MA POLS
Public Administration

College Admissions
Requirements

College MA
Requirements

College PhD
Requirements

College Web Site

Public Administration Program

Director: Dr. Robert D. Thomas

The purpose of the public administration program, a component of the Department of Political Science, is to train students for professional careers in the public sector in local, state, or national government as well as in nonprofit institutions and in related areas.

Master of Arts in Public Administration

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the college graduate admission requirements, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements for unconditional admission to the Master of Arts in Public Administration program:

Requirements include a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, a 3.00 grade point average (A=4.00) or better on the most recent 60 semester hours of undergraduate or graduate courses, and GRaduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. (Verbal, quantitative, and analytical GRE scores are examined separately and evaluated as one information source in the total application.

Degree Requirements

In addition to meeting the college master's degree requirements, applicants must complete the following minimum requirements for the Master of Arts in Public Administration program:

Requirements	Hours
Program Core	21
POLS 6314, 6370, 6371, 6372, 6373, 6380, and 6381
Specialization	12
Four courses (in consultation with program director)
Problem Analysis Project (POLS 6379)	3
Total	36

Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or above and satisfactorily complete the comprehensive examination.

Special Academic Regulations

Specialization: Areas of specialization are selected and designed by individual students in consultation with the program director. Specializations may be selected from a broad range of areas, both in political science and in a variety of other fields. Sample specializations are intergovernmental relations, personnel administration, public policy analysis, urban management, finance, and planning.

Internship project: Students with no previous work experience in the public sector are required to serve an internship in a public agency, usually working part-time for one semester to six months under the supervision of agency staff. The internship requirement is waived for students who are either currently employed or who have had appropriate prior experience, as determined by the program director.

Problem analysis project: As the culmination of graduate work in public administration, each student is required to register for POLS 6379 and to complete an intensive study of a significant policy issue. Students analyze a public policy issue, examine alternative solutions to the problem, and make independent and specific recommendations about the resolution of the problem. Comprehensive examination: The comprehensive examination consists of three topics: public administration theory and practice and the student's specialization. It is usually taken the semester the student plans to graduate.

For more information, write to this address:

Department of Political Science
Attn: Public Administration Program Coordinator
University of Houston
Houston, Texas 77204-3474