About the Program
Program Mission
Our mission is to prepare public service leaders. Upon graduation our students will have the ability to think critically and creatively about public issues, the dedication and capacity to serve a diverse community and the skills to enter a professional position in a public organization. To accomplish our mission, our program provides the following:
- A rigorous core curriculum that examines the theoretical underpinnings of public service and provides concentrated areas of study in arts management, environmental policy, nonprofit management, and urban and regional planning;
- An environment that nurtures a commitment to service;
- Opportunities to support collaboration and the creation of partnerships among communities and public service organizations.
Program Description
The MPA program at the College of Charleston is fully accredited by the National Association of the Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). The program operates under the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Full time students are able to complete the program within two years. Part-time students must complete the degree within five years of the enrollment date.
Program faculty includes six professors and several highly qualified adjunct faculty within the College of Charleston faculty. Program governance and admissions decisions are made by the Board of Directors.
The M.P.A. program at The Graduate School of the College of Charleston is designed to provide the following:
- A carefully structured core curriculum that focuses on the major components of modern public management.
- An elective curriculum that allows the student to develop a program of study suited to his/her career goals.
- Opportunities to apply administrative knowledge and skills and gain practical experience in a public or nonprofit agency.
- Opportunities for graduate assistants to learn through participation in various research and community service projects.
Applied Focus
Students are introduced to practical administrative and analytic skills in a variety of ways. The joint program regularly uses adjunct faculty to teach elective courses. These practitioners instruct students in their particular specialty, providing them with a valuable, hands-on perspective useful in supplementing their broader training. In addition, the program fosters contacts with professional mentors. A variety of workshops, training sessions, and speakers are sponsored by the program and by the M.P.A.S.A. (The Master of Public Administration Student Association). Finally, students gain practical experience in the internship component of the program by working with practitioners on a daily basis.
Internships
The internship should augment the student’s area of study. To satisfy the requirement, students will be required to work no fewer than 300 hours over the course of the semester for three hours of internship credit. A contract is required between the supervisor, student and program director. The student will be expected to satisfactorily meet the expectations of the agency. To that end, the M.P.A. director and the internship coordinator will periodically evaluate the student’s performance, and consult the on-site internship supervisor. Finally, the student must submit a paper on the duties, responsibilities and experience provided by the internship. Those who are in-service or who have significant experience in public administration may formally request to have the internship requirement waived. Students granted a waiver will take an additional elective course (3 hours) in order to satisfy the hourly requirements for the degree.
Assistantships
Graduate assistantships are available on a competitive basis for full-time students. Individuals receiving assistantships must enroll in nine hours of coursework per semester. Research assistants work 20 hours a week on research projects or may be assigned to individual faculty for research assistance. A variety of assistantships are also available with the Arts Management Program, the Riley Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Studies, the Graduate School and other offices on campus.
Application Procedures and Admission Requirements
Students from diverse undergraduate backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. In certain cases, students with no prior training in American administrative institutions or the the social and behavioral sciences may be required to enroll in undergraduate courses to properly prepare themselves for graduate study in the M.P.A. program. Additional Application Information
Degree Requirements
The MPA degree requires a combination of core and elective classes intended to provide the student with a good founding in public administration theory as well as allow for more specialized knowledge in one of the four cognate areas. An internship is also required to reinforce these concepts in a 'real world' setting.
Degree Requirements
