated PA in the catalog). Any electives taken outside of MPA program, either at WCU or another university, must be approved by the MPA committee in order to be counted towards fulfilling the elective hours requirement. Forms for internship replacement requests and outside elective requests can be found on the MPA web page.