General Program Information
Graduate School Contact:
Angela Edwards; edwardag@etsu.edu; 423-439-4703
Dr. J. David Briley, Graduate Coordinator
Associate Professor of Political Science
219 Rogers-Stout Hall
Box 70651
(423) 439-6697
e-mail: briley@etsu.edu
Weixing Chen, Chair, Department of Political Science, International Affairs, and Public Administration
301A Rogers-Stout Hall
Box 70651
(423) 439-6632
e-mail: chen@etsu.edu
Faculty:
David Briley; Lon Felker; Rebecca Keeler; Paul Trogan.
The Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) is a non-business degree that offers an outstanding education for men and women seeking an exciting career in the public or non-profit sector. Students may enter the program from any undergraduate major. The M.P.A. is a highly marketable degree for entry into the fields of city management, urban planning, industrial recruitment, community development, non-profit administration, public budgeting, and financial management. The demand for trained public and non-profit managers has steadily increased, both in this region and beyond.
The M.P.A. program builds on a long tradition of higher education in city management with a unique degree offering. Students who complete requirements for the city management concentration will receive the Master of City Management (M.C.M.) degree. This allows students who wish to pursue careers in city management to have a unique degree which is widely recognized throughout the region. Students choosing other concentrations will be awarded the M.P.A. degree.
Admission Requirements
A student applying to the M.P.A. program must meet both the requirements for admission to the university as a graduate student and the admission criteria for the program. The student must submit transcripts of all academic work previously completed, scores on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and three letters of recommendation. Admission criteria include satisfactory undergraduate grade point average, satisfactory GRE scores, and letters of recommendation. Questions about admission requirements should be directed to the M.P.A. director.
Students admitted to other graduate programs in the university may enroll in public administration courses (prefix PMGT) if they have completed the prerequisites, if any.
Public Financial Management Concentration
This concentration is intended for students interested in public budgeting and public finance.
Students are taught the tools of managing public expenditures (e.g. Government budgeting, accounting, auditing, and procurement) and revenue generation (e.g. taxation, licensing, user fees and lotteries). The concentration introduces monetary issues that face every community in our society.
Students graduate with a strong background in economics, financial reporting, budget and cost benefit analysis complemented by basic managerial and organizational skills.
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